More Italy, per favore!

Carissimi amici,

What sparks your love for Italy the most? Is it dining at an authentic Italian restaurant? Enjoying a glass of an Italian wine? Looking back at photos from past trips? I’m always seeking a dose of Italy, aside from the more obvious Italian experiences like pasta making, drinking Chianti Classico or watching an Italian movie, I like to add little Italian sfumature (nuances) to my lifestyle, it’s easy and always brings more cheer to the day.

Here’s my shortlist of easy ways you can add more Italian to your life, all based on my years of living in Florence, Rome and Siracusa:

Have cookies and Nutella for breakfast: As much as Italian cuisine boasts of being healthy, their breakfast at home usually consists of Mulino Bianco cookies or fette biscottate with Nutella, local honey or jam.

Google maps in Italian: I recommend this exercise to my language students. Change the language of the voice in Google maps and navigate your way in Italian. This should be a place that you already know how to get to (best by foot, not car) so you can correlate the directions with the Italian words.

Wear something shiny: Sparkle and shine like an Italian – women can add a shiny belt or sequin pin to your jacket. Men can rock some pointy shoes or wear red chino pants.

Start meals with a glass of bubbly wine: A glass of inexpensive sparkling wine often welcomes you to the table in Italy. Enjoy a glass while the lasagne is cooling. Don’t want to open a whole bottle? There are lots of good quality single serving sparkling wines in a can so you can easily have a few sips of bubbly then brush it aside when the meal begins.

Finish meals with espresso: Dark roast coffee used in espresso contains less caffeine than lighter roasts, but if staying up too late is a concern, go for the grappa instead. It will knock you out.

Italian-beloved gelato flavors: The most popular artisanal gelato favors in Italy (besides chocolate) are nocciola, crema, pistacchio and fragola. I won’t translate for you, just go get a scoop!

Learn Italian with Immerse Italy: Designate your Italian oasis every week by learning Italian! I’m happy to be your guide through the challenging grammar and vocabulary subtleties. My classes are fun social learning experiences that you will look forward to every week. You will gain deeper knowledge and even more heart-felt appreciation for everything you already love about Italy!

I hope these little suggestions add some Italian to your life – I want to hear about any that you tried! Do you have any Italian habits of your own?

Grazie della lettura,

Lisa