The Bittersweet Life
Episodes
Episode 545: The Secret of Success: Luck vs. Hard Work
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You did it! You've landed that amazing job, or maybe you're successfully living abroad in the country you've always dreamed of, or you've published yo...
[PATREON PREVIEW] A Confession and a Decision
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tiffany has an addiction she's decided to break, but she doesn't want to talk about it on the main show. She talks about it on this exclusive bonus ep...
Episode 544: It's Not a Goal, it's a QUEST!
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's the difference between a goal and a quest? On this episode pulled from our archives (it's August afterall), Tiffany and Katy discuss what goes ...
Episode 543: Leisure Wars: Italy vs. the United States
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who does leisure better, Italy or America? The answer is probably obvious, but you may be surprised to learn that Italians are emulating more and more...
[PATREON PREVIEW] How Well Do You Know July?
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this exclusive bonus episode, we put you and Tiffany, our queen of trivia, to the test. How many questions about July can you answer correctly? Wan...
Episode 542: Leisure Time in Ancient Rome
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
From all accounts, the ancient Romans knew how to do leisure—the priviledged classes at least. According to historians, they didn't see leisure time...
Episode 541: Living Life Between Two Countries (with Laurel Attanasio)
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is it like to divide your life between two countries? It sounds like the best of both worlds, but is it really? Today we are joined by someone wh...
[PATREON PREVIEW] A Rough Week
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tiffany's had a rough week. And to make matters worse, some of the people in her life have been driving her absolutely crazy. On this exclusive bonus...
Episode 540: I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself (with Glynnis MacNicol)
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"When you're a woman of a certain age, you are only promised that everything will get worse. But what if everything you've been told is a lie?" This i...
Episode 539: The Dullness and Comfort of Rituals
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all have our beloved rituals, the things we do that center us, that comfort us, that make us feel that all is right with the world. It can be anyth...
Episode 538: Stayers, Goers, and Newbies
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the hardest things about expat life is when your friends inevitably leave. For some expats, this happens like clockwork every single year (usua...
[PATREON PREVIEW] A Very Italian End to the School Year
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this bonus episode exclusively for our Patreon supporters, we take you inside a very loud, very LATE dinner celebration marking the end of the s...
Episode 537: Navigating US Taxes as an Expat (with Nathalie Goldstein)
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Whether you're a newly minted expat wondering how to go about filing your US taxes, or a longterm expat who wants to make sure you're doing it right—...
Episode 536: Trying Something New: How to Keep Trying
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Katy continues to have epiphanies as she challenges herself every week in her pottery class. In a continuation of our Trying Something New episode, we...
[PATREON PREVIEW] Angelic Encounters
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price...
Episode 535: The Millennial Saint
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Pope has given the green light to canonize the very first saint from the millennial generation, Italian Carlo Acutis. Does it seem strange to have...
[PATREON PREVIEW] Sorry About the Giant Squid
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price...
Episode 534: Trying Something New: It's Supposed to Be Hard
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The difficulty is the point. How often have we been seduced into thinking that something we've never tried must be easy, simply because experts make i...
[PATREON PREVIEW] You Can Move to Italy—But Should You?
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of...
Episode 533: Italy Welcomes the Digital Nomad
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you've been dreaming of moving to Italy but thought it was impossible, your chance has finally arrived! Italy has just launched the so-called "Digi...
Episode 532: Same Same but Different: Katy Visits Bali
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a world that is becoming ever more homogenized, what sets places apart? What are the blaring indicators that communicate we are in a place vastly d...
Episode 531: Life as a Sociopath (with Patric Gagne)
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to be a sociopath? This week's guest tells us. On this episode, Katy sits down with author and self-described sociopath Patric Gagne fo...
Episode 530: Revisiting a Long-Lost Place
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when you go back to a city you used to live in after not stepping foot there for twenty years? Tiffany finds out on this episode. After s...
Episode 529: Going Native, Part 2
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who knew that "going native" was a topic that would resonate so strongly with our listeners? We got so much feedback on this subject—both social med...
Episode 528: Going Native
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when an expat "goes native"? How long does it take, and is it inevitable? Is it a conscious choice or does it just happen? Today we chat ...
Episode 527: Moving to Rome—Sight Unseen (with Brie Ripley)
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Would you move across the world to a country without ever having been there? That's what this week's guest did. We sit down with Brie Ripley to talk a...
Episode 526: An Unbelievable Discovery in Rome!
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An exciting discovery out of Rome has recently rocked the archeological community! We have the details on this week's episode. -----------------------...
Episode 525: A Question of Season
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we talked—among other things—about what it would be like if the year started in March, as it used to do in ancient Rome. This got us thi...
Episode 524: What if New Year's Were in March?
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is early January—the deepest, bleakest, darkest moment of winter—really the best time to make New Year's Resolutions? Isn't early spring a more fo...
Episode 523: Legacy and Loss (with Kaila Merrill)
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today we explore a story of one woman whose family legacy—in particular her close relationship with her mother whom she lost suddenly to cancer—br...
Episode 522: The Case Against Travel, Part 2
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What if travel doesn't actually change you? A few weeks ago, we discussed this controversial idea, a conversation inspired by an essay in The New York...
Episode 521: Road Trips (with John Roderick)
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a song a good road trip song? This is something Katy has been musing over for several years now. What better person to ask than a m...
Episode 520: The Case Against Travel
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tell me about that trip that changed your life... and I'll tell you how you're lying to yourself. So claims a recent essay in The New Yorker titled T...
Episode 519: Martyr! (with Kaveh Akbar)
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a life meaningful? Can a meaningful death transform an otherwise meaningless life into a meaningful one? These are just a few of the many i...
Episode 518: The Limitations of Language
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A line from a new book by poet Kaveh Akbar sparks the idea for this episode: in a nutshell, does language have the capacity to truly express what we a...
Episode 517: Could You Miss Discovering Your Passion?
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How do we discover our passions? Is it a given that we will discover them at all? And where do they come from? Are they something we are born with and...
Episode 516: Post-Covid Social Woes
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is it Covid or are we just getting older? This week we discuss how the social world seems to have changed drastically in recent years—but is it due ...
Episode 515: The Story Behind the Crow Gifts Photo
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A little girl feeds crows and gets gifts in return. It's a wonderful true story that's gone viral again and again. But where did it come from? As it h...
Episode 514: Did We Keep our New Year's Resolutions?
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's our annual New Year's Resoultion Recap! Did we do what we promised to do last year? This is always a cringe-worthy moment for us both as we go ba...
Episode 513: One Last Gift
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Happy New Year from your friends at the Bittersweet Life podcast! We wish you and your loved ones a 2024 full of adventure, personal growth, and excit...
Episode 512: Operator (A Radio play by Matthew P. Woerner)
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As a special holiday treat, today we are airing a new original radio play by friend of the show, Matthew P. Woerner. In the tradition of the golden ag...
Episode 511: Is the Place You Love as Good as You Think?
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've all had it happen: you gushingly recommend your favorite cafe or restaurant or bar to a friend, only to have them go and report back something t...
Episode 510: The Ghosts of Us
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered who you would be if you had made different life choices? Even making just one big decision differently, say, not moving abroad ...
Episode 509: Expats in Switzerland (with Lindy & Vince)
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On our amazing listener trip to Rome this past October, we interviewed two of our guests, expats Vince and Lindy. These two native midwesterners talk ...
Episode 508: Discovering Rome's Secrets with our Listeners
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we bring you along with us on the final tour of our amazing Rome Adventure last month! During breaks between the sites of this super-...
Episode 507: Seeing (and not Seeing) Rome for the First Time
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the final morning of our amazing first-ever Bittersweet Life listener trip to Rome, we took a bit of time to tape an episode to capture what we wer...
Episode 506: [Live Show in Rome]: Discovery (with our listeners!)
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Join us for a live episode with our listeners, the participants of the first-ever Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure! On Day Three of this amazing and m...
Episode 505: The Roman Adventure Begins!
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In October we hosted the very first ever Bittersweet Life Rome Adventure with ten of our listeners! It was a blast, and we can't wait to share more ab...
Episode 504: The Three Deaths
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The opening lines of David M. Eagleman's Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives inspires this week's episode, just in time for Halloween. Eagleman's pr...
Episode 503: How Geese Created Money
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Every time Tiffany hears the word "money," she pictures geese on the Capitoline Hill. If you're curious why (and have an interest in word origins and ...
Episode 502: Italy by Ingredient (with Viola Buitoni)
16 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's the ingredients, stupid. Ask anyone who knows Italian food and the'll tell you that what makes it so delicious and so universally beloved are the...
Episode 501: How often do you think about the Roman Empire?
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How often do actual Romans think about the Roman Empire? You probably saw the recent Tik Tok trend, in which women from around the world asked their m...
Episode 500: Celebrating 500 Episodes!
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
500 Episodes! Can you believe it? (We can't!) (And by complete coincidence, we taped this episode on the 19th anniversary of Tiffany's arrival in Rome...
Episode 499: Losing Touch with the Soil
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you…" A famous quote in Tiffany's curr...
Episode 498: Cultural Fluency
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How long does it take, living out of your home country, to lose your cultural fluency? When you grow up and live in the same country for most of your ...
Episode 497: Finding Inspiration on Your Doorstep
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Where do you find inspiration—for your writing, your painting, or just the art of living? A listener question about the flowers of Italy, of all thi...
Episode 496: What We Did on our Summer Vacation
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With our August break officially over, we're back with all new episodes, and oh my goodness, I guess that means it's Season 11! (What??!!) On this spo...
Episode 495: Loneliness and Belonging (with Hala Alyan)
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Palestinian American poet Hala Alyan and her family fled Kuwait when Saddam invaded. She joins us to explore storytelling, straddling cultures, loneli...
Episode 494: Your Brain and its Perceptions (with Erik Vance)
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why are colors brighter when you travel? Why do foreign doctors' offices seem sketchy sometimes? This has more to do with your brain than with reality...
Episode 493: Finding your Joyous Life (with Sarah McColl)
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do I deserve to live a bigger life? Sarah McColl, author of the memoir Joy Enough, joins us to talk about the beautiful life she discovered while livi...
Episode 492: Exploring the Concept of Time (with Alan Burdick)
07 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why does time fly sometimes? Why does it slow down when you travel? We explore the notion of time with Alan Burdick, author of Why Time Flies. Alan Bu...
Episode 491: When Will the Bubble Burst?
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How long does the magic of Rome last to an expat? We recently received an email from a listener, an Australian who spent 5 years in Milan and has now ...
Episode 490: Just Across the Border: Austria vs. Italy
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After her recent two-week trip to Austria, Tiffany reflects on the differences between Italy and Austria. Despite the fact that the countries share a ...
Episode 489: What's in a Name?
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we talk names. What names are most popular for kids in Italy these days? Which are evergreen favorites and how does popular culture play a part?...
Episode 488: Hanging Out with the Dead
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do dead bodies make you squeamish? Have you ever seen one up close? For some, attending an open-casket funeral or a wake is as close as they'll ever c...
Bittersweet Moment #214: Lost in Translation: The Italian Movie Game!
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mamma Ho Perso L'Aereo! (Mom, I Missed the Airplane!) This is the Italian title for a popular American movie—can you guess which one? On our twice...
Episode 487: An Italian Woman in America (with Rosanna Staffa)
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We talk (and talk and talk) about Americans living in Italy. But what about Italians who live in the US? What happens when the shoe is on the other fo...
Bittersweet Moment #213: Trapped in Trastevere
29 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tiffany has been complaining about the criminal way in which Romans park since nearly the dawn of her now-dormant blog back in 2010. And becoming a Ro...
Episode 486: Mom's (Necessary) Weekend Away
25 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month, Tiffany took her first solo (non-work-related) trip since becoming a mom almost 8 years ago! (What took her so long?) We reflect on the th...
Bittersweet Moment #212: Behind the Scenes at the Vatican
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Planning a visit to the Vatican Museums this season? Forewarned is forearmed! Today we hear from three Vatican tour guides who dish the dirt on what i...
Episode 485: A Night at the Vatican
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to be in the Vatican Museums in the middle of the night? Not just during evening hours, but long after they close... Journalist Cullen ...
Bittersweet Life Moment #211: Audio Nostalgia
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday's episode we explored the music that we grew up listening to and loving—as well as how we discovered and acquired that music. (Call-in ra...
Episode 484: The Music We Love
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A question from a listener sparks today's conversation: What music do we love and listen to on a daily basis? Have our tastes changed and matured over...
Bittersweet Moment #210: Belgium: Europe's Best-kept Secret
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Fries, chocolate, canals, art, gabled houses... what's not to love? Fresh off a long weekend in Ghent, Tiffany sings the glories of one of her favor...
Episode 483: When in Rome (with Liam Callanan)
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Looking for the perfect summer read, something light yet introspective and thoughtful that takes place in Rome? You're in luck! This week we are joine...
Bittersweet Moment #209: Aurelio's Summer Vacation Plans
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
School's almost out! Hooray for summer! Aurelio stops by to tell as about his summer plans, and why summer vacation for Italian kids is not quite as f...
Episode 482: When Little Things Line Up
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever have days when everything just lines up perfectly? When you couldn't have planned your day to work out in a more ideal if you had had it u...
Bittersweet Moment #208: The Literary Magic of a Roman Hotel
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a place magical? A lot of factors can go into it, but one of them is certainly, as author Jess Walter puts it, when "history connects with ...
Episode 481: A Visit to Basque Country (with Marti Buckley)
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're joined by Marti Buckley, an author, cook, and journalist living in San Sebastián, Spain. Her award-winning cookbook is called Basque Coun...
Bittersweet Moment #207: A Virtual Tour of San Clemente
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most fascinating places in Rome by far, the one that packs the most layers (literally!) of history into a single site, is without a doubt t...
Episode 480: A Story Within a Story
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is the deal with the story within the story device? When reading 19th century literature, you're very likely to come across this technique, also ...
Bittersweet Moment #206: The Beauty of Being Told a Story
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's nothing quite like being told a story. Whether you're a child whose parent or babysitter is telling you a fairytale to help you fall asleep, a...
Episode 479: Diary of an Au Pair (with Isidora Salcedo)
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to move in with a family you've never met, in a foreign city you've never been to, to take care of children that are not your own? Turn...
Bittersweet Moment #205: Rome's Truly Hidden Masterpieces
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've all heard the term "hidden gems" when it comes to going off the beaten track in popular tourist locations. Everyone wants to find that truly sec...
Episode 478: A Big Roman Announcement
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we are making our biggest (and most exciting) announcement ever. We are organizing an exclusive trip to Rome this October for just TEN of our ...
Bittersweet Moment #204: A Bittersweet Boat Funeral
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we bring you a story of passion, perseverence, and loss—an adventure on the high seas (really!). Listener Jordan sent us an extraordinary lett...
Episode 477: Dive into the Listener Mailbag
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the things we pride ourselves on at The Bittersweet Podcast is our relationship with our listeners. We always welcome listener emails (and even...
Bittersweet Moment #203: Italian Words Americans Get Wrong
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Think you know what "bimbo" means? What about "latte"? Turns out these Italian words are used all wrong by the majority of English speakers. On Mond...
Episode 476: Italy Bans the English Language
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A proposed law in Italy would ban the use English (or other foreign) words by public officials and in all government communications and documents, wit...
Bittersweet Moment #202: Moving Internationally (with Josh Sims of Sanelo)
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One of the trickiest parts of moving abroad (especially if it's for the long haul), is of course: how do I get all my stuff over there? Today we're jo...
Episode 475: Traveling Italy from Top to Bottom (with Jess Walter)
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jess Walter is the author of ten books, including New York Times #1 bestseller Beautiful Ruins, which takes place on the Italian Riviera. The latest i...
Bittersweet Moment #201: How to Have Rome's Museums All to Yourself
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
To say Rome is busy this season (and will only get busier as we move into summer) is an understatement. The city is on course to have its busiest tour...
Episode 474: When Life Changes in an Instant... For the Better!
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last week we mused about those times when life changes in and the blink of an eye... for the worse. We've all been there: you crash your car, trip and...
Bittersweet Moment #200: Losing JJ
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today Katy says goodbye to an old friend, someone she has known for over three decades. She got the news in a text message that her friend had passed ...
Episode 473: When Life Changes in an Instant... For the Worse
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all know how quick life can take a turn, when an accident or split-second decision throws your entire world into tilt, and everything changes in an...
Bittersweet Moment #199: Fantastical Thinking
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
March, for Katy, is the most melancholy and miserable month of the year, and we talk about why on Monday's full episode. She mentions a particular Mar...
Episode 472: Melancholy March
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's spring at last, but early spring (and the month of March in particular) can mean different things to different people. For Katy in Seattle it's a...
Bittersweet Moment #198: Discomfort Recollected in Tranquility
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"An adventure is simply physical and emotional discomfort recollected in tranquility." —Tim Cahill Do you agree? In this mini-episode, we share a sn...
Episode 471: A Stranger in a Strange Land
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we have the pleasure of hosting an episode of one of our favorite travel podcasts, Far From Home, hosted by Scott Gurian. In this episode, Jamie...
Bittersweet Moment #197: Furbo vs. Fesso
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
They say that in Italy, you're either a furbo or a fesso—a wise guy or a chump. It's an unhappy reality that, in many situations in Italy, if you're...