I studied abroad when I was a junior in college in Ortigia, Sicily. Ortigia is a small town, the old town center of Siracusa in southeastern Sicily. I spent over four months living and “studying” in this picturesque location. My program was smaller than the Duggar family of just 15 students. We all came to know one another, much like family. More often than not, it felt like we were on a reality show, 15 strangers living on a island. Will they survive? Ortigia was home and a little American family possessed it for a few months. I went back to Ortigia for a week around this time last year. I Continue Reading
Closet Italian Designer Keeps Her Designs in the Closet
Lounging on sapphire-blue colored sofas while watching countless hours of Italian game shows, movies, and jewelry infomercials, a former Italian designer modestly but willingly entertains my unending questions about her life. One question after another she responds almost as though no one has ever asked her about herself before me. Her chatter fills the unbearable humid air of a summer day in Florence, Italy. She may not be as well known as Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, or Dolce & Gabana, but she easily could have been 40 years ago. Sharing the famous street in Florence that could be named Continue Reading