Get the FREE Guide: How to Connect with Locals in Italy - Click Here!

Learn essential Italian dining phrases and understand menu terms like primi, secondi, and contorni to order like a pro at any Italian restaurant.

Planning a trip to Italy? Here's a list of Key Italian Phrases to know before traveling, communicate better and don't miss a minute of your trip!

Learn how to say 'Happy New Year' in Italian and discover Italian New Year's traditions, from festive meals to fireworks!

Founder of Creative Edge Travel, Sierra Busch, teaches some of her favorite Italian slang phrases.

Before I teach you how to use buses and trains in Italy, let me give you some background info so you can understand just what a feat this was for me. Picture an innocent country girl, who grew up in the mountains of North Georgia, and never saw so much as a city bus until she was in college. That girl is me. When I was a kid, cars or tractors were the only methods of transportation, except maybe the big yellow school bus that picked me up at 5:50AM or horses, if you had any.

Guest post by Mehek Punatar So you’re traveling to Italy and you want the most authentic experience. But you’re also vegetarian! Italian cuisine is extremely vegetarian-friendly (probably the most vegetarian-friendly of all European cuisines). You’ve got pizzas, pastas, paninis, gelato and coffee. Some spots even have vegan options! But you have to look in the right places if you want the authentic stuff. Here are some pro tips and recommendations for exploring the best of ve

It’s a funny thing, that greener grass on the other side… When I met Marco at a language exchange Meetup event in Florence, I was so intrigued by his immense passion for the colonial Northeastern US that I asked to interview him. In our initial conversations that would later blossom into a friendship, I discovered that Marco feels about the US the same way I feel about Italy. I wanted to understand and explore this paradox that we could be so equally in love with each other’s

Creative travelers need a way to capture their experiences! Up until my first trip to Europe, art was my greatest love and passion. Then Travel charmed its way into my life and so ensued a jealous battle between the two. Luckily I’ve learned that beautiful things happen when I combine them both. Sparks fly when I’m sitting on an ancient stone doorstep sketching the cobblestone street. Whether you call yourself an “artist” or not, getting creative during your travels will hel

If there is one skill that differentiates humans and other species, it must be that humans are so versatile. We are so quick to adapt to changes; our brains instantly reformulate plans and recalculate paths that we need to take to ensure survival. However, once we get used to a way of living, it can be tough to reprogram our minds differently. In 2010, I made the choice to leave what was comfortable and familiar in Indonesia and fly halfway across the world to live in Canada,

I still remember the first thing I ordered in complete Italian ( cioccolata calda , anyone?). The feeling of those beautiful sounds rolling off my tongue, and further, being comprehended by the Italian barista, was addictive. Before departing for my study abroad program in 2011, I studied Italian on my own between my classes because I knew I wanted to be able to communicate with the locals. I was surprised by how far my lessons took me and how much deeper my experience was be

by Paola Bassanese, Guest Writer Do you dream in Italian? If you do, you have made it! If you are not quite there yet, here are a few pointers to help you think like a local. I moved from Italy to England more than 20 years ago, and it took me about a year to think like an English person (and start dreaming in English!). I believe that my biggest breakthrough was when I started learning English colloquialisms: all of a sudden, I became “one of us” instead of “one of them”. I

Finding your dream job is not an easy feat. Sometimes it’s less about finding it and more about taking the necessary steps to create it yourself. It also requires going through difficult experiences to find out what works for you and what doesn’t. Through trusting this process, following my gut, and dreaming big, I went from the New York Minute to the Italian Siesta and found a life I love. Not that long ago while living in New York City, I was waking up in a cold sweat every

I am currently on my very first unplanned solo-trip. And I have to say, it is not all rainbows as so many articles and fellow travelers had led me to think. For one thing, I hadn’t done any research (since when does a travel planner have time to plan her own trip?) and came to find out that lodging in the areas I had in mind was way out of my budget. I’m spending a lot of time just trying to figure out where I’ll sleep next and how to get there instead of enjoying where I am

How to pack for a trip is the most stressful part of travel for some people. Having done a lot of 3-month long trips overseas, I’ve learned a thing or two about organizing your suitcase for stress-free travel. Leave that cute puppy out of your suitcase for example, no matter how badly you want to sneak him to Italy with you! But on a more practical note, I wanted to share the routine I’ve refined over the years that makes for stress-free travel. We all want that, right?! 1.