The Bittersweet Life

In cities like Rome, tourists are part of the city’s identity, its reality, its way of life. When they go away—and don’t come back—the city will inevitably change and adapt. Will the countless AirBNB…

Protests over the murder of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, have sprung up in cities across the United States. In Seattle, peaceful protests calling for justice have also generated violence…

Why does time pass more slowly or quickly depending on what we are doing? Why is it that we sometimes completely lose track of the time, and what does it mean to truly live in the present? Are the pa…

What can you expect when you go out to eat in Italy during Phase Two? What about if you want to go to a museum, get your hair cut, or just grab a coffee at your local bar? What's the deal with shoppi…

Italy has officially reopened for business. While masks are required in public places, social distancing is (supposedly) non-negotiable, and tourism is still non-existent, life is nevertheless quickl…

Memory is the buzz word on The Bittersweet Life this week! Monday's episode was all about autobiographical memory, and on this mini-episode, Katy's dad Dale stops by to talk about the challenges and …

Why do we remember certain things and forget others? Do some people simply have a better memory than others, or is it something we can practice and get better at? Perhaps most intriguing of all: how …

Rome has finally opened up for walks in the center. Even so, when Tiffany finally has a chance to wander through the city, she finds it all but empty at midday.

From the Spanish Steps to Piazza Venez…

With international and even domestic travel all but ground to a halt in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the question on everyone's lips is: what is travel going to be like once everything is ba…

What's going on in Seattle right now? More to the point, what's going on with Katy in Seattle?

On this mini-episode, Katy checks in with what's in store for the city in the near future, as well as ho…

How do you transcend a childhood marred by addiction and go on to pursue the life that is calling to you?

This week, Katy sits down with bestselling author Stephanie Danler to talk about her forthcom…

Italy's lockdown restrictions are finally about to begin (and, more essentially, we finally know what they entail). In this mini-episode, Tiffany goes through the new rules, as well as her reactions …

Longing to wander the streets of Rome, visit its most beautiful squares, and marvel at its monuments? Since, for now, that isn't possible for any of us (even those of us who live in Rome) we've put t…

Today Tiffany talks about one of her favorite hobbies: memorizing poetry! She lays out the plethora of surprising benefits she reaps from this personal practice, as well as a list of tips on how to s…

When will Italy reopen—and what will that reopening entail?

These are the questions that Italy's residents have been asking themselves constantly lately. Rumor has it, Italy's country-wide lockdown w…

With Aurelio home from school, Tiffany is taking the opportunity to teach him how to read and write in English—before Italian school gets its hooks into him.

She explains why she's taking this so ser…

We all have those close friendships that survive over time, despite the fact that we live half a world apart. And now—with most of us living under lockdown for the foreseeable future—all of our frien…

Rome is the center of the Catholic world, the home the pope, the city of St. Peter. Easter time draws enormous crowds of faithful to participate in the high holiday services and be blessed by the pop…

In the second part of this Day in the Life episode, Katy offers a rare glimpse into what it’s like to edit and a long piece of tape, extracting its gems to transform it into something engaging.

Karen…

What does a day in the life of someone under lockdown look like? That's what we asked our listeners for today's episode, offering a peek into their lives throughout the course of a day as well as our…