Not Quite at Home Yet
The more time I spend in Italy, the more I’m aware of what a stranger I am, culturally. It’s funny to say that because I think of Italian...
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Genoa: Two Tales of One City
The first and only time I visited Genoa prior to my stop there a few weeks ago, I had the distinct impression of a sinister city;...
An unexpectedly brief stay in Fossacesia... and an unexpected and sorrowful goodbye
I got home from Italy last Tuesday night, 15 days earlier than I’d planned. There were so many things I’d hoped to do during this last...
Venice: Chiaroscuro and Color
When I rolled into Venice Tuesday evening, so did the fog. The moody atmosphere it created seemed just right for photographing the Bridge...
Christmastime in Rome
The Nativity Scene There’s no place like Rome for a nativity scene, called in Italian a presepio or presepe. Both terms are correct,...
Christmas means strufoli
Most of us have favorite foods from childhood —and particularly from childhood holidays — whose deliciousness probably is more about the...
A Venice state of mind
“…For I think there can be nothing else in the world so full of glittering and exquisite surprise as that first glimpse of Venice which...
Have a good trip? I probably will.
I’ll be going to Italy for several weeks right after Christmas. I’ll fly into Rome and spend a few days there and continue on to Genoa...
Holidays on Slice: La Peperonata
In Lancianese cooking, one of the esteemed cuisines near me, peppers both hot and sweet figure heavily. This dish is made of the sweet...
My cup wonneth over nobody.
Coffee is, of course, a serious thing in Italy. And it’s all about quality versus quantity. Those espressos are one mouthful, but it’s a...
The cats came back.
In my town, as in most of Abruzzo, there’s a large population of street cats. Even those who have nominal “homes” often must live...
For the some who like it hot
The Abruzzese palate has a high tolerance for heat. At local restaurants, meals often are served with a dish of hot pepper on the side so...
Gekko who’s coming to dinner.
Every once in a while, I see in the corner of my eye something dark and darting, usually high on the wall. It gives me a real start until...
Culture Quiz, Exercise I
According to Italian mothers, which of the following threats to life and limb is MOST to be feared? a) drafts b) damp skin (from...
Spaghetti all’Arrabbiata
A lotta Americans gotta gotta gotta have arrabbiata when they’re in Italy. I’m one of them. A good arrabbiata is very possibly my...
A recurring character
As I begin sketching out posts for this blog, I notice that I’m not consistent in my first-person pronoun. Sometimes it’s “I,” other...
Taking de-bate
There are certain observations Antonio or I will make in the other’s presence that never fail to trigger a lightly combative response,...
Bologna bulletin
If you happen to be in Bologna in early 2019, you might want to look into this: Word on the street is that Abruzzese painter Gigino...
"I have a little house in Italy."
The words are magic. The reality is, too. It’s also terrifying, comical, humbling, and stressful. The magic lies in turning the key and...
A Long Way from Rome
People who’ve visited Italy often rhapsodize about how warm and welcoming are the Italian people. I’ve had that experience, too, but not...
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