Travel Tip Tuesday: My Mélange Offers Ways to Enjoy Italy at Home
Regular readers of this column might have noticed an italicized notation at the bottom of each week’s article directing readers to another website. That website, My Mélange, is owned by travel professional Robin Locker, who has recently expanded her travel services, launched a new website and is offering special deals and giveaways on her products all this week for her relaunch. I recently sat down with Ro

A Non-Ode to American Tourists
American tourists often get a bad rap. We are stereotyped as being loud, single-language slobs who are demanding, obnoxious and egocentric. And sometimes they are right. For a long time I’ve wanted to write a post about American tourists in Calabria and how 95% of the time, they bust that stereotype wide open. Then, a group of Americans will visit us who fit that mold and make me rethink the idea of the great American traveler.

Expat Experiences: Three Tips for Merging Cultures for the Holidays
While most American expats I know are happily settled into their new lives, being abroad for holidays, birthdays and special occasions can still be tough. We miss our families. We miss our friends. We miss the customs and traditions that made these events back home so darn special. photo credit:

Travel Tip Tuesday: Does Your Favorite Traveler Need One of These?
I know, I know … it seems too early to think about Holiday gifts but I’m sure everywhere you look there are Christmas trees and nativity scenes, or maybe that is just here in Italy? They get ready for Christmas so early here, it is like Thanksgiving doesn’t even exist. It is like, they have skipped it entirely. The truth of the matter is, it isn’t too early to be thinking about that perfect gift. Christmas is just six weeks away-six w

Zia Rosa’s Homemade Besciamella
I have a confession to make. A confession that could, in theory, get my Expat-in-Italy status revoked and have citizens from my adopted country kicking my country music listen’, Mexican food eatin’ butt back to Beaumont. You see, the first gazillion times I had lasagna in Calabria-with only one exception-I pretty much hated it. Gulp. It is ok. I am still here … That exception-the one time I enjoyed lasagna-I ate it up and I was convinced that it was because the chef, my husband’s Zia Rosa, had omitted that thick white cream besciamella sauce that is normally poured into the middle of Italian lasagna. The thick cream alwa