by Natalie Karneef | Oct 19, 2016
I had to stay home and work today. Someone’s gotta be productive around this place. Maria and Pietro were out all day, including for both lunch and dinner (gasp!), so I was left to my own devices. Sort of. “You take food from the fridge,” Maria commanded, before they...
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 17, 2016
I get home today after a big museum escapade to find Pietro and Maria playing cards at the kitchen table. This spurs to Pietro to tell me the story of how they met. He was at a ski chalet with friends, and Maria showed up with a mutual friend… and her then husband....
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 14, 2016
This morning, my Italian mama, Maria, makes me a cappuccino. On the bus 20 minutes later, I feel like a cracked out windup toy. This is why I do not drink coffee. This is also why I have two pages of notes in my notepad which I can’t make out. At the time,...
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 13, 2016
I am like a teenager in this house. I woke up at 10 today – I can’t remember the last time I did that. I stumbled down for breakfast, whereupon Maria asked me if I knew what Nutella was, since she puts it out for me every morning and I never eat it. “I know what it...
by Natalie Karneef | Oct 10, 2016
So I had breakfast at the Vatican this morning. It came as a surprise to me, too. I am not the world’s best planner as a rule, but I can be extremely organized, especially when it comes to travel. I love researching trips and destinations. To me, finding out about...