Hi! I’m Molly, the creator of Luggage and Life. For details on the blog, click here. If you’re curious about me, then read on!

I’m originally from a small town in Maine, USA. I grew up listening to my mom’s stories from her time in Italy (she lived in Florence in the late 70s), and the minute I had the first chance, I hopped on a plane to Europe.

She also passed on her love of languages to me. I studied French in school and then Italian when I went to college, and I worked as an English language teacher for over a decade.

Upon my first visit to Rome at age 17, I declared at the end of day one that I would live there someday, and live there I did, eventually, for about five years.

After those five years, I moved from Rome to Sydney. I went there to get my Master’s degree, and fell in love with the city so much that I went back after graduation on a working holiday visa. While working and holidaying, I fell in love again – this time with a Sydneysider who had lived abroad and loved traveling as much as I did.

At that time, working holiday visas for Americans only lasted a year, so I knew I couldn’t stay too long. I decided to apply for an English Language Fellowship, and selected sub-Saharan Africa as my first choice for a placement. I was matched with a university in Ziguinchor, Senegal. 

I left Sydney for Senegal with excitement for a new adventure and a broken heart, because I had to leave my Aussie sweetheart Down Under.

Senegal exceeded my expectations with its incredible culture of peace and teranga.

Towards the end of my time there, I started wondering about my next step. What to do, after so many adventures? Move back to the US? Stay in one place for more than a year or two? Get a job with health insurance, sick leave, and paid vacation? That would have been the sensible thing to do. 

Or, I could reunite with my sweetheart, who had moved to Italy in the meantime…

I’ll give you one guess as to what I did! After all, if you’re going to do something crazy, it might as well be for love, right? 

I’ve been back in Italy for six years now, living first in Padua, then Bologna, and now, in my beloved Rome again!

My mission for Luggage and Life is to help people travel and eat well in Italy and beyond. I also share information on moving and living abroad, so if you’re interested in life overseas, browse around, and always feel free to reach out.

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Molly