Living in Italy Blogs

My favourite websites & blogs about daily life in Italy that capture just how it is...

This great photo is courtsey of Tommaso Zannerini.

These are my favourite living in Italy Blogs that capture just how it is and have me laughing out loud at what the authors have shared because it has happened to me, or shouting "Yes, yes, I know...". Things happen here that when you first experience them they leave you in disbelief and often as not with a huge smile on your face, or, as can sometimes be the case when it comes to official matters, with a frustration that verges on anger!

Dip into one or more and follow each authors own experiences of daily life in Italy to get a really good feel for the reality. It is full of great emotions, joys and frustrations, sometimes at one and the same time!

They each offer a different perspective, but all eloquently capture, whether through words and/or pictures, the multi-faceted aspects of a rich and colourful "vita in Italia".

Ever wondered why a queue as you know it isn't a queue in Italy? Why a red light doesn't necessarily mean STOP? What "Boh" and "Dai" mean? then read on...

Everyday Life in Italy

Bell'Avventura

This is a lovely Blog about living in Italy written by "... an Aussie Italian mum who left Melbourne over twenty years ago to balance life between Luxembourg where my responsibilities lie and picture postcard Positano where my sparks fly."

Scintilla's posts read like short stories: they are wonderfully written and full of beautiful photographs.

Read her "You Know that You're in Postiano if..." posts and similar threads about Postiano and have a good giggle... Then read some of her tales of woe about bureacracy in Italy and getting things done. The first will have you laughing and the second leave you in disbelief, but both are so spot on.

At Home in Tuscany

This Blog about living in Tuscany is written by a lovely lady born and bred in Maremma.

Her posts are full of historical, cultural and insider information, but her style is anything but that of a guide book: she writes as though she is talking to friends.

Thinking of getting married in Tuscany? Then don't miss her own personal account of the incredible paperwork involved and prerequiste requirements for a native Italian!

BlogFromItaly now ItalyChronicles

When a blog post about serious political and financial problems in Italy covers the subject eloquently and at the same time makes you laugh because of the wit with which it does, then you know you have found a writer worth following.

Alex Roe is one such person. His website BlogfromItaly is full of great information rich posts on everything from Fragolinio wine to the iconic Vespa. My personal recommendation: make a strong coffee and start with his Italian news posts.

A Tuscan View from Umbria Blog

I love this Blog. It makes me laugh out loud and leaves me with a silly grin on my face... Reading Mandy & Julian's posts about their new life in Umbria is like reading a letter from a best friend. It is written naturally, honestly and with humour... and is about real life.

Make a cup of coffee and read a few entries... forget your work, read some more... go back and read the earlier blogs... Each one will leave you with disbelief until you visit Italy or live here! And then you will chuckle like me.

Julian is an artist and together they run a painting holiday and art workshop. Click on the link above for more information.

UPDATE: sadly, Mandy and Julian haven't posted again since 2010, but their blog is still worth a visit to read the back posts from the beginning of their adventure in Umbria. www.tuscanyandumbria.typepad.com/atuscanview/

Looking for a good Italian Food Blog?

Finding a good Italian food blog that combines culture and Italian food - they are just so inextricably linked in Italian life - quality posts, great recipes and photographs isn't easy. The link will take you to my favourites.