Little Roads Unfiltered: Italy and Beyond

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about DRIVING IN ITALY - how it’s not as scary as everyone thinks. Among other things, you’ll hear about: - how to avoid paying a 100Euro fine on the superhighway - The single most important street sign you need to be aware of - why driving like the Griswolds from National Lampoon Vacation is sometimes a good idea Join us as we chat about rental car tips, the Autostrada, big and small town driving, and parking. Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about Rome - how we visit there, with a car! Little Roads style. Among other things, you’ll hear about…: - Where you can see multiple chandeliers made of human bones - Where you will find wild flocks of green parrots in Rome - Where to find authentic Mexican food, authentic Thai food, and a cocktail made with black beans Even though our Little Roads philosophy is built around driving a car to small, out-of-the-way places, we occasionally drive the hour south to visit Rome. Here we talk about a few of our favorite spots in the big city, but away from the checklist hotspots like the Colosseum and the Vatican: Stuff to see, places to eat and drink, and where to park without crossing the dreaded ZTL. Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about our daily life here working and just living in Italy, after all the traveling we’ve been doing recently Among other things, you’ll hear about… - Hoover and Socksie’s favorite summer treat; - why we cook soup on a grill; and - the biggest “scandal” happening in Soriano right now! After two weeks in Chianti and then two more on a research trip to Ireland, we are glad to be back home and back to our usual daily routine - and also back with our cats! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about our recent research trip to Ireland! Among other things, you’ll hear about… - the time Matt got kicked by an alpaca - What types of things we bring back from Ireland when we visit there - The time we saw Gandalf jump out a window We traveled from County Kerry up through Counties Limerick, Clare, Galway, Mayo, and Sligo (and County Leitrim, for a minute!), all the way up to wild County Donegal. We talk about Irish breakfasts, pints of Guinness, gastropubs and goats, sheepdogs and seafood chowder, and adventures driving on the back roads and beaches of Ireland. Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about getting our permessi di soggiorno - our permits to stay in Italy. Among other things, you’ll hear about: - how our tax guy almost got us deported; - what was the most stressful thing that happened to us since we moved here; - why we weren't legally allowed to leave Italy for almost a year. We also discuss what you can expect in different scenarios, if you ever want to take the plunge and uproot yourself to another country! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail When this episode airs we will have just visited the town of Westport, on Ireland's west coast in County Mayo. Among other things, you’ll hear about: Our favorite pub for traditional Irish music; the "Pirate Queen" of Ireland; and of course: where to find “Mount Everest”. Join us as we chat about one of our favorite “big” towns in Ireland - and be sure to check our socials to see what we've been up to there, in nearly real-time! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about experiences with animals in Ireland... Among other things, you’ll hear about: - why sheepdogs are like drug addicts - where to encounter the most aggressive sheep in the Republic of Ireland - why a hawk show might turn you vegetarian We recorded this in Italy, but when this episode airs in August, we’ll be in the air flying to Ireland! And we’ll be going to a couple of different animal experiences while we’re there, so we thought we’d talk about what sort of things one might find along these lines: Dogs, sheep, goats, dolphins, lots of birds, and more! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about our life here in Chianti, where we’ve moved for two weeks… with our cats! Among other things, you’ll hear about…: - Our special guest from Nashville - How Hoover became a thief this week - what’s the best dish we've had since we have been up here in Chianti. We talk about traveling in Chianti, and traveling in general; and we discuss how to get the most out of your travel experiences. Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we talk all about our adventures and misadventures of traveling with our cats throughout Italy. Among other things, you’ll hear about: - The “redecorating” that our cats did in a Tuscan apartment; - The time Hoover got clinically depressed; and - Hoover’s big showdown with Napoleon. We recorded this episode from our rental place in Chianti region, to which we transferred ourselves for two weeks with the cats! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’re doing something different - talking about traveling to the USA. Matt recently took a trip to visit family in Virginia, and it was an interesting experience after so many years out of the country. Among other things, you’ll hear about: - What were Matt's favorite foods that he had on the trip; - What exactly is a “picnic cello”? ... and - Why did he pay cash for nearly everything in $1 bills? Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail On this episode we’re talking about our real lives here in Italy; in particular, what we've been up these past few weeks, through the first half of June. Among other things, you’ll hear about... - the worms that ruined our week; - where to get the best Chinese food in Florence; and - why a hairball was the best thing to happen to us all month! We'll discuss a museum in Florence, pet care in Italy, Republic Day, and why Matt tried to imitate Roy Orbison. This is the last episode of teh season before we take a break; but we'll be back "on the air" on 14 July. Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about our one and only visit to Zurich Switzerland, way back in 2008 - long before we started our travel business. We'll discuss the mistakes we made, and what we learned as a result - much of which informed how we now advise our clients who travel on our Little Roads Europe itineraries. Among other things, you’ll hear about…: - The Swiss dessert that looks like Klingon Gagh - How I ended up with bloody feet wrapped in rags - The importance of knowing the difference between a sex club and a sex shop Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail Joining us today is our friend Tati. She is an American who lives in the Netherlands. A few years ago we met through Trusted Housesitters, a service we used to find sitters when we are on the road in Italy or elsewhere Since then, we have become friends, and she has come to Soriano several times. And since Tati’s life is so interesting, we thought she would be a perfect guest on our show! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail We talk about what we've been up to this past month - concerts, birthdays, cats and more, and including our recent research trip up north, into the Italian Alpine lakes. Among other things, you’ll hear about…: - the priceless artwork we acquired on this trip; - how we spent Zen’s birthday; and - the pasta that should have been a dessert. Food, wine, churches in cliffs, swans and swims in ice-cold lakes... We cover a little of everything as we recount our lives here in Italy! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we chat about our experience with home improvements with our own little house here in Italy - what we did ourselves, what work we had done, what we learned and what we screwed up. From gas to plumbing to electric to walls (building and tearing down) to installing furniture and appliances and solar panels, we've done a bit of everything. It's a good topic for anyone thinking about buying and fixing up a place in another country. You'll also learn our favorite expletive to describe situations that start out terribly but end up better than you had initially imagined - we coined the word ourselves! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail We have a special guest with us today - Natalie Smargiassi, an Italian-American who moved to Italy a few years ago. She has a house in Gallese, a neighboring town of Soriano. We chat with Natalie about the path that led her to move to Italy, the things she did to get her house set up, and the interesting and fun things about her town and her region, from food to festivals to history to hiking. Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail We’re currently on the road on a research trip, exploring the areas around Italy's Alpine Lakes. So today we thought we’d talk about some of the more quirky and unusual places that we’ve visited up in those areas in the past. Among other things, today you’ll hear about…: - the stuffed crocodile in the cathedral; - the church carved into the cliff; - and how a menorah fits into Lord of the Rings Follow along with us this week on our socials as we revisit some old favorite spots like these, and we search out new amazing places to visit. Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail This week's episode is about our favorite second hand shops and antique markets in Italy. Among other things, you'll hear about: -Where you can find a suit of armor -The market near one of our favorite Roman bakeries -The no-name market in a HUGE ancient monastery Join us to hear all about our favorite secondhand shops and antique markets! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail Today we’re talking about Northern Ireland and some sites there that are connected to Game of Thrones - Among other things, you’ll hear about: - where to get upscale handmade Game of Thrones jewelry - the haunted pub near a GoT filming site - the best castle tower to stay in and show off your laundry to the royals Come and join us as we nerd out about a few of our favorite spots in Northern Ireland! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it

Send us Fan Mail We'll talk all about our experience living and working in Italy this past month. Among other things, for this month’s episode, you’ll hear about: - A wedding; - home improvements; - and the foreskin of Jesus Christ himself. Join us as we aim to give listeners a glimpse of real life in Italy! Want to know more about us and our travel services? Find us at: www.LittleRoadsEurope.com www.facebook.com/LittleRoadsEurope We craft small-town driving itineraries for travelers to Italy, Ireland and Scotland. And our "alter-egos" as musicians: www.OrsiniVirtuosi.it