5 Tips for Celebrating Halloween Overseas

"For some of us, Halloween is everyday" Tim Burton

In America the excitement is contagious, Halloween has been in the stores and supermarkets for a good month now.  You've had the opportunity to think about your costumes, decorations and of course, candy!  But what happens with Halloween when you are overseas?

Depending on your location, you could be on a Halloween-friendly country or not.  If you are not finding the enthusiasm Halloween deserves here are 5 places where to find it or where you could start a campaign for a new tradition.

1. If you have school age children, most likely Halloween will be celebrated at school in some way or form, a parade or a spooky party.  Who doesn't like to dress up and eat candy?  This is a great place to volunteer your Halloween cheer.  

2. Is work associated with an American/expat company or enterprise?  Offices can turn into great spaces for trick-o-treating.  Door decorating contest anyone?  Or each area could decorate their spaces with a different theme and let employee's children go around asking for candy.  It does take asking permission from top management, but it is a great opportunity to bring people together, so pitch your idea and start a new office tradition.

3.  Do you live in a building where there are other expats?  Maybe you can make the kids trick-or-treat around the building.  Or make a map of the Halloween-friendly houses in the neighborhood, grab a flash light and go get that candy!!

4.  Trunk-o-treat is another popular way to celebrate, with everyone decorating the trunk of their car and handing out candy.  You need to find an open space or parking lot, that's all.

5.  If everything fails and you are not finding the Halloween love around you, why not plan a private party at home?  If you and your children love dressing up, you can invite some friends and have a good time together.  

If you are trick-or-treating out in your neighborhood with the kids, try to avoid negativity by only knocking at the houses that are decorated.  Beware that the country where you live may be celebrating another holiday that same day (in Peru October 31st is the night of the creole song, half of the country celebrates Halloween and the other half goes to local music halls to celebrate their music).  I was greeted with not so friendly remarks a couple of times (don't take it personal, it's supposed to be a fun day for the kids, ignore and move on) but all an all have had good Halloween fun around the world.  

And remember... When witches go riding and black cats are seen, The moon laughs and whisper, 'Tis near Halloween.

Small Little Victories

“A small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules.”  Anthony Trollope

The life of an Expat family is full of surprises.  Sometimes they are nice surprises, sometimes they are not.  At the end of the day one thing is a constant: change!  This summer it was my time for change.  Picking up all your belongings and moving them across oceans is no easy task but for us expats, it's just part of life.  I often get blank stares when I talk to non-travelers and I even get remarks like: "are you crazy!?" "how can you do this to your kids", "it must be so difficult!".  Truth be told, I've always enjoyed my moves, and thinking back on all the adventures I've experienced with my traveling family, I wouldn't change our lifestyle for any other. 

The post of today is all about settling in a new place.  The laws of settling-in apply exactly the same no matter where you go.  Since I just went through the process, or better yet, since I'm in the middle of it, I thought I would share one very important tip about moving to a new house.  Here it is:

"Small little victories"

Remember that phrase!  When you move, there's a million things you have to think about: school for the kids, vaccinations, registrations, shipments, boxes.  There is no planner big enough for the flood of tasks we have to face when moving to a new destination.  On top of it all, you don't have your "stuff", until you finally get it and with it comes the chaos of reorganizing a home for your family.  So, take it easy.  Choose one important task a day and tackle it.  If everything else falls apart in the mean time, fudgetaboutit! 

A couple of weeks ago, when I was overwhelmed with boxes from past lives and some from my latest life in Italy, I decided, eating was really important for my family so I forgot about everything else and concentrated on cleaning one side of the kitchen so I could have counter space on which to prep meals.  Maybe for you the "task of the day" is to have the desk space clean to be able to telecommute.  Maybe it's to schedule your internet connection so precisely that you will not be one second without an on-line presence.  Whatever it is, concentrate on one task at a time.  It will help you keep your sanity.  

Some days, just organizing one single drawer will feel like a victory, a small little victory.  And step by step, little by little, you will continue putting everything in its new place.  And like my friend Monica says, some days you just have to close the door and go for fresh air.

If you moved or are moving this year, I feel your pain.  If you have another tip that will help the expat community, please share it with us.  We'll certainly appreciate it!!

Arrivederci for now,

10 Things You Should Do BEFORE Moving to Italy

“Open my heart and you will see graved inside of it, "Italy".”  Robert Browning

Do you want to sell it all and move to Italy?   I've had the joy of living in Rome for the last few years and I am thankful for that amazing experience.  I still didn't realize the kind of pull Italy has on so many of us until last summer.  During a stay in Washington DC I took my sons to the Koshland Science Museum.  One of the interactive exhibits asked people to write down their biggest dream; as I browsed through the answers I was shocked to find so many entries about visiting, touring, and even moving to Italy.  I realized at that moment I was one of the lucky ones who was actually living the dream.  I also consider myself a realist and I know that even if you think you are living the dream, there are some days when you can have a nightmare or two...

Have you read the news about Italy lately?  You'll see words like "crisis, strikes, decline.."  What is that all about?  Italy is as wonderful as it is complicated, you can choose which side to dwell on, but you still have to live with both.

If you are visiting Italy (read this first!) you can concentrate on the beauty, the art, the wonderful cuisine and the wine.  But if you are moving there you do have to open your eyes completely and see the reality of the daily life.  Here are some pointers that will make your move a little less complicated:

1. Learn the language, learn the language, learn the language!  Your experience will be completely different if you can communicate and eventually meet local friends.  The Italian language is beautiful but its grammar is very complex.   Any time you put into it will pay off at the end.
2. Change your mind set.   Easier said than done.  Take the time to observe, and absorb the culture.   Read about it (I personally recommend "As Romans Do"by Alan Epstein), watch Italian films, get to know the local idiosyncrasies...  Do as the locals do (if you insist on finding eggs for breakfast you'll be disappointed, if you change to coffee and cornetto, you'll find yourself in the right place all the time!)
3. Be patient!  Everything happens at a different pace over there.  Slow down and enjoy the vino!
4. Make connections.  In Italy you're a stranger or you're family.  When you first get there you'll be a stranger, it takes time to make connections, start with your local market vendors, practice the Italian you've learned, be patient.  Try to go the same stores so the clerks recognize you and  you'll eventually become family.
5. Enjoy your surroundings, if you are having a bad day, go for a walk around town and it will remind you of the reason you moved there in the first place.
6. Look for a support group.  Find other expats in your city, they know what you're going trough and can help you when you hit a road block.
7. Take it easy!  Rome wasn't built in one day.  And your life in Italy won't be either.  Italian bureaucracy is known for being complicated beyond belief and just the fact of  moving can be very stressful, so take it easy!
8. Travel! Even after you settle in one city, there are 20 very different regions in Italy.   Venture out to the not-so-touristy ones.  See as much as you can, they are all wonderful!
9. Stop comparing!  There is nothing helpful about comparing your new life to your old one.  If you moved there with children, read this! One Easy Think you Can Do to Help your Kids Adjust to a New Culture.
10. Be patient!  The first year it's all about settling in, if you survive it you passed the test, you've made it! Every time after that will be a bonus.  

I hope these tips can help all the serious Italophiles have a better reality when they get to live the dream.

Arrivederci for now,

Making the Effort of Staying Connected

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.” Herman Melville

After having picked up my life and re-established myself in a different country enough times than I care to count, it almost feels I have lived several lives.  Every posting has had its good and not so good experiences, but they all have enriched my life.  The most rewarding experiences, however, have been the opportunities I've had to make friends along the way.

Which brings us to the topic of today's post: It's All About Connections.  I'm not talking about professional networking, which is extremely important in any field, but I'm more interested in the personal connections we've made with those whom we've crossed paths along this #expat #life.

Last week I read an interesting article on the cause of addiction, which suggested that the cure to substance abuse is far more attainable when working with addicts to help them find bonds with people instead of with drugs.  An interesting approach.  But if "bonding" with one another can affect us in such a way as to make us determine if our life is worth living -sober, what does this nomad life do to us?  Can leaving our friends every few years break the bonds we've created along the way?

All those who have relocated know the pain caused by leaving friends behind, but I want to believe that having lived my adult life moving around has forced me to make more connections throughout my life.  Some can argue these may be weaker connections than those made by a lifetime of being in one place, but I can honestly say I have friends spread out around the world.  No matter where life takes me next I can count on the fact that friends will put me in contact with their connections if it's not that I personally know someone already there. And if making bonds with people is so important, the more bonds you create the better off you'll be, right?

Staying connected today is a breeze compared to what it was in the pre-internet days.  But still, maintaining friendships with those who've entered your life takes time and effort.  We also have to take into consideration that it is our responsibility to help our children keep their connections, think about it as a duty you acquired when you signed them up for this lifestyle.  So make a point of visiting old friends when you go back home or when you travel. And what can be better than seeing someone again after a long hiatus and catching up?

Today I had lunch with an old friend, and let me tell you it has refreshed my spirits.  To all those who move around for a living, my humble advise is: make the effort, keep your connections.

Arrivederci for now,

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."  John F. Kennedy

I'm very thankful for all of you and I'm thankful for being able to share a little bit of me through this blog.  Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends specially the ones who find themselves far  from home during the holidays.  "#Friendsgiving" is also great, that's what we are celebrating today as we are far away from our families.  I'm very thankful for the friends I've made along my travels, that have become part of my new holiday traditions. 

Arrivederci,

Preparing for the Holidays: The Stains on my Tablecloths

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

Today I hosted a lunch at my house, one of those fun moments when we get to know our friends a little better, share a meal and learn from our different perspectives.  As I was preparing for this event I browsed through my tablecloths and in the pile I saw one that my mother had given me, a beautiful one, embroidered, delicate.  You could have guessed it was brand new if it wasn't for the yellowish tint it had gotten over the years.  As I decided on another tablecloth, a more simple and modern one, I recalled my mom's was probably used only a couple of times and had spent its life tucked away afraid of being stained.

At that moment, I decided not to worry about the stains on my tablecloths, all of them are completely worth it (ok, almost all of them).  Each little stain I cannot wash away will remind me of a loved one, who sat at my table and is no longer with us.  I'll be reminded of a friend who came with a wonderful exotic dish to share.  I will think of the family who came for a #Thanksgiving dinner on a short notice and made our day as it gave us the reason to cook a proper holiday meal.   I even have a tiny hole in one of my tablecloth from my boys trying to start a sparkle with my centerpiece candle, and every time I see it I remember their faces when they were little.  All those moments are what life is all about.  And the friends I've made along this #expat #life have my full permission to mess up any of my tablecloths.  I welcome all future stains that will remind me of my time in Italy.

I use my nice dishes for my family and all my guests, because there is no sense of waiting for special occasions.  Life is only lived once, and it is full of messy moments, the moments that make one's memories.

As the holiday season approaches I wish you many many stains on your tablecloths.

Arrivederci,

What to See While in Rome: Campo De' Fiori

“The earth laughs in flowers.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

Most people who arrive to Rome have a pretty good idea of what they want to see during their visit.  Some others, like me, after reading every article from every subject-matter expert, decide to forget it all and let the city captivate them by its own right, roam around and get lost in its labyrinth cobble stone streets to find your own version of Rome.  And walking like that, without a destination, I arrived to Campo De'Fiori.

Campo De'Fiori is a piazza (city square) that hosts an outdoor market operating Monday through Saturday from 7 am until lunch time (around 2:00 pm).  In the morning, the market sells all kinds of goodies, from flowers to fruits, fish and spices.  After lunch the market disappears  leaving the piazza ready for the nighttime scene.  Campo de' Fiori at night is very popular among the younger crowd.

In the middle of the square there is a statue of Giordano Bruno, a Dominican Friar, mathematician, and philosopher who was burnt alive in 1600.   Yes, in the sixteen hundreds, Campo de'Fiori was a place for public executions, like many other piazzas around Rome.   All the buildings that surround the square are the typical Roman buildings of terracota and mustard colors that make this piazza such a postcard-perfect picture of Rome and Roman life.

If you go during the morning, try a freshly squeezed pomegranate juice, pack with antioxidants.  You can also buy fruits and veggies, or kitchen utensils to take home.  Don't forget to pick up some multicolored pasta as a souvenir.  

If you go at night, try a typical Roman happy hour drink like the Spritz and enjoy yourself.  Having a dinner at an outdoor terrace, surrounded by ancient buildings but a very hip and trendy atmosphere is just priceless.

Arrivederci for now,

Eating Real Food, Staying Healthy

"Your body was meant to run on good food: fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and lots of water. Eat good food!” Tom Giaquinto

I just finished watching a documentary called "FedUp" and mamma mia!  how sad it is to see the way people's poor eating habits affect their health and most importantly that of their children.  Let me back up for a second and explain my observations about the American obesity epidemic after living overseas for so long.

We've been living abroad for a while now and every time we went back to the U.S. it was impossible not to notice how America has changed over the last decades.  It was like seeing a child after a few years and noticing how much he has grown.  Our perception of America was heightened by the fact that we were not living in it and seeing it get larger every day.

I noticed our compatriots' growing waist size by realizing that every time I went back to the U.S. and bought a pair of jeans I had to reach for a smaller size even though my body was certainly not getting smaller.  Portions at restaurants were getting so overwhelmingly large, we had a hard time finishing any meal.  I had to order only one plate of the kid's menu and split it between my two boys and even then, I had leftovers to take home.  Soon, I also started splitting meals with my husband.  At the grocery store, choosing fruits and vegetables was always more expensive than buying processed foods.

This is how real food looks like, no wrappers, no brands!

Another simple observation was the super scientific fact that every time I went back to the U.S. I gained weight.  That is a recurrent comment from most visiting foreigners.  They laugh about the super large sizes found in the U.S. and talk about how much they love America's junk food.  Their advantage is that they get to go back home, eat better food and loose the weigh efforlessly.  Americans are in that respect "trapped".  The movie #FedUp opens your eyes on the subject.  I highly recommend it to every person living in America.   Hopefully you'll make better choices when it comes to what you put in your body.

A point that was highlighted at the end of the movie was that cooking home meals from real ingredients was basically the answer, and I couldn't agree more.  So, to be consistent with my wish to eat better in order to be healthy and to teach my kids to eat real food, I try to learn fun recipes and involve my kids in the cooking process.

I learned this recipe from a Japanese friend of mine, and it was approved by my teenagers.  So here it goes:

                                Nikumaki

• Buy thinly sliced meat (you can look for carpaccio meat);
• Cut carrots and string beans into long finger-size strips;
• Steam the veggies;
• Lay the meat flat and season it with salt pepper;
• Place the veggies on one end of the meat and roll;
• Once you finished rolling all your meat, season the outside of your rolls and sprinkle flour on top; 
• Pan fry them, making sure all sides are fully cooked.
• The veggies inside are already cook so you are looking to brown the meat which only takes a minute when it is carpaccio meat (very very thin).

This part is my spin on the recipe:

• Take the rolls out of the pan and set aside.  Add chopped onion or scallions to the hot pan;
• Cook until translucent;
• Season with salt pepper and a splash of soy sauce, stir for a couple of minutes;
• Pour onions over rolls and serve.  You just made Nikumaki!

Serve with a side of rice and salad.

Enjoy! And don't forget to eat real food, make the time to cook at home and reap the benefits.  Do you have a healthy recipe to share?

One Easy Thing You Can Do To Help Your Kids Adjust to a New Culture

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”  William Arthur Ward

With the beginning of the school year I've been meeting folks from different countries and backgrounds and that is a wonderful thing about being part of an international community.  After we all settle in our new routines and become more comfortable with each other, the season for the expats' national sport will begin.  And it's true, if we expats were a nation we would have a national sport: complaining about the host country.

Ok, we all need to vent once in a while and it's great to find a sympathetic audience.  Everyone has funny or horror stories to tell about a situation where our cultural differences have played us a bad hand.  But it is unfortunate if all our conversations become just that.

Take into consideration that your children are also trying to adjust to the new culture, and if you're constantly bashing the way things work and how people think or act, your children will mimic your behavior and will dismiss the locals at school negating themselves the possibilities of new friendships.  They'll believe the locals are as terrible (or as great) as you describe them.

One of the benefits of living abroad is learning to adjust, and that skill will serve your children well, way beyond their expat years.   Some kids are more forgiving and adjust a lot faster than adults.  Some others take their time to figure out their new environment.  But perceiving your positive attitude towards the move in general will help them accept this change and be more open to the new experiences.

Wether you moved full of excitement to live in a new country, following a spouse or for a great job opportunity, remember that  there is no better way to learn about your host country than befriending the locals.  

So stop! Stop before you say something negative about the host country.  And about those who never get out of complaining mode... the other day I read that successful people stay away from negative people the same way you would move away from a smoker if smoke bothered you.  Not a bad strategy at all in my humble opinion.   What do you think?

Arrivederci for now,

Helping Your Kids with their First Day in a New School

“I felt excited to go to school, and that scared me." Stephenie Meyer, Twilight.

I am still a few days away from sending my boys back to school but I can't stop wondering if they feel the butterflies in their stomachs, the ones I felt when I was a kid. I went to the same school from kindergarten to  the 12th grade, but my kids have attended six different schools around the world, and so far, they've always had smooth first days.

So, how can you help your kids feel more at ease on their first day at a new school? Here are a few tips:

1. Will you know someone attending the new school who could help them on their first day?  International schools (read how to choose the right one for your kid here) are pretty good at helping new kids navigate around on their first day.  If your school doesn't have a program to welcome new students, don't hesitate to request a "sponsor"for your child.
2. Visit the school before the first day of classes and give your child a chance to familiarize him or herself with their new surroundings.
3. Make an effort to attend the orientation programs.
4. Ask your child if he/she has any questions about their new routine and try to help them find the answers.  I know my kids were always worried about getting into the wrong school bus and getting lost in an unfamiliar city.
5. Write you home/work address and phone numbers on a piece of paper and put it in their backpacks so, in case or an emergency, they'll know how to contact you (have the card translated into the local language).  Of course if they're old enough a cell phone might not be a bad idea.
6. Will a new outfit (new backpack, new lunchbox...) give them the extra confidence they need?  Maybe worrying about what to wear will take some pressure away from the awkwardness of the first day.
7. If they're attending the same school as last year, help them connect with classmates before the beginning of school, so they can catch up and share some of their summer stories before school starts.
8. Remember, as you may be more nervous than them, try to keep your cool and radiate the confidence they need.
9. Volunteer at school.  Seeing you around and participating will help them feel part of the new school.
10. Remember, they are going to be fine.  You survived; they will, too.

Do you have any other tips to share?

The Saddest Month of the Year

“Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus

There is one thing that makes it easy for a friendship to start, common ground.  When you arrive to a new city and are trying to figure things out, and someone says "I know how you feel" or "me too, I also moved around a few times…" you just met a new friend.  

The one thing I've learned about the #expat community is that it is a very generous and caring one.  We all know what it is to be the new kid in town and not knowing where to start.  Helping each other out just comes naturally.  Sharing fun times, discovering your host city and keeping each other sane, create a special bond. 

As we are all miles away from  our  family, we become our own mismatched family, the one we chose.

Unfortunately, for an expat, when June comes around, before you start looking forward to your summer plans, you know you'll have to say goodbye to some of your friends.  June is the saddest month for an expat family.  There is no easy way about it, only to think that true friendships withstand time and distance and can pick up where they left off, no matter how long it's been.

To all my expat friends leaving this year, I wish you the best of luck and I really hope our paths cross again very soon.  I'll miss you but I'll take you forever with me, in my heart.

As usual, I'm scheduling visits with friends with whom we parted before and now just happen to be on the course of my summer vacation.  It gets easier with time...

Arrivederci, in Italian, means until we see each other again.  Just the word I was looking for.

Rome on a Budget: How to Shop in an Italian Supermarket

“Rule No. 12: shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle.”  Michael Pollan

This post is for those who have recently arrived to the Bel Paese (the beautiful country = Italy) and are trying to figure out how to shop in a local super market.  It will be also helpful for those traveling on a budget and who will do some grocery shopping during their stay in Italy.  

Bring your own shopping bags to the supermarket, it is the green thing to do or you'll be charged for plastic or paper bags if you didn't bring your own bags.  Everyone brings their own bags.

First, in order to get a full size cart you need a one Euro coin, which you have to insert in the coin slot in order to release the cart.  When you return the cart after your shopping, simply push the Euro out with  the lock/release piece and you'll get your Euro back.

On the produce department you'll be provided with plastic gloves, they are worn for hygienic purposes.  Pick a bag and place your fruits/veggies in the bag.  Notice that the fruit and vegetable bins are marked with a number, memorize it!  You'll have to go to the scale and weight your fruit.  Place your produce on the scale, select the bin number and a label with the name and the price of the product will be printed for you.  Stick the label on your bag and your merchandise is ready for the cash register.

Most butcher, bread and salumi sections have a number system in order to keep track of people's turn.  If the supermarket is not crowded, there is no need to pick one.

No one in Italy will sell you fish on Mondays.  All fish stores and fish sections on supermarkets are closed on Mondays.

If you find yourself shopping at the same supermarket all the time, get their fidelity card called Tessera.  You accumulate points which later can be exchanged for merchandise or a coupon with a certain monetary value.

Most people shop for one or two meals at a time, so they have only a few products to buy.  If you are used to buying in bulk and overflowing your cart, it will take you a long time to bag your groceries (which you have to do yourself), making you the recipient of disapproving looks by the other shoppers.   If figuring out how to pay and bag your groceries at the same time sounds like a stressful activity, recruit the help of a friend the first few visits to the supermarket.  I know I waited for the weekends to go with my husband if I had a specially long grocery list.  Don't forget to pick up a bottle of wine, you may need it the first few times after check out ;)

Words to know when you go to a supermarket:

TASTO: The bin number that you will have to press on the scale.
TESSERA: Your fidelity card.   Is the first thing a cashier asks for.
BUSTE?: the cashier is asking you if you want to buy shopping bags.  If you didn't bring any, estimate how many you will need.
SPICCIO: They are asking you for change, coins, which they always seem to be short of.

Happy Shopping!

Eating Healthy: Thai Beef Salad

“Tout est question d'équilibre” (It's all a matter of balance) Mireille Guiliano

I just made this recipe for a get together with friends.  I had a little bit left over and gave it to my teenage son, who loved it! And that is the toughest test a recipe can pass.  It came out so yummy I had to share the recipe here, with you!  I used ingredients that were easy to find in Rome (if you live here, you know how hard it can be to find international ingredients).

I started with regular salad greens and vegetables.  In order to make it Thai, I added mint from my terrace planter and chopped up peanuts.  I had to mention that the mint is from a pot on my terrace because I am terrible with plants and to be able to have a healthy growing herb under my care is something to celebrate (and brag about).

I then pan-fried two veal steaks seasoned with salt, pepper, minced garlic and minced ginger. Once the steaks had cooled down I chopped them in bite size pieces and added them to the salad.

DRESSING:

one table spoons of soy sauce

two table spoons of lemon juice

two teaspoons of sugar

a couple of drops or hot peperoncini oil

And that was all, a perfect salad for the warmer weather and with enough protein to hold you until your next meal.  Enjoy!

Dressing Like an Italian (Or What to Pack for Your Trip to Rome)

“ The Roman woman has spent a lot of time thinking about how to put herself together, how to please, to attract, to allure, to intrigue, even perhaps to seduce. [Italian women] are always ready to receive a special but unexpected invitation to dine in elegant splendor in a seventeenth-century palazzo without having to change clothes.” Alan Epstein

I have several friends and family visiting Rome this summer, some of them for the first time, so I thought about putting together a list of tips on what to #wear while in #Rome. Of course had to share it here with you!

Italians are a very stylish bunch, most regular people on the street look put together, and I don't mean those dressed head-to-toe with designer brands, I am talking about normal people out doing their groceries.  On my first weekend here I took the bus to #PiazzaNavona, and knowing that I was taking public transportation, I dressed down, only to find myself surrounded by Sofia Loren look-alikes all done up, in the bus.  Dressing up is not exclusive for when you receive a dinner invitation, dressing up is part of their DNA.  You never know what could happen today...

So here is the list, from the bottom up:

1. Wear comfortable shoes!  This is my number one suggestion when traveling anywhere but it needs especial consideration here since you will be walking on uneven cobble stone roads.  I know you must have seen several movies of classy Italian women strolling around the city in stilletos, but unless you have been born here and can navigate the "sanpietrini" (square stone bricks of which roads are made - see picture below) with nine inch heels, stick with wedge soles.  Of course sneakers are the best, but not so stylish... The locals wear chic walking sneakers, not your regular running shoe.  During the winter months, flat heel boots, motorcycle booties and oxford shoes are perfect for walking around Italy.  Ballerinas are great in warmer weather, preferably ones with a thicker sole.  Flip-flops = not stylish.

2.  Locals dress warm during the winter months, even though the winter in Rome is very mild.  If you are coming to Rome during the colder months and you want to blend in, don't go around wearing shorts and t-shirts.  You will be stared at and sometimes scolded for putting your life at risk by not covering up.  Dressing has more to do with the calendar than the actual weather.

3. Don't wear tops with spaghetti straps!  I know this is the land of spaghetti, but bare shoulders are a big No-No when you are trying to enter a church.  Some won't let you in or will very kindly sell you a paper cloth for you to wear as a shawl.  Be respectful and plan for a proper attire when touring religious places.  Shorts are also banned from some churches.  

4. Wear a scarf.  This is the one piece of clothing that I admire the most.  #Romans, both men and women wear scarves almost year round.  They are all colorful and wrapped in the most creative ways.  I've heard that Italians cover their necks from a sudden wind that may hit them and send them unavoidably to bed, sick for a few days.  Whatever the reason, scarves are a must here.

5. Wear playful earrings (leave the expensive ones at home).  True Roman ladies wear big earrings.  They are just what your outfit needs to be Italian-perfect.  And you can throw on some red lipstick if you really want to shine...

6. Favor a messenger bag.  Since you have to be careful with your belongings (please read my article about the 10 Things You Should Know Before Traveling to Italy) messenger bags are a great accessory for keeping your belongings in front of you where you can see them and being chic at the same time.

7.  Don't be afraid of color, Italians are not.  And of course, color coordinate!

8.  Lastly, this one is for the younger crowd, don't go walking around drinking wine straight from of the bottle.  It's like wearing a big red flag that says: I'm a tourist, I'm drinking and I'm an easy target.  

Happy packing!