by MK
Every Saturday we’re spotlighting remarkable local females who could change the way we look at the world. This Saturday is Ashley Caneva’s turn, a writer, radio host and an expat entrepreneur with passion for cultures and all things Trieste.
We asked Ashley to answer some of our pressing questions.
Where you are you from and what brought you to Trieste?
I’m from Jacksonville, Florida. My husband Victor and I brought our family here about 2 years ago. Victor’s great-grandfather was born right here in Friuli Venezia Giulia in a small Alpine town called Collina di Forni Avoltri. We wanted to pursue dual-citizenship, give the kids a chance to learn the language and culture while they are young, and to be in the region where his roots are. Trieste allows us to enjoy the infrastructure of a larger city and still explore this beautiful region.
How did you guys meet?
We met through our church in Jacksonville. Both of us already had a passion for travel and helping others, and we got to know each other when we both joined a trip to Peru to work with a church there that was doing community outreach and working with a local orphanage. Despite having the worst food poisoning I’ve ever had on that trip, Victor was somehow still interested. We started dating a few months later, got engaged after 6 months and married 4 and a half months after that. We’ve been married for almost 14 years now and we have two amazing boys that keep us constantly on our toes!
Was is it easy to get used to living in Trieste?
No, but I can’t really blame that on Trieste! We moved here from another town in Veneto right before the pandemic hit and I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time. My first year living in Trieste was largely spent at home and in the hospitals – whether for chemotherapy or for surgery. I have to say, though, that people here who barely knew us really rallied around us. The Expats in Trieste group brought us meals and groceries and our local church, Chiesa Tre, brought us meals and gave us countless rides to the hospitals. The nurses and medical staff that worked with me were all amazing. Now that I’ve got my hair and energy back, I write for InTrieste.com, and I host the In Trieste Morning Show every Thursday morning on Radio Fragola 104.5! I’m really enjoying getting to know Trieste and FVG and sharing those experiences with others through writing and the radio!
What do you do?
Well, aside from that, I have an online start-up that I’m currently in the process of rebranding where I create educational activities and lesson plans for exploring world cultures with young kids! My work on Little Explorers Big World (now becoming Cultures for Kids) combines my love of world cultures with years of early-childhood classroom experience, and gives me the opportunity to empower parents and teachers to bring cultural diversity activities into their homes and classrooms. I do this through creating culture-based units that teach a wide range of topics, including foreign language, literacy, STEM skills, fine and gross motor skills, sensory exploration, etc. For example, the Peru unit includes a sink-or-float activity based on the floating Uros Islands, a relay-race inspired by the Incan chasquis messengers, an Incan astronomy art project and writing prompt, a quechua math activity, llama letter matching, and more!
Do you speak any Triestino?
No. I can understand it alright, but I’m still focusing on learning Italian.
What advice would you give someone moving to Trieste?
1) Be okay with people knowing and even asking you about being a foreigner.
2) Don’t take seemingly “gruff” exteriors personally … just move past them with kindness.
3) Never order a macchiato when what you really want is a capo, or a cappuccino when what you really want is a caffe latte!
