No Place Like Rome

When we told people we were moving to Rome, many called us brave. That surprised me. I don't feel brave. People who did this forty years ago, when Italy was still rough around the edges — that's brave. Refugees with no resources, desperate and alone — that's brave. We have wonderful people to help us navigate the various and mystical bureaucracies of Italy, we have each other, and we have the full magic of 21st-century technology: Google Translate, Claude, Glovo, Zoom, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Apple Maps, Trainline, Uber, Jumpspeak, Moovit, etc.

We get asked a lot of the same questions, so I thought I'd answer them here.

What do you miss? The people we love, first and always. But also: Hellmann's mayonnaise, mochi muffins, the U.S. Postal Service, grocery stores that stock all the ingredients required for a NYT Cooking recipe, Karl the Fog, American efficiency, and being generally understood.

(N.B. I had no idea what a reliable treasure the U.S. Postal Service is. It is not to be taken for granted.)

What don't you miss? Driving. Being scared to walk alone at night. Living in a bubble. Political text messages.

What's been the most surprising thing? That so many Romans are genuinely delighted that of all the places in the world we could have chosen, we chose Rome. And that when they hear we're from California, they are genuinely confused about why we chose Rome.

What does it mean to be a conscientious expat? Be kind, patient, and thoughtful. Give back to the community you live in — and the one you came from. Shop local. Learn the language.

What do you love about Rome? The people, the layers of history, the art and architecture, the food and wine, the cultural life. And the good surprises – I don’t think Rome will ever stop surprising us.