Our Italian Journey: Living our dream in Italy for one year (Our Italian Journey Adventure)

The engaging travel memoir, “Our Italian Journey,” grabbed my attention from the start, and I immediately felt as if co-authors, Ilene and Gary Modica, were talking to me in my living room.By the third chapter I had tears in my eyes, as I identified with Ilene’s emotions of joy. Writing from their hearts, Ilene and Gary reveal truths about themselves as they share their story detailing the struggles to obtain Italian citizenship and their experiences living a year in Italy. Their genuine love for each other shines throughout the pages, and their passion for Italy is unmistakable. I particularly was intrigued as they described attending an opera in Verona and the Giostra del Saracino in Arezzo.Entertaining and informative, “Our Italian Journey” details numerous encounters as the authors travel throughout the country, and the stories triggered my own memories, especially driving the winding roads in Sicily. An unexpected and special treat were the black-and-white photos inside the book.Having been a frequent traveler to this beautiful country, I realize that vacationing in Italy is far different from living in the country. I appreciate their humorous descriptions of the often-frustrating procedures involved in accomplishing what Americans view as simple tasks.I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever visited Italy, wants to visit, or has Italian roots. I guarantee you will enjoy the talented storytelling of Ilene and Gary. A wealth of information, a great read, and thoroughly entertaining. Brava!

What would it be like to actually live out your dream? That’s what Ilene and Gary Modica did when they decided to become Italian citizens and live in Italy for a year. It was a true adventure to sell everything you own and leave the United States behind to spend a year in Italy. Their experience visiting Italian cities and towns from North to South (not necessarily in that order) was both entertaining and interesting to read about. Through anecdotes and observations about the differences between cultures and lifestyles, we can learn from their successes as well as some of the mistakes they made, and laugh with them along the way. Ilene and Gary share about the food they ate, the sights they saw, the festivals they experienced, the piazzas and duomos in every town, their travel experiences and accommodations. But most of all, they share their hearts through the relationships they made while visiting Italy, many which will last a lifetime. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book to read. And it is a book I can return to again and again if I want a quick reminder of what it is like to be in Italy. Also, they are inspiring me to make the most of my next opportunity to travel to Italy when we are able to once again. One excerpt from the book that made me smile was when Ilene and Gary met some young women studying abroad. Ilene was exclaiming how exciting she thought that was, but as the girls heard more about Ilene and Gary’s story, their response was “And you think our studying abroad is exciting? Look at both of you and your story. You are living a dream!” Ilene and Gary were brave enough to live their dream and share it with us. While reading this book I felt like I was able to share in the adventure with them! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Italy, whether they have been there already or plan to go in the future, or even if they never do. But once you read it, I think you’ll probably want to go!

Absolutely loved reliving much of our last Italian trip. Lots of new recommendations for our next trip too. Very easy and readable. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I've tried reading a number of books /)accounts of couples who've. written about moving to or travelling long term in Italy, but I've not been able to finish most of these and ended up skipping whole sections.On the contrary this account of one husband and wife's year in Italy was hugely insightful. If I was going to visit Italy I would go back to this book as a guide. Their descriptions of places visited and people they meet are descriptive enough without the waffling that some travel writers have a habit of. Gary and Ilene visited places that I hadn't even noticed were on the map before, which is why I would truly recommend this book for anyone intending to take a trip around Italy.Overall a great guide to Regions of Italy and a nicely involving and engaging story.​ I've've started reading their next book!

This book is written by a charming and warm couple but it is difficult to read because of all the grammar and punctuation mistakes. Their language is folksy and the style conversant. The book is written as if you are standing in front of the authors listening to them tell you a story. That's ok for a chapter or a segment of a chapter but for the entire book I find the style off putting. There are mistakes in both languages in this book. I am not even halfway through reading it and am wondering if I will be able to finish it because it is so poorly written. I don't mean to be a snob. I just appreciate the written word when it is well done and this book is not an example of that.So as not to be accused of missing the point, I do appreciate the few tips I have picked up about various towns Ilene and Gary have visited and learning about the art and architecture they encounter along the way. Taking on a country and its language like Italy is no mean feat. The language is very difficult to master if you want to sound educated when speaking it and the country has more than a lifetime of gifts to appreciate, so I commend the authors for their enthusiasm and efforts to immerse themselves so fully, to learn as much as they can and to share what they have learned.

I enjoyed the book very much. Ilene and Gary have a way of writing which brought you right into the moment. Having just returned from 2 weeks traveling Italy, I wish I had read the book before my trip. Many of their experiences reminded me of similar experiences my wife and I had in Italy. But, I am now planning another 2 week trip next year and the book has been helpful to me in planning areas to visit.

Disclaimer: Ilene and Gary are good friends. We all now live in Lucca, Italy and have enjoyed much good food, too many bottles of wine, and several exciting adventures. And there will be more to come!I bought this book after our initial meeting with Gary and Ilene to find out what kind of book that they wrote. I liked how it is organized as I was able to quickly look up their description of various Italian cities. The book is written as a series of short vignettes by either Ilene or Gary.A few weeks ago, I decided that I wanted to read the book from cover-to-cover, to get a better sense of their “story”. The book is not only a travelogue and memoir, but also a cohesive story. It includes many interesting characters (Gary and Ilene of course, but also those they meet along the way), the conflict of wanting to living full time in Italy balanced against their desire to be with family in Arizona and the resolution of this conflict… their acceptance that they really do belong in Italy and will live part of each year in Italy.Ilene and Gary’s writing style is light, friendly, descriptive, sometimes blunt, a bit emotional and often funny. I know that this is not only their writing style; this is reflective of their day-to-day personalities. Thank you, my friends, for sharing your story with all of us.I recommend this book for those looking to experience some of the smaller gems of Italy, those wondering how others find their special city to live in, and for those that are dreaming of these things.

Love loved it. A beautifully written travel memoir written by a couple who are passionate about Italy and each other.

I feel like I’ve been on this wonderful journey…with Ilene and Gary….as I turned each page, another village, train ride, duormo…Italian lunch, dinner, with vino….memories of my own adventures in Italy came flooding back and I couldn’t put this lovely memoir down. I’ll look out for them around June 2023 when my cousin and I are planning a return to this amazing country.

The American authors - a husband and wife who both contribute, spent a year after gaining Italian citizenship traveling throughout Italy, testing out various regions as part of a dream to live in Italy on a permanent part-time basis. As a fan of expat books, it was interesting to see how they rated various towns. However, this is a travel diary, and not really a story of living in Italy. Their days are spent being tourists, and not adjusting to life in Italy. The authors speak little (VERY little) Italian, and there are a few snide comments about Roma beggars, crowds and costs. Also, and this is not exclusive to the authors, they are not only keeping a travel diary, but blogging and posting on Instagram - and comment frequently on both the need to be involved in social media, plus the paybacks in terms of friends, suggestions and contacts. That said, the book describes a positive and life-changing event, the couple are very good travel companions, and they try to get a feel for the areas they have chosen - largely cities and towns already well known to international travellers. The book is well-edited, and the pace is lively enough to keep you interested. Plus, the book provides info on the authors' website, which has useful travel tips and links to other Italian sources. The authors clearly intended to return to Italy, but the coronavirus intervened. It will be interesting to know if they pursue their plans of more time in Italy, or whether their year-long trip was a one-off.

In pursuit of their dream of spending a year travelling through Italy, the authors describe the letting go of their home of 27 years, as well as most of their worldly possessions. A lengthier and more frustrating process of acquiring Italian citizenship spanned three long years.Although they aimed to spend quality time based in several locations including Puglia, Florence, the Amalfi coast, Umbria and Verona, their pilgrimage to Gary's grandfather Sebastiano Modica's home town in Sicily, called Licodia Eubea is one of the highlights of their trip. Indeed, Gary is now the only Italian citizen in his family, and the emotion surrounding this milestone comes through in his writing.I have enjoyed holidays in a number of the places they visited, but it did not lessen the enjoyment I derived from this delightful travel memoir. The couple include lots of travel tips, great places to eat, prices of train journeys, and other cultural activities..."Our Italian Journey" is a great resource for would be travelers to Italy. I know I shall dip into it again and again.