Ciao, I'm Sommer,
Old World Italian began with a love for all things Italian. In our twenties, my husband and I set out to learn how to make authentic gelato. After endless hours of work through the wee hours of the night experimenting with recipes and building out a storefront, we opened our first gelateria in 2007.
We then opened our second in 2009. Handcrafting gelato for others and providing them with such a simple pleasure that had the opportunity to entirely change someone’s day created a spark inside of us.
After a trip to Italy to be trained in gelato-making, we were absolutely mesmerized. The people and culture, the food, the pace, the textiles and colors, and the slow living truly changed us.
It would be years later before we really saw the full effect of that trip. After 7 years of creating gelato each day, we sold our businesses and by the end of 2014, we sold nearly *all* of our belongings, left our dogs behind, and moved with little babies to start a new season of life in Roma.
Those next 5 years would shape us in ways we couldn’t even have begun to imagine. To be honest, we probably still don’t fully understand.
In many ways, our experience in the Italian culture has shaped our own family culture. If you’re someone who has truly experienced another culture, then you know what I’m talking about. You see the value that each culture possesses and learn to love the beauty that each has to offer.
Now back on the west side of “the pond,” I realize that my way of living life had changed so much while living abroad. I think there is a bellezza to choosing your culture with some intentionality. We do this all the time. Even if we don’t realize it. We are setting the tone in our homes, in our offices, and in our communities.
What kind of culture do you want to create? For me, I want to implement the parts of the Italian culture that helped give me a new perspective and a love for slow, intentional living.
My hope is to provide you with inspiration, reflection, and joy as we live out la dolce vita.
