Vienna was much less picturesquely antique than I had imagined. There were some nice buildings designed to look old, but they were constructed in the 1860s. Our tour guide said Vienna wasn’t very damaged during WWII, so I’m not sure what happened to the truly old places.
Read MoreThey use more slang here and their use of the language charms me. I met up with an Italian for a conversation exchange Friday and she brought a London travel book, which was filled with comments such as “Next time we’re at this homely spot, we’ll plump for the Victorian sponge,” which I attempted to interpret for my new friend. My flatmate and I recently had our own misunderstanding online.
Read MoreI’ve experienced so much in the last few months, and actually feel like an Italian resident rather than just a visitor. I’ve made some great friendships and enjoyed living in Reggio Emilia, a progressive city that has everything from theatre to bookshops to cafes. There is a ton of green space and the recycling system is more advanced than in any other city I’ve lived in. Strangely, very often I found myself defending Reggio to the natives. “You came from New York? Why are you here? It’s so boring!” I think the city is great, and secretly many of them must, too, because for all their lamenting, they don’t leave.
Read MoreOn March 17, My roommates and I went to Dimmelotu in honor of Italian Unification Day, but really it was just an excuse to go out. No Italians I know care that Italy has been a unified country for 150 years, and they only celebrate this fact every 50 years or so. The Festival of the Republic is much more important and is recognized annually on June 2. In 1946, Italians voted to end the monarchy (which had backed Mussolini) and become a republic.
Read MoreItaly is famous for it’s bureaucracy, but I received my Italian identity card in Reggio Emilia in two months. The same process would have taken more than a year at the Italian consulate in New York, famous for being mean and arbitrary.
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