Rick's Rome: Recent Episodes
Rick Zullo: American Expat in Rome
Recently on The Fatal Charm of Italy podcast, I had the pleasure of hosting Douglas E. Morris, a seasoned travel writer and guidebook author whose latest work, Rome Made Easy, offers an incredibly insightful look into the Eternal City. Doug’s travel philosophy is grounded in authenticity—he seeks to guide readers and visitors toward meaningful experiences […]
“Are eSIMs good for travel to Europe?” The short answer is YES. During a recent three-week trip to Spain and Portugal with my 12-year-old daughter, I tested out an eSIM for the very first time—and I may never travel internationally without one again. Before leaving, I installed a Maya Mobile eSIM on both of our […]
Vaffanculo! When teaching English in a foreign country, you gain a new and profound appreciation for the minutiae of communicating across languages. You soon discover that the cultural context adds yet another layer of complexity and so there are limitless opportunities for misunderstandings that transcend mere differences in vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. For example, there is a Roman dialect […]
Back in November of 2008, I stumbled into a great little cicchetteria in Treviso. I was only passing through town for one day/night to catch a cheap flight (19 Euros!) for Prague the next morning. I ordered some type of fishy Venetian bruschette and asked the gruff bar owner for a local vino to accompany […]
When you talk about gay travel in Italy, you must begin the conversation with the Puglia region. It’s the top gay summer destination for Italy’s gay community, and furthermore, it’s recognized as one of Europe’s top 5 gay destinations. So what draws LGBTQ visitors to Puglia, and for that matter, why would anyone want to […]
Back in mid-March of 2020, when the pandemic hadn’t quite reached the U.S. yet but was devastating Italy, I interviewed five friends who were suffering through those early days of fear and panic. One of those friends was Judy Witts Francini, who lives in Tuscany, midway between Florence and Siena. I guess I might describe […]
What comes to mind when you think of iconic Italian style? What is it about Italian fashion and design (and life in general!) that sets it apart from the rest? Is it the luxurious materials? The sophisticated designs? Or is it the glamorous way in which Italians wear their clothes? Everyone has a desired image […]
According to those who track book club statistics, The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio garnered renewed interest in mid-2020. And if you’re familiar with the book, you know exactly why; its topical relevance would be impossible to miss. For those who aren’t familiar with the book, it’s a collection of 100 short tales as told by […]
There are a number of smartphone apps to learn Italian. A couple of the most popular are Duolingo and Rosetta Stone, but there are many. And all of these apps offer language instruction for many languages. For example, Duolingo is a free app that offers lessons in Spanish, Italian, French, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish, […]
Visiting Venice is a dream for many. And then there are those who are fortunate enough to live inside that dream every day. More appealing still when part of your job description is leading hungry tourists around that dreamy landscape in search of the best cicchetti and Spritz. I talk about all this on the […]
Italian Winter Destinations to insprire your snow-filled fantasies. Spring can wait, go here now!
It’s October, and every year I find myself reflecting—and maybe scratching my head a little bit—about the connection between Columbus and Italian Heritage Month. At first glance, the connection seems obvious enough. But it’s my contention that if we dive a little deeper into this discussion, the relationship gets cloudier. Rick Zullo · Columbus and […]
Bathrooms in Italy … I guess our group of irreverent expats has collectively decided that our recent posts have been a bit too high-brow for our audience. Hence, this week we’re discussing the important topic of lavatory protocols in Italy. Yes, when living or traveling abroad, there’s nothing quite so interesting as other people’s plumbing—apparently. […]