Two Voices. No filter. Talking Truth from Italy

Everyone wants a village but it feels like nobody wants to build one. So here is the uncomfortable question. The last time a friend told you "I’m fine," did you actually believe her? Or did you pack a bag and go anyway? This episode was inspired by the two of us having a bad week. Work stress, grief over lost loved ones, feeling like a failure as a parent. And if we were 30, we would have plastered on a smile, posted a cute story, and said, "I'm fine!" and made a joke of it all but at 40, we h

It's spooky season and you better believe that there is a myriad of legends in Tuscany that are as mysterious as they are spooky. Let's start with the open window in Piazza Santissima Annunziata that hasn't been shut in centuries. Legend says the one time someone tried and the house started throwing books off the shelves. For our Halloween and Ognissanti special, we brought in Alexandra Lawrence: British Institute of Florence lecturer, accredited guide, Dante devotee, and the woman Georgette te

"Art is not a medicine… but it can help a lot to feel the beauty, to feel the joy, to feel the lightness. Art can help people heal." - Lucia Montuschi Can looking at a painting actually make you feel better? In April 2026, Italy's Ministries of Health and Culture signed a protocol so doctors can prescribe museum visits. And today's guest has been doing a version of this for about 35 years. Georgette and Valentina sit down with art historian, art therapist and guide Dott.ssa Lucia Montuschi, who

This Friday might be raining here in Florence but let us take you two hours south to a place that is special to our hearts. Here are flamingos in the lagoons, cowboys working long-horned cattle, a beach where there is finally peace from the summer crowds, and some of the clearest (and cleanest) water on the Italian coast. Georgette and Valentina travel the Maremma coast north to south from one home base: ZoWorking's villa in Punta Ala, the pine-forest resort town shaped in many ways by Florenti

Are wine windows, flambé cheese wheels, and viral affogatos ruining Florence’s food culture—or is there room for a little culinary theater? In this episode, Georgette and Valentina sit down with Florence-based private chef, journalist, and Saporita supper club founder Sara Cagle to unpack the city's rampant "food trend fatigue." From TikTok-driven bucket lists to historic gelato spots overwhelmed by algorithms, we examine how social media and post-pandemic tourism have transformed how people eat