My guests this week are Ilene and Gary Modica. In 2010 they left Phoenix, Arizona for a holiday in Italy, and this was not only the start of a love affair with Italy, but also the start of many amazing adventures. I interviewed Ilene and Gary in September 2021, and they revealed that they had travelled to 86 Italian towns and cities, before choosing Lucca as their ‘forever home’. They have documented their travels and adventures and are award winning bloggers, and co-authors of the books, Our Italian Journey, and When your Heart finds its Home. This is a really engaging, open and honest interview in which Ilene and Gary discuss the highs and lows of setting up home in a new country, along with their experience of seeking dual citizenship through Gary’s Italian ancestry.
Ilene & Gary’s Recommendations
Osteria da Pasqualino Gubitosa, Via del Moro, 8
Pizzeria Mara Meo, Piazza San Francesco, 17
Vinarkia della Pavona, Via Fillungo, 188
Momo Gelati, Via della Fratta, 11
The Walls - walk or cycle
Duomo San Martino, Piazza Antelminelli
Piazza Napoleone - The Carousel
Piazza Michele - try a piece of Buccellato at the cafe and cake shop Buccellato Taddeucci
Via Fillungo - walk to the Anfiteatro, Piazza dell’ Anfiteatro
The Guinigi Tower, take in the outside before climbing to the top, Via Sant’Andrea, 41
Palazzo Pfanner, Via degli Asili, 33
Puccini Museum, Corte San Lorenzo, 9
Just walk and ‘go and get lost’ in Lucca
Favourite Italian word/phrase
Allora - so/and/well/now (a filler word)
Connect with Ilene & Gary
Book: Our Italian Journey
Book: When your Heart finds its Home: The Journey Continues
Blog: https://ouritalianjourney.com
www.instagram.com/italianjourney/
www.facebook.com/ouritalianjourney
About the Host
Andrea has travelled the length and breadth of Italy. Having fallen in love with Lucca, she now spends a few months there each year.
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