Gillian Knows Best

Gillian Knows Best

Share this post

Gillian Knows Best
Gillian Knows Best
Ask Me Anything February Edition

Ask Me Anything February Edition

The pleasures of Roman winter and the most delicious Carbonara

Gillian Longworth McGuire's avatar
Gillian Longworth McGuire
Feb 24, 2023
∙ Paid
13

Share this post

Gillian Knows Best
Gillian Knows Best
Ask Me Anything February Edition
7
Share

Do you pick a word or phrase at the beginning of the year? Mine is transport.

to cause to go or be taken from one place to another

to fill with great joy

to fill with overwhelming emotion (as wonder or delight)

Merriam-Webster

I spent yesterday with one of my best pals who was in Rome for 12 hours on her way back home to Zimbabwe. We walked and walked and walked with stops for pastries and wine and never stopped talking in an attempt to catch up on 4 years of news about grown up kids and new babies and future adventures. If you follow me on Instagram you know that what I was really doing was avoiding reality. The reality is that the movers are here dismantling my cozy nest.

We also just got back from a few busy days of looking at apartments in Venice. (In between meetings with an engineer about only in Venice pitfalls like looking for lagoon salt seeping into walls, I went to a Carnevale ball. It really was as magical as it looked.) Now I am focusing on that all of this uncertainity and chaos will be worth it soon. We might have found a place to land in Venice!

This is my annual reminder to think about coming to visit Italy in the winter. I love January and February in Rome. Most days are sunny with that ridiculous deep lapis lazuli sky. I love the bare branches and empty spaces. You can walk and walk and walk and it feels good to take a coffee/negroni break in the sunshine. And Carbonara tastes better on a cold winter night than on a sweltering July afternoon.

Of course there is nothing like Italian Summer. Are you coming? (You need to book right now and be prepared for crowds) Are you going to the beach? Or maybe the Palio in Siena? This is your chance to ask me anything!

Keep reading with a paid subscription

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Gillian Longworth McGuire
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share