The Bittersweet Past: The Life of an International War Correspondent (with Michael Maren)
Release Date: 01/23/2026
Bittersweet Peek: The Best Break-up
The Bittersweet Life
Most break-ups are painful, but every now and then, they can be fun. Or even funny! Have you had a funny break-up? Tune in to hear ours. This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters. Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on ! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some places—you will have access to multiple bonus episodes every single month. You'll hear conversations that would never take place on the main show, you'll be part of...
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Episode 616: Mardi Gras, Italian Graduation, and Pulcinella
The Bittersweet Life
February 17th is a big day in Tiffany's life this year... from Martedi Grasso with Aurelio (aka Pulcinella) to her Italian sister-in-law's Master's graduation to her mom's birthday. Hear Katy and Tiffany chat about what Italian graduation looks like (and what it takes to get your degree) as well as the fun and the surprising (yet very traditional) Carvenale costume Aurelio chose this year. ------------------------------------- COME TO ROME WITH US: Our third annual Bittersweet Life Roman Adventure is in the books! If you'd like to join us in 2026, and be part of an intimate group of listeners...
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The Bittersweet Past: From Heartbreak to Purpose (with Asia Dawn SImonelli)
The Bittersweet Life
What do you do when your partner of almost a decade finally proposes, and after a just few short months of marriage, tells you he thinks you made a mistake getting married? Well, if you're the guest of this episode from our archives, you pack your bags and start traveling the world. You might never even come back. On this episode, we sit down with Asia Dawn Simonelli, who's unexpected heartbreak made her realize that life is too short and uncertain to do anything but what brings her joy. Her sudden divorce inspired her to spend a year traveling around South America, eventually settling in...
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Bittersweet Moment #238: Hidden Frescoes, Medieval Mosaics, and Underground Ruins
The Bittersweet Life
On this mini-episode, we talk about one of the most over-looked and underappreciated sites in the entire city. It has it all: glorious medieval mosaics (some of the oldest you'll find in the city), exquisite works of proto-baroque statuary, hidden frescoes that almost no one knows about, and an ancient underground level that ties the history together. What to know what it is? Listen to this week's Bittersweet Moment and Tiffany will take you there. And if you want Tiffany and Katy to take you there in person, sign up for our , coming up in fall of 2026. Find out all about it , or for more...
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Episode 615: The Best Kind of Love (with Katy's sisters)
The Bittersweet Life
On the occassion of Valentine's Day, The Bittersweet Life looks at the many different kinds of love, from family love to romantic love to the love you feel for your pets. Katy sits down with her sisters Dana and Sara to talk about the love that binds them as siblings, and she shares the kind of the love that she feels doesn't get enough credit. She also gets her sisters to open up about their oddest and most inappropriate crushes. The conversation deepens as they discuss their love for things like birdwatching, the music of Prince, or arranging books in a visually pleasing way. ***Katy's...
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The Bittersweet Past: All Things Cute and Cuddly
The Bittersweet Life
"All things cute and cuddly" was the surprising topic requested by listener Sara, who supports us at the $50 level on . Choosing the topic of an episode is just one of many bonuses we offer our Patreon supporters, and as this episode proves, we take that pledge seriously and hold no veto power. The sky is the limit! In delving into this unexpected topic, we attempt to answer many questions: Why does Tiffany hate cuddly things—and the very word "cuddly" itself? What is the cutest thing Katy ever saw on a plane? And how did the word "cute" get redefined through the centuries? Listen in to find...
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Bittersweet Peek: The Cenci Gut Punch
The Bittersweet Life
Romans love the story of the young Renaissance noblewoman Beatrice Cenci. It's an absolutely gruesome and horrific story (for all you true crime fans) and now, it's also a huge disappointment in Tiffany's life. Find out why on this week's exclusive bonus episode. This is just a sneak peek of a much longer bonus episode, available exclusively to our generous Patreon supporters. Want to hear more? Become part of the Bittersweet Life community by supporting just on ! For as little as $5 per month—less than the price of a coffee in some places—you will have access to multiple...
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Episode 614: When You Move Abroad and the Locals Don't Like You (with Beth Ann Fennely)
The Bittersweet Life
What happens when you move abroad with the intention of contributing to the lives of the local people... and those local people don't seem to like you. Author Beth Ann Fennelly joins us to talk about her experiences teaching English in a dark, polluted Czech town just after the fall of the communism, where the locals viewed her with distrust or downright suspicion and she struggled to make even one friend. This interview highlights the grim fact that not all expat experiences can live up to expectations. What happens when your expat dreams look nothing like the reality? Beth Ann Fennelly is...
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The Bittersweet Past: The Art of Documenting Travel (with Riley Morton)
The Bittersweet Life
In this interview from our archives, we sit down with Riley Morton, a freelance documentary producer and cinematographer who kicked off his career two decades ago in the adventure sports space, producing documentaries and television about climbing, skiing, trail running, and adventure travel. Over the past decade, he has branched out, producing his own documentaries and collaborating on major projects. His newest creation is Endless Earth, a free app that features an ever-changing collection of professionally produced short travel films that capture some of the most fascinating, vibrant, and...
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Bittersweet Moment #237: Celebrating Carnival in Rome
The Bittersweet Life
It's Carnival time here in Rome, and before you say—why don't you go celebrate in Venice?—you should know that Carnevale originated in Rome. In this week's mini-episode, Tiffany recounts the ancient origins of this raucous pre-Lenten festival, what it was like to take part in Carnival in Renaissance times, and how it's celebrated today. (Warning: this episode may make you drool.) Places mentioned in this episode: Pasticerria Regoli – Via dello Statuto, 60 (Esquilino) Forno La Renella – Via del Moro, 13 (Trastevere) By the way, don't miss your chance to visit Rome with us, on our ,...
info_outlineTo continue our January archival series on ADVENTURE, today we revisit an interview with author Michael Maren. As a war correspondent, he covered fierce conflicts around the globe, from the overthrow of Idi Amin in Uganda in 1979 to the height of the Somali Civil War in the early '90s. Maren has lived and worked in some of the dangerous places and situations on the planet.
Katy sits down with Maren to talk about his experiences covering conflict across the African continent. They discuss the trap of expat privilege, the negative effects of foreign aid on developing countries, and the delusions many war correspondents have that they are special enough to survive.
***The Bittersweet Life podcast has been on the air for an impressive 10+ years! In order to help newer listeners discover some of our earlier episodes, every Friday we are now airing an episode from our vast archives! Enjoy!***
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NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET
BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.
TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!