Suppose you went to Italy, fell in love, married an Italian, and settled in a small town, right next door to the in-laws.

Lisa Anderson did just that, and she joins us today on Travel with Rick Steeves to tell us what it's like, raising a cross-cultural family.

We have a very relaxed, easy-going life. I walk the kids to school down the block. I have a butcher's, three bakersakers and three little supermarkets within walking distance of my house

and the best gelato.

And while many small towns are losing population, in Sicily some villages are finding a new lease on life.

In the last few years tourism has developed a lot, you know, you get these poor towns that actually are incredible to visit because they've kind of been trapped in time, their medieval village hill towns.

You know, Katania actually has this great location that is nearby the tallest active volcano

in Europe, but is on the water at the same time.

Tour guides and Andes Kataeze and Alfeo de Morrow tell us about the pleasures of Sicily.

It's just ahead on Travel with Rick Steeves.

How different would your family be if you lived in a small town in Italy?

Hi, I'm Rick Steeves. We'll hear how one American adopted her husband's culture

and is raising a family in Italy in just a moment.

And later in the hour, two tour guides point out the

attractions of Sicily where strong Italian mamas, big weddings, and only the

freshest canoli are classic parts of a vibrant scene. Our phone number is 877333 Rick and you can email

us anytime at radio at Rick steves.com. Imagine traveling to a faraway country and you meet somebody, you fall in love and all

a sudden you find yourself married, raising kids on the other side of the planet.

We're joined by Lisa Anderson who was teaching English in Italy in 1997, met Morrow in 97,

a couple years later married, now two children.

Lisa, thanks for joining us.

Thanks for having me.

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