Welcome to Italy: From Australia to Rome

[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]

An interview to Maria Pasquale – HeartRome

This 2016 is full of new things.

Every month you will find 3 specific contents:

1. ‘what’s on in Italy?‘, about events taking place in the next month
2. #FoodIS, the blog section about typical regional dishes
3. ‘Welcome to Italy’, collecting interviews of foreign people living in Italy or talking about the country in their blog.

With this article we start to host interviews to bloggers who live in Italy or have a blog where they talk about Italy.

I would start from a friend of mine. Her name is Maria Pasquale. She is Australian and moved to Italy 4 years ago. Actually she is not “completely” Australian. She is a lovely person and I like to talk with her because she speaks her own language – a mixture of Italian, English, Roman and Abruzzo dialects. So funny!

HeartRome is her blog and she talks about Rome and other amazing places. Take a look of it.

Now it’s time to read her answers to our 10 questions.

1) Talk us about you

I am an Italo-Australian, born and raised in Melbourne. I have an honours degree in political science and worked for many years as a policy adviser for the State Government in Australia. I then started my own business in events and PR, and in 2011 finally decided to make the move to Rome – realising a dream I’d had since I was a young girl.

2) Why did you move to Italy?

I feel like the decision to move to Italy was like a calling. I’ve always been proud of my origins and it truly was my dream to live in Italy one day. I’ve always felt very ‘Italian’.

3) Which are the reasons why Australians have to come to Italy once in their life?

The food: to eat and experience true Italian cuisine. Also for fine dining – Italian chefs are some of the best in the world.

The art and history: In Italy, you are constantly surrounded by masterpieces, ruins and amazing monuments.

And finally, because Italy offers anything a tourist could ever want – lakes, mountains, fashion and shopping, art, culture, history, islands, beaches, cities, UNESCO heritage sites and much, much more.

4) Which advice would you like to give to Australians on holiday in our country?

In terms of bureaucracy and managing daily life, even basic things like sending mail and paying bills, they are completely different, so it makes it very difficult to compare. I’d say, just enjoy the ‘dolce vita’, let go of your routine a little bit, try and appreciate every corner and every moment. Make sure you try traditional dishes in each region you visit. It isn’t like Italian cuisine that you find around the world (you will not see spaghetti bolognaise or chicken parmigiana on any menus – these dishes were invented overseas).

5) What do they have to avoid to visit and why?

An Italian post office! It truly is a fascinating experience.

6) Which is your favourite Italian dish?

For me, it’s carbonara – or anything with guanciale in it really. And sweets – I can’t end a meal without a dessert, and I very rarely share! Tiramisù, panna cotta, sfogliatella, anything with meringue, apple, strawberries, custard or even cream.

7) Which is your favourite Italian place?

Other than Rome, my favourite places to visit in Italy are Piemonte, Sicily, Sardegna and Puglia. The south and Sardegna for the beaches, culture, warmth and food. I fell in love with Piemonte last year – the elegant capital, Torino and the wine towns in the Langhe region like Barolo, Bra, Asti and Alba (home to white truffles!) which are also culinary gems.

8) Why did you create “HeartRome”?

I created it to document my story and keep my family and friends up to date with my life away from Australia. I never expected it to take off like it did or that so many people would be interested in hearing about the experience of an Australian girl living in Rome. I have daily readers in 120 countries and over 10,000 people who follow me on social media.

9) What do you think about Rome?

That it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. From one minute to the next, you love it and you hate it. It is a city where you see and feel the past and the present collide. I love its colors, its piazzas, the cobblestones, la Roma (the soccer team), and carbonara!

10) Now you live in Italy. Will you go back to Australia one day?

I can’t really say. The honest truth is that I don’t know. I will always follow my heart – it brought me to Rome. I will continue to follow it – only the universe knows where it might lead. But I know for sure that wherever that is, will be where I’m meant to be.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_nav admin_label=”Post Navigation” in_same_term=”on” hide_prev=”off” hide_next=”off” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [/et_pb_post_nav][et_pb_team_member admin_label=”Person” name=”Eleonora” position=”Italian Storytellers’ founder” image_url=”http://www.italianstorytellers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/EleonoraTramonti.jpg” animation=”off” background_layout=”light” facebook_url=”http://www.facebook.com/Elettrixweb” twitter_url=”http://twitter.com/elettrix/” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” saved_tabs=”all” google_url=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/+EleonoraTramonti” linkedin_url=”https://it.linkedin.com/in/eleonoratramontielettrix”]

Tourism is my world. Web marketing is my house. I put them together and I created my current job. I am a freelance and I am dealing with social media, blogging and online marketing especially in tourism field.

[/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [yuzo_related] [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]