Where Next? Travel with Kristen and Carol
Where Next? Travel with Kristen and Carol
Italy - Travel with Genoveva
Join us as we interview Genoveva, who recently had an extended stay in Rome, Italy with her family which included sending her children to Italian schools. She tells us what she loves about Italy and how she made it all happen! Interview completed March 2022.
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Carol Springer: https://www.instagram.com/carol.work.life
Kristen: https://www.instagram.com/team_wake/
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Hi, welcome to our podcast when Next Travel with Kristen and Carol. I am Kristen and I am Carol, and we're two long-term friends with a passion for travel and adventure.
Speaker 2:Each episode, we interview people around the globe to help us decide where to go next. In today's episode, we are visiting with Genoviva, an American who recently had an extended stay in Rome, italy, with her family, which included sending her children to Italian schools. She tells us what she loves about Italy and how she made it all happen with her family, which included sending her children to Italian schools. She tells us what she loves about Italy and how she made it all happen. We really appreciate you joining us today and would love if you could support us by simply following, rating or reviewing our podcast in your favorite podcast app. Enjoy.
Speaker 1:So nice to see you, Hi Carol. How are you Hi good, and so now you're back in Italy.
Speaker 3:We're back in California. I was in Italy when I was talking to you a couple of weeks ago. Got it Okay. So right now we're in California, we're doing the last of this, three more months here and then we're going back again in June and we're spending, you know, about three weeks there again. We're doing the last eighth grade year for my daughter in school. And then we're heading back to Italy.
Speaker 1:So is eighth grade year, all next year.
Speaker 3:Yeah, the next school year will be in California and then we'll go back to Italy. That's how much we loved it, oh my gosh, I can't wait.
Speaker 1:I've been so excited to talk with you and finally put a face to the name. Um, cause I know we've been talking and so I I'm just so excited to hear sort of uh, take us through, like what you and David do, what you, how old your kids are, and sort of where you're at and what. What prompted you guys to? I know Florida was in the picture at one point to move there, um, but then you chose Italy and and you know just how you decided all of that.
Speaker 3:Great, um so great to meet you, carol Same same.
Speaker 2:Thank you for joining us and well it's.
Speaker 3:It's so interesting how it all started with COVID. We are all at home and then we're like wait, why are we home when we could be anywhere? We started to look for places and Florida was the first option for us, just because, one we love the weather. Two was in the East Coast, and it's I am originally from Guatemala and so it was very close to go from Miami to Guatemala. So we decided you know, that's a great way to be close to everybody and have the nice weather without getting the snow and the winter from the East Coast. So we started to look and before everybody was moving to Florida and we couldn't really figure out where we wanted a place. And then we actually tried to buy a place and it happened that we didn't get it, and it was like an overnight kind of thing. I found this place. I saw it online. We put a bid the next day. They needed to make a decision the same weekend and then the next day they're like, no, you didn't get it. And, interesting or not. Then later I find out it was the same, the same offer. So we don't. We still don't understand why, but it wasn't meant to be. So I, we were not upset. We're like, okay, it's not meant to be for us. So that was it.
Speaker 3:And then we went and our regular summer plans and at the end of the summer we are like, okay, you know, in like three weeks the girls are going to start school and seems like COVID is ending and people are going to go back to the offices. And we didn't do anything. And we're like, oh no. And I was like, well, I did have my research about the schools in Italy and so I said to David, what do you think? I said I'll send the emails and I'll check. And getting three girls into the same school is hard, right. So I emailed the three different schools that I had already looked and I was like happy with. And two of them came back and said they didn't have spots for my seventh grader. But the other one said we only have one spot in seventh grade, so if you want it, yes, it's yours. And I was like, well, I only need one, so it's perfect. So how old are your girls? So I have a seven-year-old, a 10-year-old and a 13-year-old. So I we applied and we did the whole process and the girls got really excited. We did virtual tours for the school. And then we said we'll, we'll figure it out. Because the school was starting here in California, like right away. And they got accepted. And then we are like, okay, we're moving.
Speaker 3:The decision was we'll just leave everything, we'll give it a try. If it works, we'll stay, if not, we'll come back, we'll, we'll figure it out. So we arrange everything to basically take off and go. But at the same time we just went very light. We only took one suitcase. Each person could always could only take one suitcase with what they really wanted and one thing they really wanted to play with or do something. So that was it. So we went with except me. I was the one who was allowed extra baggage. So five of us, six bags, and that was it. So we made it. We arranged the first 10 days it was going to be at a hotel, so we did that. And then we searched for an Airbnb close to the area we thought we wanted to look for, and so we were there like for four weeks, five weeks, and so what town did you go to?
Speaker 2:Oh, we went to Rome.
Speaker 1:Great, yeah, I was curious. I had the map up. I was wondering where did you guys go?
Speaker 3:We ended up picking Rome because, with the research we've done right, the several, the places that are very good education wise are Bologna, tuscany, in Florence and Rome, and but I learned that the Italian circles are really close and really tight and the Romans, they have more expats in it. So I figure, well, this seems like a better place to try first and if it works and the school had amazing reviews, so we kind of went for that.
Speaker 2:And how did you just? Where did you learn about this? Where did you go to research? Where, what schools are, districts are tighter and more open to expats for our listeners.
Speaker 3:So we started probably this is all in August, september and in January I had just started Googling best international schools in Italy. And how is it to live in Italy? How is it to live in Rome? And started to get a little bit of the feeling on the expats over there and I was like, okay, I think we've been many times to Italy, we go every summer and even though we've been in Rome, you know, for the summer is not the same as if you were living there.
Speaker 1:Right, so, and how come you go every summer to Italy? What? What brings you back? So?
Speaker 3:this is really cool no-transcript coincidence that we realized once we were there with the girls and it was because we had all the paperwork you know from the grandfather and the ticket and everything when he came to Ellis Island. So that was a good connection for all of us like, oh wow this is amazing.
Speaker 1:So when you go back every year, it's not to Rome, you said it's is it to another city? So when we go.
Speaker 3:We try to go to different places and we've what we've done is we've tried to go to Sicily and we've gone around the island or the Aeolian Islands, and we try to spend a few days on each place and discover. And what we've loved about Sicily is the food is very, even though it's pasta and it sounds the same, is very different. The dishes are so fresh, very Mediterranean, a lot of veggies, a lot of seafood in it, and light, so it's not as heavy as the pastas like from Rome or from Florence or even the north where they have more creamier, more heavy dishes.
Speaker 3:So, you have a different experience and also people are very different in all the areas, and that's one thing I learned from living there. You know, in Rome, the communities, the Italians are always so welcoming to Americans, and particularly as they are tourists, and so the country really receives people really well, especially the kids. You know the kids are well taken everywhere you go and that is very nice, you know, which is a little bit different from France, right? Yeah, Kids are expected, you know, to be certain way and be in certain places, but not everywhere. Italians prioritize family and you know, on Sundays everybody's with their families, so they they make it a thing to be with the family and spending the time with the family.
Speaker 3:So, yeah, so do you speak Italian, then so I speak Spanish and then I, over the years, I've been picking up my traveling Italian and during this trip I got a little bit better with it, so I can communicate in Italian. David can speak too, and what we learned, you know, even on the first back to school night with the Italian teacher. It was an American school, it was an international, so it was all in English. But the teacher said languages are to communicate, not to be perfect. So if you want your kid to learn, just let them go with all the mistakes and all, otherwise you will not communicate. And then it's you don't learn.
Speaker 3:So that click on me as like it doesn't matter how I say it, I am going to say it, and people are definitely more open, you know, to listen to you and to wait, and then they figure it out for you. So it's not very, they're not very close, like I don't know what you're talking about, you know. But on the other hand, you have the other side of the Italian who's so passionate and if you don't understand, they will yell at you. But when you, once they get it, they're like oh okay, that's fine, not a big deal, you know. So you have the extremes, for sure.
Speaker 1:And the kids in terms of going. It's so it's. I was curious also them with the language and school, and so it's an English school that they're going to, and do they learn Italian? Do they have Italian classes as well?
Speaker 3:Yes, I was very happy with the school because they had 81 countries. It's from preschool to high school. So they were they are used to the expats coming in and getting out. You know, every certain years within the year, all these different things. So they make sure that kids have somebody that they can talk, you know, like a friend or a buddy that can help them. They make sure that the teachers are on top of the kids during the transition time. They make them really welcome and my kids felt very welcome.
Speaker 3:They were super, super nervous the first day of school. They were even shaking, I felt, and I was like, wow, they are really nervous, but at the same time they were very excited. So, you know, it's like all of us, even when we have something exciting, it's it's the little courage you have in there, like, okay, this is going to be fine. And it was good to the point that our one daughter, who was the most resistant, is the one that you know didn't want to come back and wanted to stay and they made really, really good friendships very quickly with expats and some Italian girls and um, and that was that. That is so fulfilling, because now they're seeing that, okay, this was a change and I didn't lose my friends in California. I just added more friends to my life, and now I just need to keep those relationships.
Speaker 3:So, they're seeing that as a that was amazing and it was. I have to say it was probably the best experience we've had as a family. As a family, you know, and even as parents, we felt like it was the best investment in our kids education and life, because they had to work and figure out with transitions, you know, different schedules, different kind of expectations in a way, different apartments, not a not settled right away and they just got used to it. But you know it comes. It comes with two things they did it, but also the energy that you bring in and knowing that it is going to be an experience and not everything is perfect.
Speaker 3:I was okay with that. You know it's not going to be perfect. Everything is perfect. I was okay with that. You know it's not going to be perfect. It can be like a hassle, it will be challenging and it was for many things. You know there's a lot of bureaucracy, even to look for an apartment, and that is very different. So they learned to go through all that and we kept our smile and then, you know, it helped them kept our smile, and then you know it helped them.
Speaker 1:Wow so bureaucracy bureaucracy in trying to just get an apartment. You said so what was if someone were to? Well, and it was it from the perspective of staying there long-term or was it just in the sense of just how long were you there for initially?
Speaker 3:And so we were there for four months initially, and then we had an apartment that we rented for another uh four months, so we uh until March. So we were from September to December, and then we had our apartment until March.
Speaker 1:Got it. Oh my gosh, that was so fast. It was so fast here.
Speaker 3:It was all last year and it went so quickly that we can't believe it. So some of the bureaucracy. It works very different the real estate realtors here in the U? S versus realtors there. They don't work together with each other, even if they're in the same company or whatever. It takes a while to get a hold of one person. Something that is posted online might have already been taken, but they want you to call so they might show you something else that they have, but it's not what you want. The comforts that you find in the US. You're not going to find them that easily in Rome.
Speaker 3:I don't know in other cities, but it's not fine very easily Like if you say a semi-furnished apartment, that means that you're getting, you know, the kitchen and the stove and the fridge On furnished you don't get a kitchen.
Speaker 1:I was like oh, interesting.
Speaker 3:So it's not furniture, it's actually a kitchen, yes, a kitchen. So you want at least semi-furnished or furnished, and then finding that, you know for short terms, is a little bit harder. For us. The hardest thing is we really wanted to have a terrace and we wanted to be in the center, and that's harder to find the two things there because there's limited space and not everybody has a terrace. So, but other than that, you know the bureaucracy of you get an appointment. One thing that I learned in Italy is you take your time for everything you know for the coffee, for the breakfast, for the meal and even the apartment.
Speaker 1:I do remember being in Italy and I looked around like we've been here for hours and where's the receipt? They don't really kind of come and once they serve you, they're fine.
Speaker 3:They want you to relax. They don't want you to leave, so it is. It is for them. They really live the Dolce Vita, you know. So when you call for an apartment, for example, you call today, it's going to take two days at least to get an appointment. Once you go see the apartment, you want to see it again. Well, it's already probably Thursday, friday they barely work and then probably next Monday. So all these lagging on the bureaucracy just takes longer just like trying to see places and trying to find it.
Speaker 3:And I know that even I was even talking to the teachers of the girls, because they were few of them, were new and they were in the same process as I was and they were single one was single and the other one had a girlfriend and they were in the same process and taking almost the same time as I did to look for apartments, even though you know we had single couple and family the process was as tedious as mine and in the same length.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so that's one of the things that happens and I know you were asking also about you know how do people do it? Some of these teachers go and work. You know they can go for a year. They teach English and then that's how they get their visa as well.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, so the teachers that work because it's Italy asking.
Speaker 3:I have a girlfriend who did that in Spain, that lived here and then went over there and taught, but that after a year they give you a visa to live there job and you get the job, then you go to the consulate and then you request a visa with the work offer that you already have, and then you apply and it will take probably two, three weeks. So it's more the the finding the job in Italy, but there are some of these schools that are always, you know, requesting English speaking professors.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay and so what about if you want to stay, like for like, say, sons, children, right, no, children, um, you want to go for a month or two months? Are there some easier ways to find furnished apartments, or do you? Did you?
Speaker 3:so definitely you can find well, the Airbnb. Airbnb is for sure. The main website that is called Immobiliaria IT is the one that will have the apartments, but most of those apartments are going to be long-term Rarely. You find that that you can find other ones. I was able to find different websites and there are more on the luxury side and that will host you for, you know, up to three months, but some of these apartments don't want you to be there longer than three months.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:Gotcha.
Speaker 2:Yeah, all right, good to know. So just Google that, like you know, short term stays in Italy or something Short term stays, yes, perfect and always checked.
Speaker 3:you know the lighting, I always look for the window. Some places don't have windows, so you know that would be rough. That would be rough depending on the yeah, depending on the building. You know some places will not have a window and you will not be, or you will be facing the street that it's so low right that you don't get any any sun. So checking on those things, it it's important.
Speaker 2:Okay, very good.
Speaker 1:How has it been? Also, um, when you go like what's a typical day and I'm so curious, versus California day, versus an Italy day, meals, experiences, what you do on the weekends, how has that been?
Speaker 3:So that was beautiful. It was very nice to you know, wake up in the morning, take the girls to school.
Speaker 1:I would come back and then did you walk them to school or is it driving just kind of similar.
Speaker 3:Because we decided to stay in the center. We actually had to drive them, so it was a little bit outside. So it was a 12 minute drive, so it wasn't that bad, but it was still a drive. The morning there, the breakfast, we would always do it out, and most of the times we would do it out and it's.
Speaker 3:You have a cappuccino and then you have a cornetto, which is the equivalent of a croissant, and that's pretty much it, what they eat. And if you eat eggs, it's because you must be American and not every place has it. So only the touristy place are going to have the continental breakfast that is going to have the egg, or the hotels are going to have the egg or something like that. So if you want to eat the egg, eat it at home or eat it at the Airbnb, but you're not going to have it. You're not want to eat the egg, eat it at home or eat it at the Airbnb, but you're not going to have it. You're not going to find it everywhere. And some of them have, you know, paninis, but not really it's, it's usually just the sweets and they're. They can't believe it, right? So that's it, and then you can take a walk and it's, you know, even in the winter it was sunny and it's beautiful to just be walking.
Speaker 3:One of the things that I experienced there is the people. The waiter really enjoys to be a waiter. Therefore, they really are going to treat you nicely. They're going to find about what you're doing, nicely. They're going to find about what you're doing. Why are you here every day, right, how long are you staying? And you know, even to the girls, what school are you going? They, they really want to know about you and they enjoy their jobs. So you can see that and um, and if they see you coming, they're like oh, you want your table, Do you want the same drink? Do you want this? Right, so they learn about you with care. So that was very different, I think, from California, where you know we are so used to the fast pace. Even though California is lower than the East Coast, new York, it's still fast paced compared to Italy.
Speaker 3:You know, and then lunch. They really expect you to eat, Right? It's not just a salad. Salad is just a side.
Speaker 2:And what time is lunch? Sorry?
Speaker 3:Lunch starts at 1230.
Speaker 2:Oh, it does Okay.
Speaker 3:So it does start at 1230. It gets fuller at one but it takes. It takes two hours. It does. It's not a quick lunch, because you said they come with the bread. Then they ask you for the wine. Do you want wine or water? Okay, it comes. Then you get an appetizer, or even if you don't get an appetizer, you get your pasta and the pot. The portions are smaller and I we did indulge, to say the least, and we loved it, and then after that you can have an, an espresso or a cappuccino, and then you don't see the waiter for half hour. He doesn't come because he wants you to enjoy your meal and I they, they just don't care after waiter for half hour. He doesn't come because he wants you to enjoy your meal and I they, they just don't care. After they serve you. You know they don't come with the check right away to turn over the table.
Speaker 3:So, it's like stay there, have your time and sit and whatever, and you're, you're fine. Uh so, and everybody's doing the same thing, so everybody's talking, everybody's having a good time. So then it takes two hours to have lunch. You can't have a quick lunch and, um, I enjoyed walking around you know the town and I walked almost everywhere and if I didn't walk, I actually scoot around on the scooters, the um lines.
Speaker 1:And so they're just on the street and you just kind of like, swipe a credit card and go or something like that.
Speaker 3:You just scan it and you can, and it's faster. It's faster than the taxis and you know you go to the place you want. You can still pause them while you go into a store and come out, very easy to use, and even the kids during the weekends would use them. So we would all go as a family in a pack, you know, to go to different places and it would be so easy. And then dinner does not start until 7.30 pm. No restaurants open for dinner until 7.30 pm and it's another two-hour thing hour thing right where you have to like wait for them on their pace. And the one thing that I learned that it's a sin is to get a cappuccino. Oh, it's a sin. You cannot have a cappuccino at the end of your dinner. They will do it.
Speaker 3:Yes, it's, it's. I had one. I went out with some Italians and we went to dinner and then I asked for my cappuccino. At the end, yeah, and it was kind of like a quiet moment and I was like, okay, the waiter left and then another waiter came back Excuse me, senora, can you confirm that you want a cappuccino? And I was like, yes, I know I want a cappuccino and I know it's a sin, but I'm not from here. And everybody at the table started laughing. It's like, yeah, it is a sin. I cannot believe you're doing that. Why are you doing that? You know you get a, you get an espresso, and then you actually ask for milk on the side if you want it. But you never asked for a cappuccino for dinner.
Speaker 3:So I learned that's a big sin you know, so it's okay in the morning, though that's when you have it. It's okay in the morning. It's considered a breakfast, it's not considered dinner. So they're very into their traditions of how to do things. You know, this is how we do it.
Speaker 1:And then, what do they drink after a meal? Do they do anything specific or no?
Speaker 3:They have espressos, and you know, and they do have the aperitifs they would have, um, they would have wines, dessert wines too. And before dinner that's another thing that is big in rome to have an aperitif, have time for an aperitif, which would be the happy hour. So just go having your aperitif spritz or having a drink, um, everybody loves it, you know everybody. And for some people they don't go to dinner until 9pm, even though the restaurants open at 730. They go to dinner at 9pm and at homes is the same. Kids are eating at 9pm, they're not eating earlier, so that was my question from California.
Speaker 2:You know, California.
Speaker 3:you go to eat at six o'clock, the kids are sleeping at eight.
Speaker 2:I was wondering if you guys ever made, have you ever used an espresso machine? So to make a cappuccino you need to use, like, the steamer right, and so maybe at night the waiters don't want to have to clean the steamer. So espresso is fine, but we don't want to steam the milk. It's too much work.
Speaker 3:And then do the kids like in terms of the school day? So they're eating at like 730 at the earliest, or nine or whatever, like what time do they go to bed? What time do they wake up? What time is school, is it? And then are they just do they30. And then they would have a break for like half an hour and then the lunch. It is almost 45 minutes. It's a little bit longer than California, because here it is only half hour that my girls get.
Speaker 3:So, and it was a full cafeteria where meals are prepared daily and a homemade bread, and so it's.
Speaker 3:The kids get to eat regular meals, not you know uh delivered food or like a hot lunch or anything like that. Um, and then they get out of school at 3 20 and if they had any activities they would actually get out at five o'clock very limited homework, and then after that it would just be dinner and then, in my case, they would go to sleep. I would definitely try to have my kids at nine o'clock, nine, 30 in bed. I couldn't do the 9.00 PM except on Fridays.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, that's amazing. And then, what kind of activities are they doing? Is it similar to here in the U S, like soccer? I'm assuming we're football, yeah, so there.
Speaker 3:Um, it depends on the kids, and so one of them wouldn't do the sports and games and drama and two of them did horseback riding. So there was horseback riding very close to the school that would take them. And one of the interesting things is the first day they come back from from the class and I was like how did it go? Because they were so excited, it was so good, we jumped. I was like what do you mean? You jumped? She was like, yeah, we jumped, you know, with the horse.
Speaker 3:I was like, wait, on the first day, like, yes, on the first day, they got them galloping and jumping over the little things you know right away and I was like that is hilarious. So they definitely, you know, it's a little bit more experiential too. My daughter had a, a field trip that was about, um, archeology, and it was about excavating, you know, and you actually would have and go and excavate an area. So it was, it was hands on, right, yeah, uh, they. The other thing that I loved about the school it was a promoting to love the learning.
Speaker 2:You know you love to learn.
Speaker 3:It's not my kids said it. We didn't feel we were getting stuffed with information. It felt like they wanted us to learn and they care about us. So that was an interesting difference that I noticed how much they loved school because it was encouraged for them to explore and to learn different things.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's so nice. I need to send my son there, nice.
Speaker 2:So you were in Rome and then, but you before you were spending a lot of time down in Sisley. That's quite a ways right, like four or five hours or something maybe's a flight, it's an hour okay okay, um, you fly from Rome to Palermo.
Speaker 3:Usually we do that in the summers.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, and then have you ever been to Sardinia, sardinia?
Speaker 3:yes, we've been to Sardinia and you can fly, and it's another hour flight to Sardinia. There's also a flight to Corsica, which is a French island. That is amazing, and Sardinia is typically actually the island where all the Roman society goes to.
Speaker 2:Okay, I heard it has the most. I think it was in a Zac Efron show. They have the most centenarians in the world come from Sardinia, and so you went there to study how, how do you live so old, slow, eating, right?
Speaker 3:Slow eating, good eating, Mediterranean.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And not caring too much about anything else.
Speaker 1:Sounds fantastic. Sign me up. So that's the island I'm looking at. A map over right next to me. Is that? That's the island off the off of the middle of, actually kind of directly across from Rome, is Sardinia. Sardinia, yes, that's amazing. So what's been your absolute favorite in Italy that you've visited?
Speaker 3:my absolute place that I visited, um, rome is such a beautiful place that you can walk anywhere and you find something beautiful. You know you can um, yes, you can definitely go to the Vatican, you can go to the Coliseum, and it's gorgeous and majestic. But I think I this trip, for me, was more about finding the beauty in the small things and in the everyday. You know, like stopping at a coffee shop that look amazing and walking on a street that looks so old and or that it had flowers, or that had the sense of the culture of Rome, so, or going to the market and going to the bakery. So it was more about the little moments that made this so special. And I got to tell you I was um, so we were gone for a couple of months and then I was there two weeks ago and every bakery, every coffee shop, every restaurant, every store that I visited, I went back and people recognize me and they're like where are your daughters?
Speaker 3:Where's your husband? Is it just you? Is it like? That intimate relationship that you get to have with? Each person there is unique and that's why I loved it and I was like we're coming back in the big city too Right, you can say maybe a small town, but a big city Wow.
Speaker 3:It's a big city. So for them to remember me and to, and I, that's what I was telling one of my friends Wow, you know, like I, I would have thought you know, I'm another tourist. One girl I remember. She's like do you want your same juice? And I was like what? She remembers my juice, because it was a ginger shot and nobody drinks, you know, juices there. A couple of juice places, but it's all about the orange juice, right. And here I come with my Californian mix and they're like what?
Speaker 3:so you did orange juice and ginger together well, because I, because they wouldn't do it any other way, I would ask can you have the ginger and then the orange juice separately? And they're like okay, we can do that. So I had to work them to get my the juice that I wanted.
Speaker 1:Well, that's great and they do a lot of fresh juice or orange juice, I'm assuming yes, a lot of fresh orange juice.
Speaker 3:Um, it's. That is definitely part of the breakfast portion. You got you know what david loved. It was like he could go to the fish store and get you know branzino that was pulled that same day out of the mediter Mediterranean and then cook it for us and it was delicious. Or go to the butchery and it was the same Like the food was so fresh that the first time we were at an apartment and got our groceries I went grocery shopping like any other day here in the US.
Speaker 3:Three days later all my food is bad, all my veggies were bad and we were in shock. I'm like what's going on? All the fruit, everything you know because I have bought so much. So then that was a big change. We were shopping then every two, every three days for the food that we wanted that day. So you don't see anybody buying or pulling big bags. No, you have just your bag of what you're going to cook tonight and that's it. And the cost of living was dramatically low compared to California. So if you go for some grocery shopping that you would spend $200 here over there probably would be 40. Yeah, to the point that I notice it. But then my kids notice it. They would be like, wow, wouldn't this be at home, like this and this? And I'm like, yeah, it would be so much more expensive. And they recognize it. Like you know, you buy augula here and I was noticing yesterday is like $6 and 50 cents. The package over there 50 cents. You know, right there you save $6.
Speaker 1:Unbelievable.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so everything that I think is cost of living is definitely lower than California. I don't know about other states, but certainly definitely lower than California Rent. It depends where you are If you're in the center, the historic center. If you're outside, you can find better places, bigger places and more affordable. But even though it's a city, it's not as high as the other one as the other cities in the world.
Speaker 1:And where would you recommend? So, if someone comes there, I'm curious about the weather and what you would recommend someone to come in and visit and see things that you've enjoyed, and maybe things, traditional things you know, there's the Coliseum and the other things, but other things that were not as you were surprised by. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Due to the weather, I would definitely. The spring is a great time to go right. Probably starting April to June. You don't want to be there too much in the summer. Summer's too hot, there's not enough breeze, so you really feel it it's. It's very hot and most Romans actually live, leave the town, you know, and they go to the beach because that's that's the hardest time to be around. And not every place, not every Airbnb, is going to have air conditioner.
Speaker 3:So, you have to be mindful of that If you're going to be living there. The fall was really amazing because it's transitioning from these weather to more cool weather, but it just gets chilly at night. It tends to rain, supposedly only like 10, 12 days during the winter, but we actually did have a lot of rain during the time we were there. So, um, but the if you are thinking in terms of when is the best time for my money, I think November is actually the best time, because hotels are not as expensive, it's not very touristy and you can get reservations to all the restaurants and every place you go, so it's a little bit easier that way.
Speaker 1:Oh good to know, that's good.
Speaker 3:You know, you get a different kind of weather and even the beginning of December you don't get the rain, but then you get more like the chilly weather and then it's decorated so beautiful for Christmas. They go all the way out decorating. It feels like New York in that way, like so much Christmas decoration, so it feels really holiday you know, you know very festive.
Speaker 2:Okay, in december cool. In italy I would say it's probably like california cool.
Speaker 3:It's not like new york cool okay, it, it did not I heard. So january, end of january and february are going to be the call, the call times to go and rain possibly.
Speaker 2:Okay, fantastic, okay. So we are getting close to our end. Kristen, do you have any other questions or I can go into?
Speaker 1:our rapid fire questions. Just the last question was is there anything that you I know there's people can research and see kind of the basics of you know the, the places to see? Is there anything that wasn't listed that you thought, wow, this was an amazing place to visit and I would recommend, or a festival or something that you would recommend someone to come and see or visit?
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm trying to think One of the things that it was really hard to see and find. There are some tours that are done on the Vespas or on scooters by other people and they take you everywhere and it's a little bit harder to find it, but it's a very easy way to get around and going everywhere. For me, the key was the restaurants. I really experienced so many restaurants and I have have my list and I can pass it to you. My list is gold. We definitely went to the places that were in touristy, that had authentic food, that the food felt amazing, so that there are a couple of Instagram people that have really good recommendations and can I? Can I give them to you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, sure, yes, have really good recommendations. And can I?
Speaker 3:can I give them to you? Yeah, so one is called I heart Rome. Oh, actually, hold on one second. Yeah, heart Rome, that's her name, and she actually wrote a book and I have it here. So how to?
Speaker 2:be, Italian. How to be Italian.
Speaker 3:Yes, okay, drink, dress, travel and love the Dolce Vita, and she really goes into detail and she has. Her Instagram, has, and her blog have all kinds of information from all over Italy, so you can't miss it. The other person that has also amazing information is Rome wise. Rome wise Okay, yes, and they are in on Instagram.
Speaker 2:Wives are wise like wisdom.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, what a great find. I'm actually doing some research on a trip. I'm taking my kids to Korea and Bali in June and I'm going to check out Instagram because I didn't even, I just Googled and I'm talking to some folks that are over there, but what a great idea. Also Instagram.
Speaker 3:Yes, there's another woman who posts amazing places, and even some that are more remote, and her hers is Ceci Jo Zimo, so it's uh, c-e-c-y-j-o-z-i-m-o, and I think it's more like from the living experience. So then you can see the places and hers are videos. So you can see the videos of the places and you're like I want to go there. Yeah absolutely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's fantastic. Oh, thank you so much for that. That's, that's perfect, because I think that you know people who are are planning not only for this trip but, or you know, to go to Italy but any of the suggestions also just Instagram and researching, but be able to dig in a little deeper to find what they want. Yes, perfect yes.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:Carol, did you want to?
Speaker 2:yeah, let's go so we just have like standard questions. We ask everyone. So popular religion obviously is Catholic, but we had talked to someone from Spain and said it's not the number one religion from their perspective anymore in Italy. Do you think that's true?
Speaker 3:I think there is a mix, but I did see the Catholic still stands. It's either I'm not believing or I'm very Catholic, from what it seems, at least in Rome. I mean, you still have the Vatican there. The amount of churches that you walk by every day, it's incredible, right? And the traditions are based on the Catholic church, so it's a very Catholic community per se. So maybe in different areas it is changing in the north, but I did not see that in Rome.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, got it. And what is one of your favorite foods? It sounds like you know you like the Mediterranean diet, the light pasta, but is there a specific Italian dish that you love?
Speaker 3:dish that you love. Yes, I mean, I love gelato for sure. That's like my number one. That was one of the things that we let go. We allow the kids to have gelato basically anytime they wanted it, and it was great I became. I wasn't so into it, but cacio e pepe became my favorite pasta and I think Romans can do it like nobody else can. And what's in that? What kind of so is um? Cacio cavallo is a cheese, and then pepper. So the two, the two things that you get is is just that, and is this creamy? I'm not into creamy sauces, but this is the one that I will have, for sure if it's in Rome, yeah and how do you call cacio e pepe, cacio e pepe, cacio e pepe.
Speaker 2:Okay, okay. And then breakfast. You already told us croissant and cappuccino, and is there a lot of local music there, italian music, or is it more just like Western?
Speaker 3:So it's very it's. It's very interesting that you mentioned that, because there's definitely always music everywhere and one of the beautiful things on the weekend in the center, the artists are always in every corner playing, and it could be somebody with a violin playing some modern music or something very old, or you can have a trio, a cappella, or a woman a cappella singing or a dancer, so you would have these artists on your regular days just being exposed, or somebody just playing the accordion while you're having lunch. So, yeah, music is definitely part of the culture. It's part of the art. I think of Italy and imagining Italy.
Speaker 2:Yes, okay, and what kind of money is there? Are they on the euro? Yes, yes, yeah, you mentioned that when you're shopping um and where's, is there any surfing going on there, or wakeboard surfing, or?
Speaker 3:There's no surfing closed, but there's a beach like an hour away from, but I don't think surfing is a big thing.
Speaker 2:Okay, got it. Great, Very good. Well, that's all I have.
Speaker 1:This is awesome Well thank you so much, jennifer. It was so wonderful to finally meet you, and it's just exciting to hear how you what you did you just you know people think moment and little things that you see and just experiencing it, and also through your kids' eyes and your, you know just the whole, the whole thing and being flexible, of going back and forth, which is big. And yeah. So thanks so much for sharing, and so you're heading back. You said in a couple of weeks or this summer.
Speaker 3:We're going back in the summer and we're going to be there, you know, discovering a little bit more in different places. But yeah, I, I would say don't wait, you know, for next year, for the next vacation, for this, why not For us? I I noticed people were more stressed about about us than us, about like, oh, how is this going to transition? What are you going to do? You know the questions of you know worrying about what could happen, and the reality is the experience and what that brought to our kids was exponentially a better outcome than what we thought.
Speaker 1:Well, please tell David hello from me and thank you so much for your time and for this. This is so fun, yeah.
Speaker 2:With everything, keep me posted. We'll do.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Okay, all right.
Speaker 2:Bye. If you enjoy our podcast, be sure to subscribe to our show, rate us in in your podcast app and follow us on Instagram at where next podcast. If you are interested in being a guest on our show or would like to nominate someone, please contact us on our website at wwwwhere next podcastcom. Thanks for listening.
