The Bittersweet Life

Planning a trip to Rome? Today we explore the lesser known gems of the city. These are amazing places tourists often miss (though they shouldn't). Listening will make your trip is incredible. And if you're not planning a trip, this will be like traveling to Rome at home.

LIVE SHOW! MARK YOUR CALENDARS! On Friday, March 16, 2018, we celebrate the release of Tiffany's book Midnight in the Piazza with a live performance of The Bittersweet Life in Seattle. It's at 7:30pm at the Greenwood Senior Center (525 N 85th St, Seattle, WA 98103).

Get tickets here.

Locations mentioned in the show:

• The Portico d'Octavia
• Stadium of Domitian
• Galleria Doria Pamphilj
• Galleria Colonna (only open Saturday morning)
• Baths of Diocletian
• Villa Farnesina
• Ostia Antica (outside Rome)
• Casa di Santa Francesca Romana (aka Tor de Specchi convent) - March 9th only!
• Santo Stefano Rotondo

SAY HI! If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email. Write to: [email protected]

You can also talk to us through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - Tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

DONATE! Open your laptop and visit The Bittersweet Life and click the donate button on the right side of the page. The show needs your support to continue.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

SPONSOR! Reach expats and future expats living all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

What determines the pace of your life? Is it the city you live in? How many connections you have? What happens when you live in a country with a slower pace than you're used to? Hosts Tiffany Parks and Katy Sewall discuss.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! On Friday, March 16, 2018, we celebrate the release of Tiffany's book Midnight in the Piazza with a live performance of The Bittersweet Life in Seattle. If you're in Seattle, we want to see you! Location TBA.

If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email. Write to: [email protected]

You can also talk to us through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - Tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

DONATE! Open your laptop and visit The Bittersweet Life and click the donate button on the right side of the page. The show needs your support to continue.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

SPONSOR! Reach expats and future expats living all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

"How does one choose their path without regrets?" That's one big question circling through listener Darlene's head as she listens to The Bittersweet Life podcast. Is the expat life for the unattached? Can it be too late to move? Are artist-types always dissatisfied? Katy and Tiffany debate these huge concepts and attempt to give some good advice.

If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email like Darlene did. Write to: [email protected]

You can also talk to us through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - Tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

DONATE! Open your laptop and visit The Bittersweet Life and click the donate button on the right side of the page. The show needs your support to continue.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

SPONSOR! Reach expats and future expats living all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

Dreaming of moving abroad but love your job? We discuss the hazards of giving up your career. Tiffany also gives listener Darlene practical tips to keep in mind when moving to Rome, Italy. Future expats, this is the show for you.

Thanks for textile designer Darlene in Brooklyn, NY for writing the letter that prompted this conversation. If you have questions you want us to debate -- WRITE US! Send us an email at [email protected]

You can also talk to us through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram - Tag #thebittersweetlife with your story for a chance to be featured!

DONATE! Open your laptop and visit The Bittersweet Life and click the donate button on the right side of the page. The show needs your support to continue.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

SPONSOR! Reach expats and future expats living all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

How important are the decorations around you? Travelers frequently live in environments designed by other people. Some people can work anywhere, but for others, aesthetics are really important.

While moving to San Francisco, host Katy Sewall realized her productivity suffered from living in uninspired temporary housing.

Decorating styles differ from country to country too. Host Tiffany Parks isn't a big fan of Italian hostess gifts called Bomboniere. While most Italians save every trinket they ever receive at a party, she throws them away.

Check out Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see pictures of Katy's aesthetic peculiarities and to see the one bomboniere Tiffany did keep. * Post pictures of where you live too!*

Also, if you missed our show with housing designer Rebecca West, you can listen to it here.

DONATE! Open your laptop and visit The Bittersweet Life and click the donate button on the right side of the page. The show needs your support to continue.

WRITE US! Tell us your aesthetic preferences. We are dying to know. Send us an email at [email protected]

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

SPONSOR! Reach expats and future expats living all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

Tiffany and Katy discuss resolutions for the New Year as 2018 kicks off. Tiffany needs your help with hers. Also, host Katy Sewall makes a big announcement about where she is going from here.

• The RECIPE Tiffany talks about compliments of Smitten Kitchen: Pasta e ceci (pasta and chickpeas)

What are you resolving to do in 2018? We'd love to hear your goals. It might even inspire Katy to come up with a good resolution!

Reach us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or write us @ [email protected].

NEVER HEARD THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

WANT TO SPONSOR THE SHOW: Reach thousands of expats and travelers all over the world by sponsoring The Bittersweet Life. Write the at [email protected] to get the conversation going.

©Web and show content can only be used with written permission.

Christmas traditions can be grounding when you're living in a brand new place. Tiffany and Katy talk about the joys and challenges of being untethered during the holidays. They also discuss which of their traditions come from childhood and which were added after living in a foreign culture.

• The Sweet Smell of Christmas (The Scratch & Sniff book Tiffany ordered for the holiday)
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (One of Katy's favorite Christmas book)

Also, tell us what you resolve to do in 2018. (Next week: New Years Resolutions!) Write us at [email protected]. We LOVE hearing your stories.

NEVER HEARD THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

SPONSOR: Reach thousands of expats and travelers all over the world by sponsoring The Bittersweet Life. Write the at [email protected] to get the conversation going.

WE'RE ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

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©Web and show content can only be used with written permission.

The magician Dante joins us with his amazing story of reinvention - from landing in prison to busking for huge crowds in the streets of Europe. As he puts it, "It's not about what has happened, it's about what we do next."

Dante learned magic to make sure he'd alway be free; able to work for himself and not someone else. Later, he picked up the trumpet and now performs regularly with The Dapper Dandies in New Orleans.

He explains how making a fool of yourself can be great thing - and takes us on a most wild ride through jail, and plots, and escape... You get the idea. This is a super fun, inspiring episode. You'll also learn how your host Katy Sewall gave Dante the name Dante.

• Dante's Homepage
• Dante's favorite magician, Tom Mullica

NEVER HEARD THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

SPONSOR: Reach thousands of expats and travelers all over the world by sponsoring The Bittersweet Life. Write the at [email protected] to get the conversation going.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Connect with us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or write us @ [email protected].

©Web and show content can only be used with written permission.

The #MeToo movement has taken over the news in the United States and much of the world. After Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein was outed by the New York Times for a history of assaulting women, more accusations - and firings - have followed. Now all men are reexamining their workplace behavior and women are rethinking their memories, reactions, and often their acceptance of questionable male/female dynamics.

In this episode hosts Katy Sewall and Tiffany Parks revisit Episode 10 of The Bittersweet Life, a show that focused on sexual assault abroad. One of the dangers of traveling to foreign lands is not recognizing when you're in danger. Katy and Tiffany share stories of what happened to them.

If you have thoughts (or a #metoo story) to share - TELL US! If we get enough responses, we'll do a follow up show on the matter.

And if you want to hear more, the conversation goes on in Part 2 and Part 3

If you've NEVER HEARD THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

SPONSOR: Reach thousands of expats and travelers all over the world by sponsoring The Bittersweet Life. Write the at [email protected] to get the conversation going.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Connect with us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or write us @ [email protected].

©Web and show content can only be used with written permission.

During the Sack of Rome in 1527, thousands of citizens were killed or raped. The city's treasures were pillaged. Beyond the trauma and loss, the sack also crippled the Italian Renaissance for good.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, over 1500 people died and thousands lost everything they had. A huge percentage of the displaced population never returned. Those who stayed were forever changed. Many locals mark time in NOLA as life "before Katrina" and life after.

Hosts Tiffany Parks (in Rome) and Katy Sewall (in New Orleans) explore how cities are forever altered by the natural and man-made disasters that strike.

DONATE! Support the independent radio makers you love. Unpaid bills lead to no show in the future. :(

NEVER HEARD THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1:OUTSET

SPONSOR: Reach thousands of expats and travelers all over the world by sponsoring The Bittersweet Life. Write the at [email protected] to get the conversation going.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Connect with us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or write us @ [email protected].

©Web and show content can only be used with written permission.