1. If you want water without bubbles you have to order “naturale”. Otherwise it comes carbonated and Cate and Lucy take sips and make noises like they are cats with hairballs.
2. Right now we have six litres of wine and four wedges of cheese in our refrigerator.
3. You can get a half portion of almost any meal here.
4.There is a wine “gas station” here. On one wall there are a bunch of types of wine on tap. On the other, there are huge containers of wine. You dispense the wine with gas pumps. The wine is amazing and unbelievably cheap. I bought four litres of wine (including the containers) for 11 euro.
5. Some of the toilets here are holes in the ground. With places to put your feet on either side of the hole. I’ll let you imagine how fun that was to figure out.
6.This past weekend we drove to Asiago. Once we got there, we had trouble finding somewhere to buy cheese. I can’t even make this stuff up.
7. The word I hear most here is “allora”. The Italians use this word for “well” “let’s see” “but” “um” “and” ….okay. It means everything and nothing at the same time. Every single conversation here is peppered with 2938402834082 alloras.
8. Italians don’t do breakfast like we do. Breakfast might be a coffee and a light pastry. No eggs or meat. I honestly miss big American breakfasts.
9. Children here stay up MUCH later. It’s not unusual to see children out to dinner at 9 or later.
10. Italians LOVE children. They are constantly stopping my girls, grabbing them, pinching their cheeks. The first time this happened to Cate it scared the BEJEEBUS out of her. Children do not get grabbed in America. HAHAHA!
11. Men here dress very differently. Many wear purses and there are a lot of colored skinny jeans. I love people watching.
12.You can find places like this everywhere here. I’m obsessed.
13. We have to protect our cars from break ins. We take our GPS and iPhone cords out and never leave gas vouchers or euro in sight.
14. I have not heard one person say “Arrivederci” here. It’s ciao for hello and goodbye.
15. The words I most love saying (I like the way they feel in my mouth) are “Grazie Mille”. Thank you very much.
16. The other day we ate at a biergarten where there is a play area with paid attendants. We got to enjoy a meal with adult conversation! GENIUS.
17. I had heard from multiple sources that the Italians do not smile at Americans here. It’s simply not true if you ask me. I think it’s because they all love children and I have plenty of those.
18. I had my first entirely-in-Italian conversation with an elderly Italian woman on the street and I was THRILLED. She asked me the ages of my girls and I told her. She then told me “Brava” and blew me a kiss. <3
19. There are gelaterias here every other storefront. It’s insane. I have tried fragola (strawberry), cioccolato (chocolate), nutella, limone (lemon), fior di latte (flower of milk), and pistacchio. All equally excellent. Not even kidding.
20. I’m loving immersing myself in the Italian language and trying to speak and learn as much as possible. The problem is…many locals try to make it easier and speak English to me!
21. I’ve had some comments asking what the hard parts of living in Italy are. And that right now it just all seems glamourous. Truth is, I will probably never be the girl that complains about living in Italy. If I read a blog like that? I’d want to punch that person in the throat!
22. Our apartment was built in 1775. Seriously? Amazing. My new home was built before America was established. Holy cow.
23. I am fortunate in that I have the best of Italy and all of my American comforts at my fingertips. We have a commissary (grocery store) and PX (basically like a walmart) on post where we can access all of our comfort foods and products. Harper and Sadie will also attend DOD (Dept of Defense) American School on post.
24. Cate and Lucy will attend an asilo (Italian preschool). My hope is that they will be fluent soon.
25. I find it insane that I now live in a country where I routinely take (iPhone!) photos that look like postcards. That’s how beautiful it is. Everywhere. Exhibit A: Bassano Del Grappa.
Love you all! xoxo
S
LOVED this post. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us! 🙂
Amazing!!
Will the Cate and Lucy attend a Reggio preschool? I’d love to hear how it is in a “real” Reggio classroom. Not the ones we try and replicate here in the states. I’m absolutely loving all your Italy posts!
Ah I just love reading your posts. Love the pics!! Makes me hope we get to go overseas one day!
Ciao Bella!
love!!!! Especially #24 I wish I could give me children that opportunity. Just not sure I would be brave enough if the opportunity came along.
YAY YAY YAYY!!! I just love everything about this post Stephanie!!! My favorite is number 21! I truly appreciate that you are so thankful for this experience. I just know that God has really big plans for the Howell family in Italy! Thank you for letting us live through this experience with you. xoxo
I just got back from a two week vacation in Italy and so many of your facts were similar to my own experiences. I find myself saying “allora” randomly now!! And the gelato…oh my goodness!! You have to try the Stracciatella flavor…simply the best!! I hope you enjoy your time in Italy and I am so very jealous that you get to call it home for now. And if you get a chance I totally recommend visiting San Gimignano in the Tuscany region…such a beautiful, quite place!
Love this post!! I didn’t want it to end, ha! I love your enthusiasm and am truly thankful that you’re sharing this wonderful adventure with us!
Wonderful post! Love hearing about all this stuff! Keep it coming!
The “complaint” I heard was about lack of clothes dryers. That’s as bad a it got. I doubt that would be enough to scare me away. I sound like a broken record, but it is fabulous seeing Italy through your eyes. It IS like picture postcards.
I am loving sharing it with you and so thrilled that you all are immersing totally, learning the language, and living fully. Hooray!
Another great post. Thanks so much for letting us experience the beauty of Italy through your eyes and observations. So happy that you are happy!
Wow! And thank you!
Excellent post, Stephanie! You’re doing an awesome job sharing your journey with us! I am so excited to hear more! 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Waaau love this post…. Sometimes i wish i could be in your shooes…….<3
This is insanely beautiful and thank you for sharing and including me in ypur adventure.
So glad to hear things are going well. Hope everyone is happy and healthy and enjoying what looks like wonderful weather.
You are handling this BIG transition like a champ! Keep the Italy posts coming! 🙂
Brava! I tried to teach Sadie “allora” at the ranch…she just looked at me funny and then asked what I’d do if she threw the baby in the pool…language lesson halted.
Hi Stephanie, Love reading the facts and some of them are really interesting..esp that they have wine stations..:-)..Thanks for sharing your beautiful experiences..i (like all others)always wait for your blog updates…cheers!!
I love reading about your new life, Steph. It’s just so cool and new and fun! You are representing, girl!
Looks AMAZING!!!
Oh my Steph!!!! LOVE that last photo!!!! Just gorgeous!! I am glad you are enjoying everything there. About the toilets, I have heard about that, but it was from someone who went to China. Never expected that in Italy. I have tried limone gelato, though not in Italy but up in Door County, WI. I am definitely sure it is not near as good as the real deal you have there. But, it sure was tasty. I loved it. Thank you for sharing your adventure.
I experienced a bathroom like that in Baranos, an island near Venice that is very cool to see. As for breakfast, a lot of Europe like meats and cheeses for breakfast was my experience and they kill eggs if they even do them, lol.
Loved this post.
Love these random Italy facts! What does “flower of milk” taste like?
Gah!!! My jaw has dropped just looking at those pics!!! Soooo beautiful! I am insanely jealous, although I am not so sure I am as strong as you and would be able to handle a move to another country with small children. You make it look so fun, but I am sure it has been trying at times for you all too. Your lives have been forever changed for the better and oh the memories you will have!!!
awww. i love no. 18! so happy you are enjoying your new home! 🙂 xo
This is SO fun to read!! I am living an adventure vicariously through you lol!!;)When do we get to see the inside of your apartment?? 🙂
One of my dreams is to take my boys to Italy, hopefully sooner then later…and for now, I am living vicariously through YOU!!!! So thank you for all the wonderful pictures, eventhough I am not on Instagram, I can still see you daily pics through there….I am loving what you are sharing. Thank you, thank you!
What a wonderful post Stephanie. Wonderful. I loved seeing the food set out (no. 12). It sounds exactly like I imagine it to be, and like everyone says. Italians do love children, and they are made very welcome at restaurants I think.
I love each and everyone of your Life in Italy posts. I can’t even imagine. Totally jealous of the easy access to amazing wine at even more amazing prices. Loved the market pic. I would be in heaven having a “farmer’s market” right on my neighborhood street corner.
Awesome post! Italy is fab isn’t it!
What an adventure, you are blessed! I would love to hear about any local flea markets. I dream about some day flea marketing in Europe!! I would also love to see more photos of your new home it sounds wonderful!!!
Loved this post! My favorite photos were the gelato and the last one – stunning! I am so enjoying experiencing Italy through you and am dreaming of getting there someday soon.
My dream is to go to Europe! To travel to every country! I am living vicariously through you, so thanks for sharing!!!!
Go to Barano! It’s the lace island of Venice! You will love it!
The gelato is to die for isn’t it? I was in Italy for 3 weeks and the gypsy thing is hard to get used to….my aunt wanted to give this grizzled little beggar woman money and our guide got very angry! She said we would all be pickpocketed in minutes if we offered money….
Other than that Italy was lovely!
So enjoying the return visit through your eyes! You are so appreciative!
I have no words. Seriously 🙂
Point #21 is hilarious … but you are as close as I am going to get to Italy right now so keep these great posts coming!
So jealous! So happy for you!! Keep it all coming!!!
What, no pictures of the old man buffet with the baby pigs on spits???
Datsa pretty picture! Bueno! So do the cars run on wine too?
I’ve always loved your blog, but now there is even more to love. Thanks for sharing your life in Italy with us. I love seeing the pictures and experiencing Italy through your eyes. You are so making wish I had the iPhone 5 now. I kept telling myself I didn’t need it but now you’ve made me want it bad!!! Keep sharing please!!
Have a great day!
Christine
Great post! Italy looks amazing!
Sigh. I am so jealous. However, then I think about traveling to another country with my 4 kids and realize I can barely handle a drive with them to the neighborhood grocery store. 🙂 I’ll live vicariously through you. Is that okay? 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Love hearing about your experiences!
We went to Italy in the fall, so I loved reading your blog post! You are so lucky that you live there! We just fell in love with Italy and we were only there for a week! I remember the “allora” word…the lady at our B&B said it constantly, even when she was speaking English. We could never figure out what it meant. 🙂
That IS the best of both worlds..living in another country with the ability to get your American staples you are used to. I am not sure if you use coupons but you are able to use them six months past their expiration date, if you’d like I can send some your way that is if you’re interested.
One can never have enough cheese. I’ll take cheese over chocolate any day.
Another fabulous post and that last picture just WOW. Oh and I have had the pleasure of those toliets a lot of times in France LOL, they are something else huh! xo
I can feel your enthusiasm with your new life. XOXO.
Can you translate Euro to US currency? I don’t know if 11 Euro is good or bad.
Ciao Stephanie,
I hope you love Italy 🙂
ciao ciao
Thank you for sharing this fabulous experience! I love hearing about life in Italy.
Thanks for sharing. Lovely photos!
#17…Really??? People are actually telling you that? That’s the silliest thing I’ve heard all day! I promise that in almost every case if you give a smile, then you will receive a smile…no matter your culture! I’m happy to hear that you are not trusting your sources on this one. 😉
D
Hahaha … right off the bat, #1 made me literally laugh out loud. Picturing the scenario will make me giggle all day. And I’m with Lucy and Cate when it comes to water – you can keep the bubbles thankyouverymuch.
There is too much to love about this post to continue on with my rambling comments, so I’ll just say this: BRAVA Stephanie. You rock. (Wish I knew how to say that in Italian for you!) Love, love, LOVED this post!! Ciao xoxo
How beautiful! Looks like a dream vacation, and you actually get to live there! I don’t know if I would want to come back (haha!). That’s great that the younger girls get to go to an Italian preschool. I didn’t realize there would be an American school there too. Will they learn Italian at their school too? How fun to learn another language! My cousins lived in Spain when they were younger (dad was in military) and they learned Spanish from their maid. What a great experience! Thanks for sharing all the wonderful pictures and information! I love your blog!
$14.52 !!
I am loving your posts. We just returned from a week in Italy and it was wonderful. Reading your blog is like re-living it! I’m envious of you & your family – enjoy!!!
One more thing…#25 photos….SO true. I couldn’t believe what I was looking at sometimes. Tuscany was insanely beautiful!
Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
AHHHH thank you for sharing! You have brought back so many GREAT memories from when I was at Aviano AB. A local told us about a wine town called Codroipo that was a lot of fun and great wine! I also remember lignano beach and everyone staring at the americans bcz were the only ones with tops on!! lol
And yes those holes/bathrooms in the ground -funny funny times!!
Thank you again for sharing and hope you have a great experience there too!!!
i am so proud of you, girly! it sounds like this adventure is off to a wonderful start!
I really enjoy reading your posts; the pictures are amazing. Thanks for sharing 🙂
It’s fun to read about your experiences. You seem like Alice in Wonderland!
Love
Wow! Fantastic listening to your tales of Italy, and there only just the start of amazing journey you and your family are on! 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! It’s been years since I’ve been to Italy so I’m enjoying your stories. I’ve always wanted to live there so your blog is the next great thing. Plus I love the fact that you have a passion for design, crafts, etc.
Glad you are enjoying Italy so much. Next time you stop at the gelateria, give stracciatella a try. It’s creamy vanilla with chocolate shavings inside – absolutely divine!
Davvero divertente! E’ bello vedere l’Italia descritta da un viaggiatore. Spero che riuscirete a visitare anche la Romagna, dove abito io 🙂 Buona permanenza
Oh my gosh. You are living my dream, I think! While I was in college, my professors wanted me to go to Italy to sing in some opera houses. I was too nervous, and deciding if I wanted that life and I didn’t go. It is really my only regret in life. I love reading all of these tidbits! My dad lived in Italy for a while before I was born, so I love to hear from him too. Keep posting these kinds of random tidbits posts! They are so fun. And my mouth is watering from that gelato pic! 🙂
How much is a plane ticket to Italy?? Seriously, I’m dying to go. It’s just so beautiful and so much like a dream. It’s definitely at the top of my bucket list. That gelato picture made me drool. yumm!!
yes yes yes to these 25 facts! you nailed it!
here’s another word you’ll hear over and over:
comunque
it doesn’t even sound italian, but it means “however” and i heard it a gazillion times.
I loved reading this post! Thanks for sharing.
I have LOVED reading about your adventures in Italy! It is on the top of my travel list and I’m so jealous of you right now! It’s so beautiful and I know I would love it there. Thank you so much for sharing!
I just remember hearing people answer their cells with “Prego” when I was there….enjoy! 🙂
Beautiful!!! Thank you so much for sharing your adventure with all of us! You should do another 25 favorites in a year and see if they change?
this so makes me want to just quit my job and move to Italy right now. Keep the photos and stories coming.I am loving this!
Ahmaaazing!!!!!!
Ah-mazing catching up on your adventure!!!!
Love hearing how much you are loving this adventure! And love hearing how little Italy has changed since I visited in the 1980s. Only difference I can see so far is that back then, you had to ask for aqua minerale senza carbinario!
This is the kind of stuff I love to learn! Keep the lists coming please! I’m so enjoying following your experiences!
Just wanted to say, like everyone else, I am LOVING your posts about Italy.
I personally would like to hear about some of the not so good experiences
too… then I could be less jealous. 😉
You iphone photos TOTALLY are like postcards! I love waking up to them!!!
I can just smile reading this..
I live in Bassano and it is 3 years that I read your blog..
It is really strange (in a good way) to read you discover the places were I grown up..
Have nice days here!
Ciao
Can I be your live in nanny?? Oh…I come with 3 of my own!! lol
I love reading about your adventures! You must try pineapple gelato. Delish!
I was pregnant when I first travelled to Italy and quickly learned to request “no gas” (pronounced gahss) water. Still not a fan of the bubbles!!
So excited for you on this journey! I, too, am an Army wife, living in Bavaria. We’ve made it to Italy a few times (and loved it) and really enjoy living in Europe. I will be sad to leave next year, but happy too. It’s the little things that make you miss the good ‘ol U.S. of A….like when you have to have car repairs beyond what the car care center can do. Or a utility billing dispute. Or trying to see family in the States and realizing how hard it is to get back. But you can’t beat the antiques, the wine and the cheese!! (seriously – we had friends pay 600 euro for a BEAUTIFUL antique hutch, had it damaged in their PCS, called a specialist to have it repaired and he offered them $6K for it!) Anyway…this whole moving OCONUS thing? You guys are doing it right. Getting out, exploring, loving the opportunity. Can’t wait to read more about it! Tschuss! (<---we hear Ciao a lot here too, but never Auf Weidersehen)
Benvenuta in Italia Stephanie! Spero ci incontreremo presto…
(I hope we’ll meet soon!)