Spoiled Expat

Ciao! Ciao!

Me and the little miss!

My name is Hayley, and I live in Tuscany with my husband, our daughter, and our puppy. I’m not Italian, I’m Canadian. Something that is exceedingly obvious to the Italians, but to my Canadian friends and family, I’m always “turning into an Italian” whenever I come home, so maybe I’ve missed something along the way.

My tall, dark, and handsome husband.

I am fortunate enough to be able to live in a country and culture that most people only dream of visiting. This doesn’t always make me happy as I often feel as if Italy is ‘wasted’ on me. My ignorance of art and history and my incessant cravings for American coffee don’t help. However, I have developed a real taste for the Italian way of life.

Evening aperitivos with friends? Don’t mind if I do! Great deals on fashion and leather bags? Sign me up! Delectable sweets and pastas on every corner? Hide my scale!

Over the years I’ve gotten to know more and more about my adopted country; the customs, the traditions, the foods, the restaurants, the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

Friends and family constantly ask us for advice and I’m more than happy to share it with them. After all, knowledge is power, and knowledge should be free. And now, I’d love to share these things with you.

Italy is all about food, family, and la bella figura. And contrary to popular belief, there are no secrets to Italian cooking. Well, there are – 1) fresh, high quality ingredients, 2) keep it simple, and 3) cook with love (read: time). That’s it! 

If you have any questions, want a quick tip, or are thinking about the best way to plan out your trip here, please, please, please, feel free to ask.

All writing, photography, and “posters” on this site are mine. I do use www.thenounproject.com for elements in my designs and I really appreciate what they do, you should check them out. If you’d like to use a photo or collaborate on an article/recipe, please Contact me here.

Ci vediamo presto!

Hayley (aka SpoiledExpat)