Author: 'N A Perfect World...

Walking in Paris with La Vie Est Miracle sign

Being Black American in Paris

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Heading to Paris in 2017 was a pivotal moment in my life.  I originally wrote about the idea of being Black American in Paris in 2019. It’s still a piece that I get a lot of outreach about. So I decided to re-edit the piece and release it again on the blog in conjuction with a podcast episode I have coming out on Paris for Building Home. I’m interviewing floral designer Ryan Norville on her family’s recent move to Paris. Paris has been going viral, and it hasn’t been positive. A Tiktoker has made it a brand offering “hot takes” on why they think Paris is overated and the dregs. Malfoy sites the trash, grafitti and says that Paris smells like “piss, cheese and armpit.” The city’s food “looks grimy as hell.” Of course, like any city, this isn’t the first time Paris has been critiqued and Paris syndrome is a real. That fall, I underwent my own Paris syndrome. But my time in Paris was one of those catalysts for change in my life. …

Town scene in Taormina

What to Watch Set in Sicily

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White Lotus is what drew you to Sicily and the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in Taormina. Here are other films and shows set in Sicily. The perfect backdrop to get you in the mood for your vacation in Sicily! Over the years tons of international productions have used the beautiful landscape of Sicily as their backdrops. One of my favorite destinations in Italy, this Meditterranean island is a vibrant and diverse in scenery as it is in culture. Maybe it’s dramatic Mount Etna or the beautiful cascading “stairs” of Scala dei Turchi going into the turquoise sea. Then there’s the baroque architecture and the ancient Greek ruins. Sicily is always a good idea. Here’s a run down of films and shows set in Sicily to get you in the mood for your next Sicilian holiday. The White Lotus Season 2 (2022) The HBO runaway hit The White Lotus returned for a second season. For season two, the action takes place in the renovated San Domenico Palace in Taormina, Sicily — a real life Four …

23 Places to Travel in 2023

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Here are 23 of the best places to travel in 2023. 2022 was great! I explored parts of Italy and the US I’ve never been before. Checked a bucket list world wonder off my list with Petra. I saw Atlantic sunsets in one of my favorite countries in the world, Portugal. And ate lots of memory-writing meals. Oh, and I got married in Italy so I was able to plan the best group trip ever! I’m ready to continue our adventures in this new year. Here’s my perfect bucket list for 2023: 23 places I’d love to go to and places I can’t wait to visit again. 1. Yucatán Peninsula Wakanda Forever! I need to explore more of the Yucatán peninsula, I’m usually on the other side of Mexic. I’m manifesting beautiful cenotes in my outlook this year and I’ve never been to Merida! 2. Kigali Speaking of Wakanda, with Rwanda being one of the countries that inspired the movie, I need to be immersed in the afrofuturism of Kigali. Rwanda is more than gorillas. …

Ciao, Sicilia! Sicily Travel Guides

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Ciao, Sicilia! I mean even that alone sounds sexy, no? Dolce & Gabbana built their brand around it. As an American living in Italy, it can be easy to fall into that La Dolce Vita myth. Everything is beautiful, everywhere is magical. Though, being primarily based in Northern Italy, I’ll let you in on something: Southern Italy has my heart. From my time in Puglia in my early 20s, to now, Sicily is decidely my happy place in Italy. Maybe it’s the island life, I know it’s the hospitality, food, people, ‘tude. The people are warmer, their accents more melodic, more swaggy. Tuscany is beautiful, but I truly believe, Sicily is what Americans want when they come to Italy. A lot of Italian-Americans are Southern or Sicilian… so maybe it’s the familiar? Did you know that in 1945 and 1946 a strong Sicilian separatist movement campaigned for Sicily to be admitted as a U.S. state? Black Americans, you might be drawn to Sicily too… from True Romance to Little White Lies, are they those mythic …

Nneya in front of testi di mori shop, original Black Sicilians

Why Do I Love Sicily? Are Sicilians Black?

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Are Sicilians Black? No, but the warmth of it’s people, culture, food and multiculturalism makes Sicily my favorite Italian region. While starting my travel series, Ciao, Sicilia, I had a think about why I love Sicily. What was supposed to be three short sentences turned into paragraphs. Yes, Taormina, Sicily was where Michele proposed but even touching down in Sicily, in Catania, immediately, I knew I was going to love it. It’s the warmth of both the people and climate. When we first arrived in Catania, it was a hot June afternoon. The heat was oppressive but seeing the ornate balconies of the beautiful Sicilian baroque buildings, I wanted to take it all in and explore. Smart Sicilians had shuttered themselves inside to avoid the mid-day sun. The aged decadent architecture reminded me of Havana. The first thing we did was eat and the heaping portions and warm smiles serving the food reminded me of my own family’s West Indian background. On another trip to Sicily, I even spotted a Jamaican restaurant in Syracuse! Sicily …

Women in front of holiday lights in green satin pants and gold knit top holiday dressing

Holiday Fashion 2022

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Looks for holiday fashion 2022! Whether you’re going to a quiet holiday dinner or want to turn on the glam for chic fete, I have you covered. A festive dress? A chic suit? I have it! It’s that time of year! The holiday season gives us all a fun opportunity to elevate our glam. Any excuse to put some fun bling in my wardrobe, I’ll take it! Over the years I’ve built up perrennial favorites that are both timeless and elegant during the season. Here are a few of my favorite holiday fashion pieces for 2022. And 2021, and probably 2023! Click the piece heading to shop! First up, a plaid or tartan suit. A plaid suit is timeless and chic. You can dress it up or down and get a lot of where out of separates for holiday fashion and beyond. J. Crew Willa blazer, $262 J. Crew Kate Straight Leg Pants, $142 Banana Republic Cora Brocade Bustier, $100 (right now it’s 40% off this price!) Stuart Weitzman Avenue Suede Pumps, $234 Bottega Veneta …

Neoclassical School Building in Arizona Desert

Sonoran Desert Inn: The Only Non-Profit Inn in the USA

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A way to rethink the way we travel is through sustainable tourism. Travel and hospitality can be a polluting, displacing industry and the concious traveler often wants to put their travel dollars towards righting this. Welcome to Sonoran Desert Inn, the only non-profit inn in the USA doing things a little bit differently. Sonoran Desert Inn is the only non-profit inn in the country.  Based in Ajo, Arizona, right on the border with Mexico in the Sonoran desert, this inn is housed in a converted school house of  those once robust, desert mining towns that dominate imagery of the west. Do you like off-the-beaten-path travel visiting ghost towns, old mining towns or factory towns? Then this place is for you. And you’d be giving funds to marganilized communities. As a not-for-profit organization, the inn functions to attract visitors to Ajo and the surrounding region. It helps to support Ajo’s economic development through direct employment and partnerships with local businesses, entrepreneurs, and artists. The inn partners with ISDA (International Sonoran Desert Alliance*) to tell Ajo’s rich history in early 20th century America. John Greenway was the manager of the New Cornelia Copper …

Man and woman in brown row boat on Lake Braies and Lake is aqua

A Perfect Weekend at Lake Braies & The Dolomites

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A vacation to Italy doesn’t have to be beach clubs and sea views! A visit to the Dolomites and the picturesque Lake Braies offers a refreshing mountain adventure and perfect weekend! Have you heard of the South Tyrol Region of Italy? What about the Dolomites? Pretty beautiful right? But there’s more than just skiing for tourists.  The Dolomites is a perfect (and refreshing) trip to the mountains during your Italy tour. Base your trip around a visit to Lake Braies. Lago di Braies (Italian) or Pragser Wildsee (in German) is an Alpine lake in a UNESCO world heritage site in the South Tyrol, Italy. You might hear German in the area. It is as spoken there as Italian and you’ll find a pretty cool blend of Austrian and Italian culture. Bring on the mountain food! Michele surprised me with this trip for my birthday. I didn’t know where we were going until we were there. Family, couples retreat, trip with the homies: a weekend in Lake Braies and the Dolomites is the perfect escape from the summer heat. …

Italy Announces New Digital Nomad Visa

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In order to aid with tourism revitalization and slow tourism in particular, in May, Italy will be announcing a year-long renewable digital nomad visa to non EU citizens. Years ago, when looking into residency permits in Italy, I found the process a bit archaic in regards to today’s world and digital nomads. One of the standards of self-employment required you to invest a couple hundred thousand euros in a company in the country! More often than not, technology moves faster than bureaucracy and Italy wants visitors to know they’ve heard and received! The country wants slow tourism and this is another arm of it! Italy’s digital nomad visa will attract talent to the country as well as even revitalize places that have lost residents from brain drain, age, or in the case of Venice, rising housing costs due to tourism. So who are digital nomads? According to the decree: “Citizens of a third country, who carry out highly qualified work activities through the use of technological tools that allow them to work remotely on a …