Notes from a Hired Pen: 21 observations from my time in Italy

Readers!

I’m now home from Italy, and while this is a newsletter about freelancing, I wanted to write a bit about my trip. This wasn’t exactly a vacation, but to see how I felt living there. In no particular order, here are 21 observations.

1. Language immersion is one of the hardest mental things I’ve ever done. I spent of my time in a sublet in Turin, which is a city in the northeast corner of Italy (about an hour by high speed train from Milan). This is not an area visited by many Americans, and unlike when in big cities like Rome, Venice and Florence, you’re not always going to find someone who speaks English. That’s especially true when you’re in a residential area, as the sublet was. It was hard. Really hard. When my mom and I went to meet our Italian relatives in Abruzzo, I had a tension headache the morning after since I was the primary translator. It’s also scary to just start speaking another language, no matter how many years of lessons I’ve had, because you don’t know how people will react. With the exception of one woman in a pharmacy (who didn’t even work there), everyone was kind and tried to help me through whatever I was trying to say. On my last full day in Italy, a barista spoke to me in English and I answered in Italian, so I’d say that my Italian skills are not too bad.
2. Public transit is a no brainier. One of the reasons I picked Turin was because I knew it would be easy to get around. I had the option of two busses or a tram to get to the city center, at just about any time of the day. And I could also take those lines to one of the two bigger rail stations to get just about anywhere in Italy. The only time I had a car was when mom and I went to that small mountain town in Abruzzo, and even then I realized we’d probably have been OK without it.
3. American car culture is asinine. Speaking of, everything about American car culture looks unbelievably stupid to me now, moreso than before I left. It’s not just that our vehicles are far too big or we are so far behind on adopting electric cars, but we give them deference over everything else. In Italy, cars are small, even the trucks. They are also prioritized last, behind busses, trains, trams, pedestrians and bikes. Not having to worry about getting run over by someone driving a giant, ego-hauling truck was such a relief, and one of the things I’ve hated about being back. We look ridiculous that so many people feel they need to arm themselves with a vehicle that’s a killing machine to everyone outside of it.
4. Dogs go everywhere. Shops, bars, grocery stores, restaurants, public transit — dogs are allowed just about everywhere. I only saw one dog being disruptive, but the owner also put him on the floor in the middle of the bus where people had to step over the dog. I don’t blame that dog for being upset.
5. No one got mad at me for being American. The overwhelming response was pity, and/or that the U.S. should be embarrassed. A lot of people asked if I was staying because of the mess in our own country. They’re up front like that, especially if they realize you have some grasp of their language. And that’s only if someone clocked I was American. Most people, if they ventured to guess, thought I was British.
6. Italians smoke everywhere, all the time. Smoking is banned indoors in Italy but they will smoke and vape everywhere else they can (and in some places where they shouldn’t). I lost count of how many times I saw people lighting their cigarette as they stepped off a train, or blowing their last smoky breath into the train as they boarded. I even went through security to get into a museum where the guard was chain smoking, and I saw an airport employee vaping in the terminal as I waited to fly home. When was the last time you went to a shop in the U.S. (that’s not a vintage store or one that sells weed) and saw a big selection of ash trays? Yeah I can’t remember either, but I sure saw them in Italy.
7. Headphones are non-existent. I’m exaggerating, but you can’t go anywhere without someone having a loud conversation on speaker or watching a video on speaker. Yes, this is bad in the U.S., but much worse in Italy. They don’t chew gum though, so at least I didn’t have to deal with gum crackers.
8. Italians are not necessarily better people. Some Americans seem to think that Europeans are just living at a higher level than us. But they’re also just people, with a lot of the same health problems we have. They’re not universally thin either (not that thinness is a sign of health, but given people asked me specifically about this, I wanted to add it here). And yes smoking is a factor in all that. Also, men leer more, and not in a flattering way. I don’t think they’re inherently more stylish than Americans either. In cities like Milan? Sure, but I see the same difference when I go to New York City.
9. Food is cheaper. In grocery stores, at restaurants, everywhere. I just got back from the grocery store here, and the difference, especially with hyper inflation, is stark.
10. If you’re going to Florence to buy leather, watch this video. I took a side trip to Florence to see a new fashion exhibit at the Palazzo Pitti (and yes it was worth it), and buy some fine leather goods. I follow Tanner Leatherstein’s Instagram account, where he takes apart luxury items to tell you if they’re worth the price, and watched his video about how to find real Italian leather in Florence. I visited most of the spots he featured as excellent in the video, and bought a matching coin purse and money clip from Il Bisonte. They’re wonderful and the shop keeper was delighted I learned about them from the video!
11. English language books are almost all from the UK. That makes sense, but it had an unintended consequence. When I was in college, I did a semester at Oxford University, which meant using UK spellings. Last month, one of my editors asked me if I was from the UK. I had slipped back into those spellings. Whoops!
12. Being six hours ahead of my clients changed my workflow. I still got up pretty early in the morning to go running before things got too hot, so I stared my work day at 1 a.m. east coast time. It meant I could write without worrying about what emails came in. Scheduling calls was a bit tricky, especially with west coast clients, but I got it done. And because I wanted to do other stuff while in Italy, I clustered my work. So I’d work longer hours for three days (yes including on weekends) and then go adventure, though I wouldn’t have to tell anyone I was taking off, I’d just answer emails before I went to bed. I’m starting to see how I can do that here because I have some more National Parks to go see.
13. Air conditioning exists but is used sparingly. The sublet had AC, but I found myself only really using it at night. The only time I turned it on during the day was when it got to about 90 degrees. Part of that was due to the apartment building being constructed for heat, including with a series of metal shutters to block the sun during different parts of the day. The tougher part was that if you went out on a hot day, you couldn’t really cool down. The buses and trams rarely had AC on, and stores, if they have it, don’t really cool things down. I also went to museums that didn’t have it at all. AC is a controversial topic in Europe (including but not limited to some Europeans think that it makes you sick), and will continue to be so as climate change keeps making for dangerous heatwaves.
14. There are more third spaces. Turin (and other cities I visited) are full of piazzas and parks and places to gather all over the place, spots where you can just hang out without spending any money. Some of these were built for that purpose; others had been places for cars that were converted for people. Even on very hot days, the parks would be jammed early in the morning before the sun chased everyone inside. I worry about how teenagers in the U.S. really have nowhere to go anymore to just hang out without being subject to harsh group limits or curfews (AHEM Jersey Shore boardwalks). It just wasn’t an issue in Italy, and they’re better off for it.
15. Yes, scams and pickpocketing are real. I only really worried about this in Milan because, even in Florence, I didn’t go to the really crowded places. I alerted my mom to the bracelet scam, and she didn’t believe me…and then we saw it happen to someone else right in front of us. Be alert, and wear a cross body bag where the zipper part lies across your chest, and you should be OK.
16. If you’re going to meet your Italian relatives, set it up in advance. When I told some friends I was taking my mom to meet our Italian relatives, they all referred to a scene in the White Lotus where a group of Americans show up and expect to be welcomed with open arms, but are cursed out. Not the case here. My mom, who flew out for a 10 day trip, reached out to her second cousin, who had been part of a group to meet up with great aunts and uncles when they visited in the 1990s. Not only did he take us to dinner, but he invited 13 people to have dinner with us. It was about as Italian an experience as you can get: a lot of people who you are suddenly referring to you as your cousin as plates and plates and plates of food are passed around. Then we met up again the next day. It was really a wonderful experience, and it meant a lot especially for my mother to see where her grandparents were from. And now I following one such “cousin” on Instagram, who is an Italian influencer. Who knew!
17. Best travel experience: Hiking in Bardonecchia, which hosted snowboarding as part of the 2006 Winter Olympics.
18. Runner up: Swimming in the Adriatic Sea. So salty!
19. Worst travel experience: Mom and I got food poisoning on the day she was supposed to fly home. She moved her flight, and we were both very ill in a small Milan hotel room for 24 hours. Even worse, the hotel was connected to a building being renovated, so we were ill to the tune of jackhammering that went on for hours. Do not recommend.
20. Runner up: Getting a blister on my finger in Sestriere, another former Olympic mountain town, which stuck around for more than a month. No thanks!
21. List of random things I missed: clothes dryer, microwave, top sheets, big coffees, not paying to use the bathroom, boxed mac and cheese, my couch, my nail polish collection (no Essie or OPI there!), Instacart, reliable mail service, and wearing different CLOTHES. I packed pretty light (I only took a Patagonia Black Hole Duffel 55), and the water where I stayed was hard, which meant some of my clothes were worn out by the end of my trip. If you are someone who cares about gear, my main bag while scooting around during the day and on hikes was the Osprey Daylite Pack, and my wallet a Louis Vuitton Passport Cover because I am, sometimes, a bougie bitch (these aren’t affiliate links).

I know the U.S. is in an awful spot right now, but I am glad to be back in my little house in my little town. I missed people, and my dog most of all. And to come home to them? I’m grateful.

I already sold on article based on my experiences there, and I’m hoping to sell a few more, especially since the 2026 Winter Olympics are being held in the area. More soon!

Back to freelancing advice next week.

 

What I’m Reading

• The Humans by Matt Haig. In this sci fi novel, an alien comes to earth to kill a mathematician who had made a discover that, as the alien’s home planet has determined, humans just cannot handle. It’s otherwordly as Haig’s other books are, but not quite as good as his more recent books. That’s how it should go, right? He’s gotten better with time.
• Lost in Little Havana by Caridad Pineiro. I’m not usually a cop romance novel reader, but I interviewed Pineiro a zillion years ago about N.J. romance novelists (she’s retired now, but then she was lawyer who told me she wrote most of her books on NJ Transit), so when I saw this in a little free library, I picked it up. And it’s fine! A slim little book to keep me company while traveling.
• The New Wife by JP Delaney. When Finn’s father dies, he’s tasked with going to his house in Spain and kicking out his most recent wife so he and his sister can sell the property. But he’s sucked into some drama that he didn’t account for. This was mostly a paint by numbers thriller, though there was a surprise twist at the end. Still, it’s just OK.
• Stone Cold by C.J. Box. Another trip with our intrepid Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett. This time he’s sent on a special mission by the Wyoming governor to check out something odd happening in a district long overseen by another game warden. One of the best things Box did was make Pickett a special envoy or whatever he is to the governor. It’s unrealistic, sure, but it just opened up a new avenue of possible stories he could tell.

 

What I’m Watching

• Love Con Revenge. When women are scammed by shit men, law enforcement doesn’t always pay attention. In this Netflix series, Cecilie Fjellhøy, who was a victim of the Tinder Swindler, teams up with a private investigator to help these women (and one man) hit back. I’m glad these shows exist so people are more aware of these scams. Everyone thinks they’re too smart to fall for these. But we’re not. Recognizing how scammers work can help keep people out of the trap.
• Back to the Future. I watched this on the flight home, and despite having seen it a billion times, and being able to recite every line along with the characters, I was still completely engrossed. What a movie. It’ll be back in theaters in IMAX next month. I may have to go.
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Also a movie I watched on the flight home, in part because that was the day Robert Redford died, and he’s in this. Also one I’ve seen many times that’s just a great movie, taking the best parts of a ’70s spy thriller and putting it into a superhero movie — and that includes Redford! I still think Captain America: The First Avenger is a better movie, but this is one of Marvel’s best. Also kudos to the casting director. You get Chris Evans to play Captain America, and take Sebastian Stan, who tried out to be Cap but didn’t get the part, and make him the Winter Soldier — a decision that is still paying off.

 

Nail Polish of the Week

Check Your Baggage by Essie. This is a marigold-yellow that’s perfect for September.

 

Until next time,

Jen A. Miller (she/her)

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