For the past eight years, New Jersey native Michelle Bottalico has called the Italian city of Turin home. Along the way, she’s furthered her photography business…acquired citizenship through her ancestry…and even met her husband-to-be. “After traveling around Italy, I liked it so much that I decided to look for work and live here. I was already a photographer in the U.S., and this was something I could do in Italy too,” she says.

Today, Michelle specializes in portrait photography—taking photos of newborns, babies, children, families, and bridal couples. Her clients are both Italian and foreign, including American expats who work in Turin. “I do photo shoots for them so they can remember their time in the city,” she says. “I don’t work in a studio, because I prefer a more spontaneous style, and if I’m not working in clients’ homes, I use the city of Turin as a background,” Michelle says.