Welcome to Dolce & Masala – A Travel & Lifestyle Blog
Dolce = Sweet (Italian) + Masala = Spicy (Hindi)
Hi! I’m Daleya, founder and #girlboss at Dolce & Masala, an online travel and lifestyle publication I started in March 2016 to document my expat adventures in Rome and beyond. Dolce & Masala exposes its readers to popular as well as quirky global destinations, style icons, and taste-makers.
A graduate of Sciences Po Paris and Rutgers University, I have had the opportunity to live in four continents and indulge in my passion for discovering new cultures, cuisines, art, and fashion for over a decade. I moved to Bella Roma in 2015 for an assignment that included engagement with the UN food and agriculture related organizations in Italy. It only seemed fitting that I should start a blog to document my adventures and interests (mostly involving food and fashion – did I mention gelato?) with an audience looking for experiences beyond the traditional bucket list. Luckily, Rome is a treasure trove for fashion fashion and dolce lovers like me.
In August 2018, I moved back to Paris where my wanderlust first ignited.
How it all began...
As a child of immigrants from South Asia, globetrotting is part of my DNA and I still suffer from an almost magnetic attraction to bright city lights. The desire to pursue an expat lifestyle was born during a study abroad program on the European Union back when the common currency (Euro) and Brexit were still only theoretical concepts to be debated. I fell instantly in love with Paris and Prague and the rest is history. Can you blame a girl when these historic cities have so much to offer in terms of history, lifestyle, and culture?
Fast forward several years and at least half a dozen global moves —including a summer when I dragged my worldly possessions across three continents thanks to some skillful negotiations regarding airline excess luggage rules— and I landed a dream job in international relations that allows me to live in a different country every few years.
What to Expect on Dolce & Masala
When I am not obsessing over drafting position papers or analyzing spreadsheets at work, I love to meet up with fellow explorers, experience local cultures, experiment in the kitchen, and in true Sagittarian-style juggle multiple passion projects.
Although a lifetime wouldn’t be enough to discover all of the secrets of Rome or Paris, I take advantage of work travel to remote destinations around the world and spend weekend and holidays exploring the endless options for great food, art, and shopping in the Eternal City, the City of Lights and “Romeing” neighboring countries.
Hopefully, this blog will keep me focused on completing projects — like learning to make authentic Italian food or finally documenting some Bangladeshi family recipes — or adding some new destinations to my bucket list. Thanks to the Esquilino Market, spices are readily available to complement both types of cuisine.
As Seen In
