Experience Italy With Friends

EP23 Ferragosto and 2025 Travel Update

It’s Mid-August in Italy… the beaches are packed, the cities are quiet, and lunch might just last all afternoon.

This week we’re diving into Ferragosto — where it comes from, how Italians celebrate, and why it’s the perfect excuse to slow down and savor summer.

We’ll also share a few updates on the 2025 travel season, including how the Jubilee has unfolded so far and what to know if you’re pla...

EP22 Hiking the Alps

In today’s episode, we’re heading north, way north, to the Alps for an epic adventure.

And, joining us are two very special guests: our son, Luca Raso, and his girlfriend, Molly Ricker.

They’ve just returned from completing the legendary Tour du Mont Blanc, a 170-kilometer trek that winds through France, Italy and Switzerland.

They will share their highs and lows, relive the stunning views, and provide invaluab...

EP21 Siena & the Palio

Today, we're taking you to one of our absolute favorite places in Tuscany — Siena, a city steeped in medieval history and tradition.

We’ve been visiting Siena for over 25 years, and somehow, it never loses its magic.

But there’s one event that makes Siena truly come alive — the Palio. It’s wild, passionate, and deeply rooted in tradition.

In this episode, we’ll share why this city is so close to our heart...

Today’s episode is all about our recent adventure to the island of Sardinia.

I say adventure, because it was definitely not a relaxing vacation!

It was 10 days spent touring the island from north to south and packing in as much fun and culture as possible.

Sardinia has been evolving from an undiscovered island to a luxury coastal hotspot to an authentic cultural and adventure destination - attracting not just sun-seekers, but also ...

EP19 Update on Our Italian Life

In today’s episode, we talk about our life here in Italy so far.

It’s been 9 months since we made the big leap over the pond, and we thought it was a good time to reflect and provide an update.

Has it been everything we dreamed it would be? Is it even better? What have been some of the challenges?

Press play and find out!

Resources:

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Today’s episode is all about Italy’s calcio culture – also known as football or soccer depending on where you are from.

Calcio is the most popular sport in the world and that also holds true in Italy with over 1.4 million registered players and over 14,000 teams.

But Calcio is more than a sport in Italy, it’s almost a religion or a cult depending on who you ask.

In this episode:

• we will touch on the origins of this sport,
• disc...

In today’s episode, we’re heading south to the region of Campania.

While most known for its breathtaking Amalfi Coast, the region is also popular for its charming islands that lie west of the mainland in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

You’ve likely heard of the jet-set island of Capri, but we’re going to focus on the lesser known, but larger, island of Ischia.

We just spent a week exploring this charming authentic island and we can’t wait to ...

EP16 All About Milan & Lake Como

In today’s episode, we’ll talk about the metropolitan city of Milan and the beautiful area of Lake Como.

While the two destinations couldn’t be more different, they are often side-by-side in an itinerary for visiting the region of Lombardy.

We’ll discuss everything you need to know to get the most out of these destinations during your trip to Italy.

Resources:

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Spring has sprung here in Italy, so today's episode is all about La Primavera!

We’ll discuss what Italy has to offer visitors during these spring months including:

• The weather and typical spring foods,
• Important holidays and key events, and
• Cultural traditions

It’s a fun and energizing season and we can’t wait to talk about it!

Resources:

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EP14 The Italian Riviera

Today's episode showcases the beautiful coast of the Italian Riviera along the Ligurian Sea.

This coastal area has been one of our favorites in all of Italy since 1997 as it has charming, colorful fishing villages, beautiful beaches with clear-blue water as well as mountain cliffs and parks. It’s the perfect destination for relaxation and sea life, as well as sport and adventure,

We weren’t sure how a March...

Today we explore the most eaten Italian food in the world – Pizza!

Everyone loves pizza – “that’s amore!”

There is so much to learn about pizza, and we talk about:

• The history and the birthplace of pizza,
• Pizza toppings and pizza dough,
• The various styles of Italian pizzas,
• Italy’s pizza culture, and
• How it compares to the pizza found in the United States.

Resources:

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EP12 Italy’s Wine Culture (feat. Alfonso Aiello)

Today's episode is inspired by the fact that we now live in the heart of wine country.

Wine is the foundation and essence of Montepulciano and, quite honestly, it is an integral part of the Italian lifestyle across the country. After all, it’s produced in all 20 regions.

Today’s episode is special in that we have our first guest speaker, Alfonso Aiello – an expert and distributor of ...

EP11 Exploring Castiglion Fiorentino

If you’ve been following our story, you’re aware that we’ve been on a journey since last September to find a place to call home and begin our new life here in Italy.

This first episode of 2025 is dedicated to our third and final trial location in Tuscany – the beautiful hilltop medieval village of Castiglion Fiorentino. This area of Tuscany was relatively new for us, and it was fun to spend a mo...

Our final episode of the year showcases the southeast corner of the region of Tuscany known as the Val d’Orcia. The countryside area is quintessential Tuscany as it is made up of charming medieval hill towns and rolling hills dotted with cypress trees, farmhouses, vineyards and olive groves.  It’s magical!

We’ve been in love with this area of Tuscany for over 25 years, so it was clear to us that we had to test out living in the Val...

Before we head into the holiday season, we thought this week’s episode would be a great time to talk about planning your 2025 dream trip to Italy.  Make use of that quality time with family and friends to talk all about it!

You may also have heard that the Vatican is hosting a little event called the Jubilee in 2025, so we’ll first discuss how that may impact your plans.

And assuming you decide that 2025 is the year for you, we’ll ...

EP8 Getting Around Italy

This week's episode is inspired by the fact that since we’ve moved to Italy, we’ve been doing a lot of travel all over the country – a true planes, trains, and automobiles life!

We answer the most frequently asked questions about how to most efficiently and economically get around the country – both within cities and between cities.

It’s an episode packed with useful information and everything you need to ...

This week's episode showcases the charming Tuscan city of Pistoia. It's an historical city in the northwestern part of the region that we discovered almost exactly a year ago when we began our search for potential cities to live. 

It was love at first sight and it quickly made our short list!

We've now lived in Pistoia for a month and can't wait to tell you all about our experience.  We'll discuss what Pistoia has to offer both as ...

This week's episode is dedicated to answering the most frequently asked questions I receive from my clients as their travel advisor.

We’ll discuss the key topics and tips needed to help prepare you for your trip as well as keep you comfortable during your travels.

This includes:

• Booking flights, passports and visa information
• Travel insurance and cell phone readiness
• Cash and credit card advice
• Packing tips, and
• Staying saf...

Since we've spent the first two weeks of our new life in Italy in Calabria, this episode is dedicated to this beautiful region in the south of Italy.

We discuss our personal connection to the region, provide a brief history of Calabria, and showcase what Calabria has to offer from a tourist point of view.

Resources:

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