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Life doesn't have a script. At least, it doesn't have to. Hosts Katy Sewall and Tiffany Parks explore the challenges and joys of moving abroad and moving home. Whether you’re living overseas, or not — or not yet — join us weekly for unadulterated conversation. Get to know Rome. Laugh at our embarrassments and insights. Most of all, imagine the possibilities for your own life (and meet some famous authors along the way).
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST]: All the Light We Cannot See (with Anthony Doerr)
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In this very special episode from our archives, we are joined by the award-winning, best-selling writer, Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See, Cloud Cuckoo Land, and Four Seasons in Rome, among others. Anthony shares his writing journey with Katy, from his earliest beginnings as an amateur writer to the challenges of writing from th…
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[PATREON PREVIEW] Update on Katy's Sister Dana
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On this bonus episode, available exclusively to our Patreon supporters, Katy gives an update on her sister Dana's stage 4 agressive brain cancer. This is just an excerpt, and if you want to hear more, become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on Patreon! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some pl…
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Episode 579: Are Romance Languages Sexist?
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Are romance languages sexist? On this episode, we discuss the puzzling and seemingly discriminatory aspects of languages like Italian and French. For example: Why do inanimate objects have a gender? Why, in Italian, must you refer to a group of people as entirely male even if there is only one man and 99 women? Why, in French, are there only recent…
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Where Are all the Accordions?
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When you come back after several years to a city where you used to live, what do you notice? What has change? What has stayed the same? What have you forgotten about in your time away? In this episode from our archives, Katy arrives in Rome after four years away, and immediately notices something that—once ubiquitous on the streets of Rome—is now m…
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Antico Caffè Greco: The Oldest Café in Rome
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Where did Lord Byron and Percy Shelley come to sip coffee while they jotted down their verses? Where did Bizet and Berlioz go to discuss their work? Where could Casanova be found trying to pick up girls? Caffè Greco, where else? Having opened in 1760, Antico Caffè Greco is the oldest café in Rome and the second-oldest in all of Italy! And you can s…
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Episode 578: Exploring Rome in the Deep Dark Night (A Sleep With Me crossover)
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Need help falling asleep? That's not usually our forte—at least we hope it isn't!—but this week the legendary sleep-podcaster Drew Ackerman, better known to his listeners as Dear Scooter, of the popular Sleep with Me podcast, has used not one but two of our past episodes as a script for his sleep-inducing show. We are reposting his somnolent take o…
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (with Lori Gottlieb)
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This week, therapist and bestselling author Lori Gottlieb joins us to talk about change, loss, self-examination...and when you should really talk to someone. If you’ve ever wondered what your therapist was thinking, this is a conversation you’ll want to hear. Lori and Katy discuss everything from what you should look for in a therapist to what your…
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Bittersweet Moment #220: A Walk Down Via Giulia
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For a leisurely stroll that is full of artistic gems and delightful curiosities hidden in plain —and somehow overlooked by tourists—join us for a walk down Via Giulia, one of the most historic and sumptuous streets in Rome. Don’t miss your chance to visit Rome with us, on our intimate Rome listener trip, coming up in October 2025. Find out all abou…
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Episode 577: Clive vs. Constance: An Unfortunate Journey Begins
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The Bittersweet Life Podcast went on an unexpected and unprecedented month-long hiatus. As you can imagine, only something life-threatening could have caused us to take this break. Katy sits down with her sisters Dana and Sara to have an honest and vulnerable conversation about the tragedy that has occurred in their family, and why it’s a journey t…
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Underground (with Robert MacFarlane)
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This week, we explore the underground world with Robert MacFarlane of Cambridge University in England. Robert is the best-selling author of Landmarks and The Old Ways, and was awarded the EM Forster Prize for Literature by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His latest book, UNDERLAND, is an “epic exploration of the Earth’s underworlds as the…
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Did you know that your favorite podcast hosts are also writers? On this week's bonus episode—available exclusively to our supporters on Patreon—we talk all about our various writing processes. Katy reveals that she has been sobbing while writing lately as she comes to the end of her novel, and prepares to say goodbye to her characters. And speaking…
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Episode 576: Looking Back at the Covid Pandemic—Five Years Later
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Five years after the world came to a grinding halt—when Italy and shortly after much of the globe went into a full or partial lockdown—Katy and Tiffany have a conversation about that unique and momentous time. Do we really remember what it was like or are the memories vague and unreliable? How did the pandemic and the lockdowns change our perceptio…
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] A Day in the Life under Lockdown, Part 2
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Continuing our month-long look back at life during the initial outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are re-airing Part 2 of our peek into our lives—and the lives of our listeners all around the world—while we live under the restrictions of our various countires. Katy offers a rare glimpse into what it’s like to edit and a long piece of tape, extra…
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] A Day in the Life under Lockdown, Part 1
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Who remembers what life felt like during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, when cities and entire countries were shutting down right and left? Believe it or not, it all started five years ago this month! So we are digging back into our archives to bring you episodes from that momentous time all month long. On this episode, which originally a…
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Coronavirus Hits: Italy Locks Down, Part 2
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Exactly five years ago this month—March 2020—the world went through something that no one living had experienced in their lifetimes: a global epidemic that affected the entire world, and forced much of the population into their homes for weeks and months at a time, unable to socialize, go to work, and in some cases (like Italy) even take walk aroun…
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Our regularly scheduled episode is going to be delayed this week. Katy makes a hard announcement on this much abbreviated episode to explain why The Bittersweet Life is going on a (hopefully very short) hiatus. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Remember, we have a vast archive of episodes that you may never have listened to, so take th…
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] Coronavirus Hits: Italy Locks Down, Part 1
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Do you remember what life was like during the first days and weeks of lockdown following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, almost exactly 5 years ago? This month, we'll be airing four episodes from our archives, one every Friday, during that momentous, uncertain, and historic time. In this episode, which originally aired on March 16th 2020, It…
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Bittersweet Moment #219: Beyond the Mouth of Truth: Exploring Santa Maria in Cosmedin
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Everybody who visits Rome knows about the Mouth of Truth—and many of them line up for up to an hour (or more!) to stick their hand in its mouth and snap an iconic photo. But what most visitors fail to do is to take the time to visit the incredible church that lies just beyond this monument of dubious importance, Santa Maria in Cosmedin. Today, Tiff…
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Just over 12 years ago, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis in the conclave of 2013. And Tiffany was in St. Peter's Square when it happened. She saw the white smoke pouring out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, she heard those famous words "Habemus Papam!" and she, along with the other thousands of people that had by that time gathered i…
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] The Science Behind Language Learning (with Lisa Wilcox)
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On this eye-opening interview with special guest Lisa Wilcox, taken from our archives, we explore the science of language learning through linguistics and speech pathology. Sound boring? Turns out, it is actually really funny. And you might just discover a new angle from which to tackle your language-learning goals. ***The Bittersweet Life podcast …
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[PATREON PREVIEW] Stupid Scars and Cool Diseases
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On this bonus episode, available exclusively to our Patreon supporters, random questions like "What is your dumbest scar?" are answered by us with a great amount of laughter. This small excerpt is in our regular feed, but if you want to hear the entire episode, become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting us on Patreon! For as little…
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What happens when you get sick in Italy? How much does medical care cost? As an expat, how does the Italian medical system differ from that of the United States? Is Italian healthcare really as disorganized as it can sometimes seem? And is European socialized medicine really as wonderful and stress-free as it might seem from across the pond? Also: …
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[THE BITTERSWEET PAST] The Unexpected Trauma of Moving, Part 2
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Katy moved to Rome once. Does that mean she'd be brave enough to do it again? Are you brave enough to move to a brand new city? What about a brand-new country? Katy and Tiffany use a listener email to kick off this episode from our archives. If you like this topic, don't miss Part 1 of this episode! ***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the a…
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Bittersweet Moment #218: The Tempietto of Bramante
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On this Bittersweet Moment, taken from our archives, Tiffany and Aurelio chat about their recent visit to one of Rome’s most secret and best-hidden gems: the Tempietto of Bramante. Find out what makes this minuscule “temple” so utterly sublime, which ancient temple it was inspired by, and which domes around the world have been inspired by it. Aurel…
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Episode 572: A Crazy Student Falls in Love with Italian (with Melissa Muldoon)
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Have you ever lost your mind over a foreign language? This week's guest, Melissa Muldoon, did just that over 15 years ago, when she dove head first into studying the Italian language. She was so crazy about Italian in fact, that she dubbed herself the "Studentessa Matta" (crazy student) and started blogging about her Italian-learning journey... in …
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