Italicus is one of 13 English-language Substacks singled out by "Girl in Florence" Georgette Jupe at Honest Conversations with Georgette. Here's what she says about Italicus:
Why it stands out: I've long been a fan of Cheryl's razor-sharp, quietly brilliant newsletter exploring Italy's identity, culture, and contradictions through essays that feel both intimate and incisive. She writes with the rare combination of intellectual rigor and emotional clarity and rather than romanticizing Italy or flattening it into Instagrammable clichés (we have more than enough "Italy-in-soft-focus" content clogging the feeds), she pulls back the curtain on language, politics, memory, and the nuances of living in a country constantly negotiating its past and present. Each piece feels like sitting down with someone who actually knows Italy, its fragilities, its humor, its anxieties, its brilliance, and isn't afraid to interrogate all of it with both affection and precision.
Best post suggestion: "Getting Real"—a moving essay about fighting doomscroll paralysis by re-engaging with actual life: spontaneous street-corner kindness, art seen up close, unexpected friendships in Florence and Perugia, and the simple reminder that presence, not performance, is why she moved to Italy in the first place. It's honest, vulnerable, and exactly the kind of perspective the internet needs more of.
Summary: If you crave writing that treats Italy not as a fantasy backdrop but as a living, breathing, imperfect country worth understanding deeply (and celebrating!), Italicus will be your new favorite corner of the internet.