My Italian Blog - Welcome to My Corner of Italy

Book Club Skype

THE NEXT BEST THING TO BEING THERE

When I’m not yelling at my computer for its impromptu errant behavior, I find it to be quite useful. You’re reading this blog post, so you understand what I’m saying. For me, one of its most serviceable features is the “video chat.” I’ve used Skype, FaceTime and Google Hangouts for long-distance conversations over the Internet, and with a strong connection it’s the next best thing to being there. So when a book club across the country in New Hope, Pennsylvania asked me if I would be able to come to their meeting at which my book was scheduled for discussion, I countered with a, “How about a Book Club Skype for Calabria: The Other Italy?” Read More

Italian Dogs and the Mediterranean Diet

Dog lovers take note of the slightest mention of man’s best friend. So not surprisingly, a number of people have asked me about the dogs I briefly referred to in my book. To set the scene, my dear friends Luisa and Franco had three dogs that they walked in the beautiful park along Via Marina in the center of downtown Reggio Calabria. The area is a very pleasant place to stroll. The shady park is lined on one side by stately mansions and the other opens up to the spectacular panorama of the Strait of Messina and Sicily beyond. Read More

Paul Theroux on Calabria

Following one of my recent presentations about Calabria, an inquisitive audience member was inspired to look through his home library and revisit a book he had read almost twenty years earlier: The Pillars of Hercules: A Grand Tour of the Mediterranean by Paul Theroux. He remembered the author had mentioned Locri and told me about it a few days later. Read More

MuSaBa: Not Just A Museum

MuSaBa is an expression – a dream that became a reality, a past looking for a future, and the present finding meaning in its roots. The brainchild of artists Nik Spatari and Hiske Maas, MuSaBa or the Museum Santa Barbara is a concept, a park, a museum and a laboratory located in the foothills of the rugged Aspromonte Mountains in Mammola, Calabria. Read More

Reflection: Drills and Politics in Italy

La Politica. Politics in Italy loom large. As guests we prefer to focus on the spectacular scenery, inspirational art and mouthwatering food. We laugh at the political machinations and exaggerated personalities that make a splash in the headlines, as we do in our own country; however, la politica is serious business and I’d like to reflect for a moment on Italy’s referendum this past weekend. Read More

Lunch at a Neapolitan Trattoria

AN AMERICAN EXPAT IN NAPLES

My friend Tricia LOVES Naples. She stumbled upon her adopted hometown traveling through Europe after college. No doubt, she had visited many other beautiful places, but upon arrival in this vibrant southern Italian city, she knew she was home. Read More

Palizzi: Yesterday and Today

Before my daytrip to Palizzi, I associated the town with two things: Edward Lear’s wonderful lithograph drawings and red wine – not necessarily in that order. Read More

Woman’s Day in Italy

“Buona festa!” (Happy Holiday!) My boss Mario greeted me with a big smile and was handing me a small bunch of yellow flowers and some foliage tied together with a ribbon. The secretary came up behind me and he picked up another little bouquet from his desk and said, “Auguri!” (Good wishes!) Read More

An Artist in Amantea

I was looking at the rusty sign banning motorbikes from entering the narrow street that led up through the old quarter of Amantea and wondering whether or not anyone actually heeded its message. The little stylized rider sat comfortably on his motorcycle inside the faded red circle that blended with the equally washed out, dilapidated wall on which it hung. As I snapped a photo, a car pulled up, dropping off an older gentleman, who greeted me with a slight turn of the head and a warm smile. Read More

Reflection: Reading in Rome

A ROME VACATION

My feet were killing me. It was a brisk Tuesday evening in late November. After a harrowing experience on Rome’s overcrowded public transportation system during the morning rush hour, I had decided to walk back to my apartment that overlooked the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano. Read More