The Bittersweet Life SHARE-A-THON
The Bittersweet Life SHARE-A-THON

If you’ve been listening to the most recent episodes of my podcast, The Bittersweet Life, you know we’re running a summer SHARE-A-THON! We're on a mission to boost our subscriber list. Why? Firstly, the whole purpose of our show is to reach as many like-minded adventurers, expats (past, present, and future), and dreamers as we can. Our goal is to inspire others to live a more adventurous life, whether that entails moving abroad, traveling more, or just stepping out of their comfort zone.

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Tiffany Parkspodcast, share-a-thon, The Bittersweet LifeComment
The Bittersweet Life – Episode 212: ETHNICITY
The Bittersweet Life – Episode 212: ETHNICITY

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing our amazing former intern, Estrella Gomez in our latest episode: {ETHNICITY}. Issues of race and diversity are on everyone’s lips and minds in the United States right now. But people in Italy are just starting to have these conversations. In a country where, until quite recently, everyone had a similar racial make-up, perhaps it simply wasn’t necessary until now.

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PodcastTiffany ParksExpat life, podcast Comments
Where to Have {Outdoor} Aperitivo in Rome
Where to Have {Outdoor} Aperitivo in Rome

"La bella stagione" (as Italians call it) is well and truly here, so it's time to indulge in that delightful rite of Italian summer, the aperitivo. When the sun starts to lower in the Roman sky and the city lights up with that afternoon glow that has seduced so many poets, Italians snag tables at sidewalk bars and rooftop cafés to take part in an outdoor aperitivo. With a wealth of appetizers and finger foods provided complimentary with the price of a single drink, Italian aperitivo gives “happy hour” a whole new meaning.

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Food & Drink, LifestyleTiffany Parksaperitivo, outdoors, nightlife, top 10, round-upComment
The Bittersweet Life – Episode 211: SIRENUSE
The Bittersweet Life – Episode 211: SIRENUSE

Here's a question for you: What happens when you resist your destiny, only to accept it at last, and discover that it brings you more joy than you could have imagined? I suppose first you have to believe in destiny, which is certainly not a given. This week, Katy interviews Antonio Sersale, son of one of the four founding siblings of the legendary Le Sirenuse Hotel in Postiano on the Amalfi Coast.

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PodcastTiffany Parkspodcast, hotels, interview, travel Comment
The Bittersweet Life – Episode 210: CORRESPONDENT
The Bittersweet Life – Episode 210: CORRESPONDENT

This week's episode {CORRESPONDENT} does not feature yours truly. Instead, my trusty co-host Katy Sewall, a deft interviewer after her many years experience at NPR, found herself in Positano on the Amalfi Coast a couple of months ago. At the Sirenland writers' workshop that is held at the legendary La Sirenuse Hotel every year, she met writer, filmmaker, and former war correspondent, Micheal Maren. Since being a war correspondent is hands-down the most extreme version of being an expat, Katy didn't miss a beat and set up an interview with him on the spot in which he shares his experiences covering conflict across the African continent.

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PodcastTiffany ParksExpat life, journalism, africa, war, podcast, interviewComment
What To Do in Rome this Weekend — 16-17 June 2018
What To Do in Rome this Weekend — 16-17 June 2018

We’re coming up on the last official weekend of spring and some of the very longest days of the year. Otherwise known as my absolute favorite time of year. One that I savor and that passes too quickly. (It’s also my Maritino’s birthday this weekend, which makes it extra special.) rIn case you’re thinking of hopping off to some nearby beach this weekend, keep in mind, there are a slew of interesting things to do in the city this weekend. Here are my top picks:

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EventsTiffany Parksevents, opera, live music, contemporary art, photography Comment
The Bittersweet Life – Episode 209: REPURPOSE
The Bittersweet Life – Episode 209: REPURPOSE

As anyone who has ever been on a tour with me—or any of the many friends who have come to visit and whom I have enthusiastically and indefatigably dragged around the city—knows, I am passionate about Rome's layers of history. (I like them even more then Rome's distinctive street names.) What gets me most excited is when I can see the archaic rubbing shoulders with the modern, when I spot ancient ruins that served as the shell of a medieval building that was in turn transformed into a Renaissance palace that is still in use today. It sends chills down my spine. In no other place in the world can you see the progression of time so clearly in the very stones and mortar that built the city. 

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PodcastTiffany Parksancient recycling, Ancient Rome, medieval Rome Comments
The Bittersweet Life — Episode 208: DECAY
The Bittersweet Life — Episode 208: DECAY

Rome is crumbling, just as it has been for centuries. But what does it say about us adopted Romans that we choose to live in a city's whose glory days are all in the past? Can Rome's magnificent past really make up for the inconveniences and frustrations of daily life in modern Rome? How long can a city live off the interest of its history? For Rome, maybe the answer is forever.

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PodcastTiffany ParksLife in Rome, Expat life Comments
Snow Day at Rome's Bioparco
Snow Day at Rome's Bioparco

Snow days in Rome are beyond rare. I've lived here for over thirteen years and (until yesterday) in all that time it had only snowed two measly times (February 12, 2010 and February 4, 2012). I guess if it’s going to snow in Rome, it’s going to happen in February, because once again, in the early hours of 26 February 2018, the heavens dumped a dozen or so centimeters of white fluff on our lovely city.If you were in Rome during a snowstorm, where would you go first? The Pantheon, to see the snow falling through the oculus (as I did in 2010)? Or the Circus Maximus to watch gleeful Roman kiddies sled down its ancient slopes (as I did in 2012)?

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Sightseeing, NatureTiffany ParksBioparco di Romabioparco, animals, snow Comments
For the Love of Typewriters – Olivetti Exhibit Preview
For the Love of Typewriters – Olivetti Exhibit Preview

I’ve got something good for you today. To celebrate 110 years of a true Italian icon, Rome’s National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art is hosting an exhibit in honor of Olivetti—Italy’s premier typewriter manufacturer. Tracing a history of design, graphics, technological innovation, and communication, Looking Forward. Olivetti: 110 Years of Imagination, opens today, 20 February 2018, and runs until the 1st of May. It showcases more than 300 images, mostly and vintage photographs publicity posters.

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Art, ExhibitionsTiffany ParksGalleria Nazionale di Arte Moderna e ContemporaneaOlivetti, typewriters Comments
Rome for Your Chinese Zodiac Sign
Rome for Your Chinese Zodiac Sign

Chinese New Year is upon us!! February 16, 2018 heralds the Year of the Dog! According to this handy site (where you can easily find out which Chinese sign you are), the next twelve months promise to be a year of action! An exhausting, but very productive year, if you have the energy to keep up! My favorite line: “Planning, postponing, and negligence are words you will need to remove from your vocabulary during this year.” I love that! It’s especially apt for me, as my book, Midnight in the Piazza, will be published this year! That’s got to be an auspicious sign!

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SightseeingTiffany Parkszodiac, animals, chinese new yearComment
The Pines of Rome Blog Is Reborn!
The Pines of Rome Blog Is Reborn!

For me, the New Year starts in September, not January. Being the start of the school year, September has always lent itself to new beginnings for me. The long lazy days of summer are left behind, and with it my lazy ways are sloughed off, and big plans for exciting projects and personal improvement take their place. The prospect of new office supplies (in my mind they will always be school supplies, no matter how old I get), scarves (by far my favorite accessory), tights (second favorite), soup (butternut squash, if possible), crunchy fallen leaves, crisp mornings, and endless cups of tea (Marco Polo by Mariage Frères, if you're asking) remind me that fall is the very very best time of year.

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PersonalTiffany Parksblogs Comments
Foodies, Rejoice! Taste of Roma Kicks off at the PDM
Foodies, Rejoice! Taste of Roma Kicks off at the PDM

After months of hype, Rome's favorite restaurant festival is finally here! Taste of Roma kicks off today at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome's premier performing arts venue. This festival is a MUST for serious food lovers, especially of the gourmet variety. Let's face it, precious few of us can afford to dine at La Pergola or Imàgo every other weekend, but this festival gives us 99-percenters a chance to eat some of the very best food in the city. The highest echelons of haute cuisine come out for this event, so if fine dining is your passion, do not miss it.

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Food & Drink, EventsTiffany ParksAuditorium Parco della MusicaFestivals, Haute Cuisine, gourmet food Comments
The Mystery of Giulia Farnese Revealed
The Mystery of Giulia Farnese Revealed

Perhaps some of my most faithful bloglings remember the post I did on The Borgia Pope, Pinturicchio, and Giulia Farnese way back in 2012. I’m a little obsessed with the Borgias, and I’m very obsessed with art history mysteries. So when I heard that the Capitoline Museums were displaying a rare work by Pinturicchio called Baby Jesus of the Hands (which is actually a fragment of a larger work that is now lost), I was thoroughly intrigued. Check out that post for the full story on the fascinating mystery of that controversial (and eventually mutilated) work of art.

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History, ExhibitionsTiffany Parksthe borgias, pinturicchio, Giulia farnese Comment
How to Survive August in Rome
How to Survive August in Rome

I'm not going to lie to you. Being in Rome in August is no picnic. The city is at once empty and crowded: empty of locals yet crowded with tourists. It's unbearably hot and humid. Your favorite restaurants are closed, you can forget about going shopping anywhere but international chain stores. Public transport is even worse than usual. Did I mention it's ridiculously hot? And miserably humid? So yeah, I'm not going to sit here and tell you August is the ideal time to be in Rome, and all those people in Sardegna or on the Amalfi Coast don't know what they're missing. But if you do it right, you can make it a pretty awesome month nevertheless.

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LifestyleTiffany Parks Comments
Rome's Unsolved Mysteries
Rome's Unsolved Mysteries

So you think you know everything there is to know about Rome? Ok, maybe that’s asking a lot. Do you believe you can find the answer to any Rome-related question with a simple Google search? Are you convinced your heaving library of books on Rome holds all the answers? Think every facet of this city’s past has been asked and answered? Well, think again. There are, in fact, many question marks that surround Rome’s fascinating history. Let’s go on a little treasure hunt of sorts to look at some of the most intriguing unanswered questions.

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HistoryTiffany Parks Comment
Rome's Top 10 Piazzas for Hanging Out
Rome's Top 10 Piazzas for Hanging Out

The Italian piazza is the ultimate urban living room, a visually stimulating public space (preferably void of traffic) where the city’s residents can relax, and its visitors can take a well-deserved break from the demands of the day. Bright, airy, full of glorious works of architecture, and nine times out of ten with a fountain splashing in the center, Rome’s piazzas can sometimes feel like open-air museums. Most of the city’s major piazzas can also boast a café, a bench, or at the very least some convenient church steps, upon which to enjoy a few minutes or hours of sweet idleness.

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