Favorite Italy Blogs

Part of the joy of my job is that I get to check out other great Italy-related websites and blogs on a regular basis, and even better is that I’ve been able to connect with (and often meet in person) some of the people behind the websites I love. Here’s a selection of some of the sites I like (in alphabetical order).

Italy Websites

These are informational websites primarily, either providing news, expat or travel resources.

Craigslist – Yes, there’s Craigslist in Italy! It’s already been a useful resource in finding short-term accommodations (a spare room in someone’s apartment), and I’m quite sure it’ll be even more useful once I’m actually living in Italy. There are sites for lots of cities in Italy, including Florence, Milan, Naples, Rome, and Venice. See the list on this page for more city links.

Expat Arrivals (Italy Section) – A newer site for expat information on just about any place you can imagine is Expat Arrivals. There’s an Italy section, of course, and there are different sections broken down on the left menu for all the topics would-be expats would have questions about.

Expats in Italy – There are good articles here with information for those of you who, like me, think an annual two-week vacation in Italy isn’t enough. There’s also a message board, which has great first-hand tips for some common questions.

The Informer – Perhaps the best online resource for expats in Italy, this newsletter has been around for 20+ years in both print and now online-only form. It’s a resource you’ll have to pay for with an annual fee, but if you’re an expat in Italy you probably can’t do better.

Italia Living – Italy can conjure up quite luxurious imagery, and the Italia Living site aims to help people incorporate “the charm and elegance of the Italian lifestyle” into our own lives. This includes information about traveling in a luxury way in Italy as well as places to buy Italian products. Italia Living is targeting “the affluent consumer,” but anyone can get useful information and enjoyment out of the site’s blog posts and videos.

Italy Magazine – Great source for Italian news and happenings, in English (the magazine itself is almost prohibitively expensive if you’re buying it in the U.S., but the online resource is great and free)

Slow Travel’s Italy Section – It’s no surprise that the country which gave birth to the Slow Food movement is also big on the Slow Travel front, and the Slow Travel website has some excellent articles and resources for anyone who’s looking to get beyond the usual tourist track in Italy.

Italy Blogs I Like

ArtTrav – Alexandra is an art historian who lives and works in Tuscany. She blogs about her life in Tuscany, especially about the wealth of art found in Italy.

At Home in Tuscany – Gloria was born and raised in Tuscany, and writes in English as if it’s her native tongue. She rents out a vacation house in the Maremma area, so she regularly blogs about things that are useful for travelers in the region.

Beginning With I – Deirdre has lived in lots of different countries, but it’s the Italy sections on her blog that I focus on (obviously). She’s got excellent lists of Italian idiomatic expressions, and an archive of Italian songs with their translations.

Bleeding Espresso – Michelle lives in Calabria and writes about Italy and food from a Southern Italian perspective. And she has really cute dogs. Oh, and now a pet goat!

Brigolante – Rebecca lives in Umbria, where she operates the Brigolante apartment holiday rentals just outside Assisi. She’s delightfully funny, as her blog shows, and I almost always giggle aloud at least once while reading her posts.

Italian American Girl – Margaret grew up Italian-American in New Jersey, and she blogs about what being Italian-American really means.

Italofile – Melanie posts good practical information about traveling in Italy, including her regular (and helpful) posts about what’s going on in any given month in the country.

Italy Chronicles – Alex is a Brit living in Milan who keeps me up to date on what’s going on in the city as well as in the Italian news.

Miss Expatria – Although Miss E spends about half her year in the south of France instead of in Italy, her heart remains in Rome (and the south of France ain’t bad, either). She’s got an incredible wit and happens to take some mighty fine photos, too.

Ms. Adventures in Italy – Sara’s mainly a food blogger, but as she lives in Milan many of her posts have a very Italian flavor to them. Her food photos are routinely described as “food porn,” and she’s written some excellent “how to” articles as well.

My Bella Vita – Cherrye and her husband run a B&B in Calabria, so she’s up to her eyeballs in the hospitality industry in Southern Italy. But her blog isn’t all about the B&B; in fact, it’s mostly about life in an Italian town.

Revealed Rome – Amanda is a journalist who lives in Rome and works for a tour company, so she has insights into the travel scene in the capital city and the skills to write about it.

Rome Photo Blog – Jessica works for Context Travel in Rome, and happens to be handy with a camera. The photos on her blog are big and beautiful.

South of Rome – Karen has contributed a few posts here at WhyGo Italy, and I think her own blog is an excellent showcase of her eye for photography and her love of southern Italy.

Venice Daily Photo – I have an unexplainable love of this city, so seeing it in pictures every single day is alternately wonderful and torture.

Zoomata – Nicole lived in Milan for years, and her blog is a funny take on Italian news stories or happenings. It’s informational, yes, but it’s like getting the news with a dose of humor.