American children leave a stocking out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve (December 23th) however here in Italy children leave a stocking out for an ugly old witch called la befana on the eve of the Epiphany.  The Epiphany is an important festival for Italians.  It is celebrated on January 6^th and marks the end of the Christmas season/holidays as it’s the day when the Three Wise Men arrive to Jesus’ manger and present him with gifts.

I’ve written about the folklore regarding the Befana in the past.  Most kids, when asked, don’t exactly know what La Befana has to do with the Epiphany.  For them, it is more about the excitement of receiving  candies, small gifts and even money.

The supermarkets are filled with chocolate coins and pre-stuffed stockings filled with other candies and treats.  In fact, Kinder and Ferrero have a special limited edition Befana doll that comes equipped with a sack filled with your favourite Kinder treats.  Every year, they launch two different Befana dolls and some people have even begun starting collections.

Italians give each other a Befana (there are so many varieties) to hang up somewhere in their home.  It is believed to bring good fortune.  I’m not sure if it’s important where you hang it, I’ve heard different things from different people.  I’ve personally never had my own Befana until this year.  My cousins gave me one of the infamous Kinder Befana from the 2013 collection.

She is hanging up in my bedroom waiting to give me a 2013 filled with good fortune! Or at least that is my hope.  Regardless, she was given to me with love from my cousins, and for that she will always hold a special memory and for me that’s enough.

Happy Epiphany!

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?  I celebrated Easter in Italy and I became an aunt for the first time.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?  I’ve definitely made strides in making Italy feel more like home.  I have built new friendships and met some new people however I do feel at times it’s extremely difficult to nurture the relationships given my hectic schedule.  In 2013, my focus will be to continue to build on the friendships I’ve made last year and try and find a way to balance all aspects of my life.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?  My amazing and wonderful sister gave birth to a beautiful baby girl (and my first niece).  I was so blessed to have the opportunity to spend the first three months with my little niece.  It was extremely difficult to part from her but I look forward to seeing her again very soon!

4. Did anyone close to you die?  Although I wasn’t “close” to this person, she was present in my life through most of my high school years.  My good friend’s mother passed away in December 2012 and it was definitely heartbreaking news.

5. What countries did you visit? I once again headed off to Canada and made the trip to Toronto to meet and spend precious time with my niece.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? I would really like to have more opportunities to travel and to experience new things.  I would like to find a balance so that I’m able to do many of the things I love doing but I’ve neglected.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? When my sister had her baby girl on June 27, 2012.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I guess one of my biggest achievements was finally paying off my student loan.  I know that may seem strange, but having that closure allows me to focus my savings on other things.

9. What was your biggest failure? I promised myself I would travel more.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  Thankfully, I had a healthy year with no illnesses or injuries.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Lots of adorable girly girl baby clothes for my niece.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My sister!  I would be lost without her.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Thankfully, no one comes to mind.

14. Where did most of your money go? Sadly, most of it went to debts.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Meeting my niece!

16. What song will always remind you of 2011? We Are Young by FUN because it was always on the radio when me and my sister were out doing things.  It became a sort of summer anthem.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?  I’m healthier and happier but I want to do more to be a better person this year.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?  I wish I had gone out more and travelled more.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?  Stress about things that I don’t need to stress about.

20. How did you spend Christmas?  This year, I spent Christmas with my family in Carpanzano.  I was able to see my cousins who I haven’t seen in a year.  We played lots of tombola and ate lots.  It wasn’t like Toronto, but it was still precious time with family.

21. Did you fall in love in 2012? I’m still that sucker who believes Prince Charming is out there somewhere but he hasn’t arrived just yet.

22. What was your favorite TV program? Once Upon a Time

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? No.

24. What was the best book you read?  I read lots of books this year, but the one that stood out for me was The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? I added a couple artists to my favourites last year like James Vincent McMorrow and M83.  I also re-fell in love with The Script.

26. What did you want and get? To spend quality time with my sister and my niece.

27. What did you want and not get? To visit my friends in London and Rome.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?  I really loved The Lucky One.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Pizza with friends at my apartment followed by sweets and good conversation.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I was able to find the balance between my various lives:  work, home, social life.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? I don’t have a personal fashion concept.  If I like something, I wear it.

32. What kept you sane? My incredible family and amazing friends.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? There wasn’t anyone that I really fancied this year. 

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Berlusconi playing games and saying he will run again, then saying he won’t and then saying he will again. 

35. Who did you miss? I really missed my dad this year.  This year was his 5 year anniversary of his passing and it hasn’t gotten easier.  There are moments when my heart hurts so much for him that it consumes me.  I don’t think that feeling will ever go away.

36. Who was the best new person you met? I met a wonderful girl on the bus to the airport.  We ended up hanging out at the airport together as we waited for our planes (mine to Toronto and hers to Milan).  We’ve kept in touch but we haven’t had a chance to meet up since I’ve been back.  I hope we can meet up in the early New Year.  We had a blast killing time at the airport.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.  There is no perfect world.  Wherever you are you will always miss or want what you left behind.  You can’t have it all, but we have to learn to appreciate everything for what it is; another piece to our puzzle of life.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“We put one foot in front of the other
We move like we ain’t got no other
We go where we go
We’re marchin on
Marchin on”
- One Republic

HAPPY NEW YEAR, BUON ANNO 2013!!  I hope all of you have a wonderful 2013, with new experiences and happy memories!

Then it hit me; a sadness.  I wasn’t going to see my family this Christmas.  I didn’t think it would bother me as much as it has.  I have just come back from spending the summer in Toronto.  But, being away from family during the Christmas season is hard for anyone.  The first Christmas I spent in Italy after moving was difficult mainly because my family here doesn’t have the crazy and silly traditions we have with my family in Canada.  The following Christmas I needed to be with my family in Canada.  I needed those traditions because they are what make Christmas so special to me.   So, I booked a flight and headed home for the Christmas holidays.   This year, I decided to approach Christmas with new eyes.  I need to accept that Christmas here is and will never be like Christmas in Canada.  I need to start my own traditions here.  And so, with that new perspective I talked to my roommates about putting up a Christmas tree in our apartment.  It was such a wonderful weekend when we put up and decorated the tree together.  In the evenings, as we sit around the TV with the Christmas tree lights twinkling, it makes me feel warm with the Christmas spirit.

Wherever you are this Christmas, I wish you a very joyful festive season.

Balance is a tricky thing.  Just when you think you’ve got it, you tip and lose it again.  Balance involves constant readjustments and focus.  At times, it’s completely and utterly exhausting.

I’m constantly striving and struggling to find my balance.  It’s so easy to tip the scales towards work because it’s the only constant and stable thing in my life.  My job takes up a lot of energy and time and it takes a lot to find the time to nurture the other aspects of my life.  I’m fortunate that I work with great people, but I need more than just my work life.

My goal for the New Year is to re-align and find my balance again.

How do you find balance?

The disclaimer is always the same – these are my own personal favourites and I don’t expect everyone to agree with my choices.  In fact, I’d love it if you’d comment with your Top 5 Italian Female Singers.

I hope you enjoy it and maybe discover some new music!

1.  Alessandra Amoroso

Alessandra Amoroso always had a passion for singing.  Since she was very young, she participated in local competitions.  When she was 17 years old, she auditioned for the popular talent show “Amici“, however didn’t make it.  This didn’t hinder her.  In 2008, she auditioned for the show again and passed the audition and taking first place.  Her first EP was released in 2009 through Sony Music Italy and achieved gold status before it was even released due to the high number of pre-orders.  She has since released two more albums and received a number of awards.  With her killer vocals and amazing talent, her star will continue to rise and remain a constant figure in the Italian music industry.

For more information, visit www.alessandraamoroso.it/

2.  Emma

Emma was born in Firenze and was surrounded by music at an early age.  Her father, the guitarist of a local band, played festivals and clubs and it was from her experiences watching her dad, that she developed her passion for music.  She started her path to music stardom in 2003 when she took part in an Italian talent show called “Popstars“.  After the show, she formed a group called Lucky Star which was later disbanded in 2006 after their CD release didn’t receive commercial success.  She was part of another group before she took part in the popular talent show “Amici” in 2009 and won.  She released her first solo EP in 2010 which garnered a lot of success in Italy.  She has since released 2 more albums with great success.  All of her albums have achieved Platinum sales status. Emma competed in the 2012 edition of the Sanremo Music Festival and placed first with her song Non e’ l’inferno.

For more information, visit www.emmamarrone.net

3.  Annalisa

Annalisa began singing when she was just 13 years old with her band in local venues and pubs.  She catapulted to fame after participating in the popular Italian talent show “Amici” in 2010 and taking second place.  In 2010 she released her first album Nali which certified platinum and in 2012 she released her follow-up album with great success. This young talent is slowly shedding her shy and timid character as she grows as a professional singer-songwriter.

For more information, visit www.scarroneannalisa.it

4.  Elisa

Elisa was born in Trieste and started writing music when she was just 11 years old. She appeared on a televised karaoke program, Karaoke, when she was 15. A couple years later, she was signed to a record label, Sugar. At 18, she moved to California and started working on her debut album. It wasn’t until September 2000 that Elisa recorded her first Italian song, “Luce (tramonti a nord est)“, which was originally written in English. It went on to win her the top prize at the 2001 Sanremo Music Festival. Elisa is a natural born talent, only 31 years old and already has numerous albums already under her belt including a greatest hits compilation.

For more information, visit www.elisatoffoli.com

5.  Noemi

Noemi was born in Rome and was always surrounded by music.  Her dad was a guitarist with a passion for Italian and English music of the 60s and 70s.  She began taking piano lessons when she was 7 and later went on to study guitar.  In 2007, she participated in the SanremoLab, however wasn’t chosen to participate in the Sanremo Music Festival.  In 2008, she took part in X Factor but was eliminated in the 12th episode.  In April 2009, she released an EP and has since recieved great success including colloborations with other artists and performances in big concerts throughout Italy.  Noemi was a participant in the 2010 and 2012 editions of the Sanremo Music Festival and has had continuous success with her singles, albums and tours.

For more information, visit www.noemiofficial.it

I am an avid reader and enjoy reading whenever I have free time.  It helps me to relax and escape into an imaginary world for a little while.

When I moved to Italy, I had to leave my treasured book collection behind.  I brought a few books with me to read until I got settled and could find the best place to buy English books in my area.  I am a book person; I love the feel of holding a book in my hand and turning the pages. However in Calabria it’s difficult to find English books that are affordable.

So I began to do a little research on ebook readers.  It seemed like the best option for me.  Last Christmas, my brother gave me the Kobo Vox after we had talked about the benefits and cons of different ereaders for my situation.

The Vox is fantastic.  It’s predominantly an ereader but it also works like a mini-tablet.  It offers full access to Google Play which allows you to download thousands of apps.

One of these apps is the Goodreads app, which is also a website.  I’ve used the website for a few years now and love it.  If you are a book lover and haven’t heard of goodreads, you should definitely check it out. It allows you to share with your friends what you are reading, make recommendations and rate/review books.  The site is free, user-friendly and allows you to search for all kinds of books with ratings and reviews from your friends and other site users.

This year they created the 2012 Reading Challenge that allows you to set a goal of how many books you would like to read this year.  As you update the books you’ve read it keeps track for you.  I joined in on the challenge and set my goal to 20 books.  I thought it would be difficult, given my full work schedule, but according to my tracker I’m on track and I’ve already completed 10 books so far this year.

Do you have a goodreads account?  Leave a comment below and send me a friend request on my GoodReads Profile Page.  I’d love to know when you’re reading! 

Living in Italy has done so much for me.  I will always miss my family and friends in Toronto but since moving to Italy I can honestly say that I’m happier and content with the decision I made.  I honestly didn’t know what to expect when I moved and never predicted how long I’d be in Italy.  For now, I’m enjoying my new life and trying not to have any expectations because life is always unpredictable regardless of where you are in the world.

Looking forward to another year in Italy with new adventures and incredible memories.

One of my good friends here in Italy mentioned that I’ve become more Italian since she’s known me.  I found her observation very interesting because I felt Italian before I moved here but then immediately felt less Italian as I tried to integrate into this relatively “new world”.  There were many times when I felt like a fish out of water and it began to make more sense that the Italian word for foreigner is “straniero” (which sounds a lot like stranger in English).

I’ve been in Calabria for almost 2 years now and have slowly over time found my footing, albeit clumsy, in my new home.  I guess after so much time in one place, it’s inevitable that some change would take place; I just didn’t realize that it would be so apparent to those around me.

I know that I’ll never be completely Canadian or Italian and I’m perfectly okay with that.  I’m fortunate to have a point of view a little different than many of the people I encounter here. It allows me to stay open-minded and less jaded about the day to day life that someone in Italy experiences.  It’s nowhere near perfect here but deep down away from all the dysfunction, corruption and desperation you hear about on a daily basis in the news, there is a natural beauty that I’ve never experienced anywhere else.  This is the part of Italy I hope to take in and make a part of who I am.  If this is the part of me that has become more “italianised” than I can most certainly live with that.

In your opinion, what does it mean to be “Italian”?

Wow, 4 Years!

When I first thought about starting a blog I wasn’t entirely sure what it would be or where it would take me.  I guess that was part of the appeal.  Writing for me was always more of a personal thing; a way to organize my thoughts, work out a problem I was having, or the best way I knew to record exactly what I was feeling at any given moment.  When I was younger I kept diaries and when I look back on them today I’m reminded of the girl I was and can see how much I’ve grown.  Life is constantly changing and moving ahead with such speed that these words have become important to me, frozen in time so I can revisit certain times in my life to never forget where I’ve been, what I’ve done and how I’ve continued on. 

I entertained the idea of writing a blog long before I actually started it.  I needed a creative outlet but I wasn’t entirely sure if I wanted to open myself up to the world.  Up until this blog, things that I wrote concerning me and my personal opinions were always kept under lock and key (literally!).  I finely convinced myself that it was time to open myself up and develop something that I love to do ~ write.  I would have complete control over what I wanted to write and how much I wanted to share and with that final nudge from myself, I bit the bullet and signed up for a blog.  So much has happened since my first blog post and although there are times I find it difficult to write, when I’m ready it’s always there, like a loyal friend.

I never thought about or worried how many people would read or take interest in my little corner of cyber-space.  But, it continues to warm my heart that people take the time to read my blog.

Thank you to everyone who continues to follow along with me on this journey.

The disclaimer is always the same – these are my own personal favourites and I don’t expect everyone to agree with my picks.  In fact, I’d love it if you’d comment with your Top 5 Italian Male Actors.

So here is the 2nd edition to My Top 5:  Italian Male Actors.  Enjoy!

1.  Raoul Bova

It didn’t take long for Raoul Bova to reach “sex symbol” status in Italy but it wasn’t until he starred in Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) as Diane Lane’s love interest that women in North America began to take notice. Who can forget the hunky Bova strutting around the city in his broken-in jeans and stress free cargos from the Gap. What’s not to love? Raoul Bova isn’t just a pretty face; he has also done some producing.

Other movies to watch him in: La Finestra di Fronte (2003), Scusa ma ti chiamo amore (2008), Immaturi (2012)

2.  Alessandro Siani

This Napolitano comedian/actor started his career in 1988 dabbing in various different areas of the world of entertainment such as theatre, television and film.  He has done many things over the years but in 2010 his status exploded when he starred in Benvenuti al Sud as a lovable and endearing postman from a small town in.  He reprised this role again in 2012 with Benvenuti al Nord.

Other movies to watch him in:  Natale a New York (2006), La peggior settimana della mia vita (2011)

3.  Giampaolo Morelli

Giampaolo was born in Naples and it is there that he got his start in theatre.  As time passed, he decided to focus more of his time and energy on acting and with that in mind, he transferred to Rome.  He is an Italian actor, director, and screenwriter and is particularly known for his television work.   He has appeared in several television mini-series including Baciati dall’amore (2011) in which he played a single father of five children who is unlucky in love until he meets his “soul-mate”; a woman who is engaged to be married.

Other movies/mini-series to watch him in:  L’uomo perfetto (2005), La donna della domenica (2011)

4.  Luca Argentero

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Italian cinema or television, you might recognize Luca Argentero from Eat Pray Love (2010) in which he played Julia Roberts’ Italian tutor.  Luca hails from Torino and got his start on Grande Fratello (Italy’s version of Big Brother).  After that, he appeared in a number of films and also had a recurring role on the popular Italian television series, Carabinieri (2005-2007).  Luca has decided to use his fame for good and recently signed on to help WWF (The World Wildlife Fund) to bring attention to the need to protect three of Italy’s forests.

Other movies to watch him in:  Diverso da chi? (2009), Oggi Sposi (2009), Lezioni di cioccolato 2 (2011)

5.  Michele Riondino

Michele was born in Taranto, Puglia but transferred to Rome to attend “L’Accademia d’Arte Drammatica” where he began to do theatre roles.  In 2000, he started a three year stint on a popular Italian television series, Distretto di Polizia”.  In 2012, he bravely took on the role of a young Salvo Montalbano for the prequel to the beloved Italian television series, Il Commissario Montalbano.  Taking on a role of such a beloved character, such as Commissario Montalbano is difficult but Michele’s interpretation didn’t seem to disappoint Italian viewers.

Other movies to watch him in:  I’m sure there will be many in the next year!

Now it’s your turn.  Who are your Top 5 Italian Male Actors?