Andi Cancelliere Sheehan

Ciao, bellissimi! I'm the daughter of Italian immigrants and grew up in an Italian neighborhood in Philadelphia. For several childhood summers I traveled with my parents and brother to Italy to live on the family farm with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

I spent my junior year in Bologna while working toward a BA in Italian Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and upon graduation I returned to Bologna to teach English for two years. Overall, I've been to Italy about 20 times, not counting the years I lived there. One result is that I speak Italian fluently, and I'm often mistaken for a native while I'm there.

What I miss the most when traveling (or living in Italy), besides family and friends of course, are the Philadelphia Phillies. Yes, I am an avid Phillies Phan. I even have a Sunday season ticket package! I used to miss bagels and peanut butter, but both can now be readily found in Italy. As I'm a new wife and stepmother, and have just had a sweet baby boy, I don't know that I'll be traveling long and far enough to miss my family. Hopefully, they'll be able to join me from now on on my Untours' adventures.

Italian things I miss the most while living in the U.S. (again, besides family and friends), are a good cappuccino, walking arm-in-arm with friends during the Sunday passeggiata, and walking out my door to be surrounded by history, art, and architecture from the ancient to modern. These aren't readily available yet in the U.S., unfortunately for everyone!