Sharp Monica

An honest voice in Italian paradise.

Latest Blogs

Archives

Florence: Italian Rules / Le Regole Italiane

Part of living in a culture is accepting received ideas, ranging from the mundane to the philosophical in nature. When plates shift and we find ourselves in a new culture, whether on domestic ground or abroad, received ideas are suddenly cast in high relief. Italy

Read More »

Firenze: My Life is an Indie Film

My life in Florence is an indie film. It will all seem funnier soon, like perhaps when I am done telling you this story. It all started last Thursday, when Eleanor decided she would, on that particular day, as never happens otherwise, accompany Victor to

Read More »

Firenze: Tempo Normale / Normal Time

[PSA: Tante grazie to everyone who reads me here. My creative faculties have been on fire since we moved to Italy! If you Instagram, follow me at @occhiatafiorentina, where I am a frequent poster and microblogger of images taken with my phone, both around town and on

Read More »

Firenze Al Rovescio / Firenze Inside and Out

A easy hallmark of an established culture is its historic external structure – why else would sixteen million tourists flood Florence, in every month and every season, to swarm the city’s landmarks and fill its restaurants? Yet an aspect of Florentine culture that often goes

Read More »