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      Ventotene, a Sunny Island with a Dark Past
      • Jan 9, 2021
      • 5 min

      Ventotene, a Sunny Island with a Dark Past

      During Italy’s summer of Covid denial, I took a quick trip to the island of Ventotene as part of a wine-tasting weekend dedicated to the...
      Ostuni, the White City
      • Aug 20, 2020
      • 5 min

      Ostuni, the White City

      My second trip after the end of quarantine was to Puglia, in the heel of Italy’s boot. I spent a week in countryside just outside Ostuni,...
      First Trip, Post-Quarantine
      • Jul 16, 2020
      • 4 min

      First Trip, Post-Quarantine

      June 15th ushered in a new decree in Italy, allowing Italians to travel somewhat freely around the county. After three months of one of...
      W. H. Auden on Ischia
      • Jun 9, 2020
      • 6 min

      W. H. Auden on Ischia

      Because not many of us can travel much this summer, I have decided to return to my favorite Mediterranean islands in my blog. I have a...
      Traveling Around My Kitchen
      • Apr 25, 2020
      • 7 min

      Traveling Around My Kitchen

      I try not to write about food too much on this site, because among expats here in Italy one can’t heave a virtual brick without it...
      Quarantine Reading
      • Apr 13, 2020
      • 4 min

      Quarantine Reading

      Not being able to leave the house is getting a bit wearing. Life seems to be made up of trips to the kitchen and the terrace, Zoom...
      Io Resto a casa!
      • Mar 17, 2020
      • 3 min

      Io Resto a casa!

      I have been meaning to update my blog for a while, but the last few months were filled with heartache and a kind of “drowsy numbness that...
      A Flight through the Val d’Aosta
      • Nov 15, 2019
      • 3 min

      A Flight through the Val d’Aosta

      This semester I am teaching a survey course in British literature, and right about the time we were reading Shelley, a friend rang up...
      The Fairy-tale Region of France
      • Nov 10, 2019
      • 3 min

      The Fairy-tale Region of France

      The French regions of Armagnac and Cognac are beautiful, but the Périgord is place that conjures up fairy tales. With its small villages,...
      A Bottle full of History
      • Sep 23, 2019
      • 5 min

      A Bottle full of History

      This was a summer of traveling, so now I must catch up on my writing. I have been on sabbatical from The American University of Rome, and...
      An Impromptu Lunch in Genova
      • Jul 8, 2019
      • 4 min

      An Impromptu Lunch in Genova

      My compagno, which is the word you use in Italian when you are too old to use the word boyfriend, has a small plane. Much of my traveling...
      The Sicilian Baroque
      • May 13, 2019
      • 3 min

      The Sicilian Baroque

      Drawing a wobbly line from the travel writing of Robert Byron and D.H. Lawrence to the Sitwells (that remarkable trinity of Sacheverell,...
      Montalbano sono!
      • Apr 2, 2019
      • 5 min

      Montalbano sono!

      There is nothing like Commissario Montalbano to chase away the late-winter blues, and here in Italy we have been lucky enough to see two...
      Athens Never Disappoints
      • Feb 7, 2019
      • 6 min

      Athens Never Disappoints

      When it comes to a winter break in Europe, it isn’t easy to decide where to go. Though Grand Tourists made it seem like Italy was always...
      Il Palio di Siena
      • Feb 7, 2019
      • 5 min

      Il Palio di Siena

      Il Palio di Siena is not only the most important civic event in Siena, it is also a complex blend of history, elegance, and animal...
      AUR--Beginnings
      • Jan 27, 2019
      • 8 min

      AUR--Beginnings

      1969 was a year of tumult and change. The Apollo 11 space mission successfully landed the first man on the moon, and Neil Armstrong’s...
      Driving like an Italian
      • Nov 12, 2018
      • 2 min

      Driving like an Italian

      Piazza Venezia is not only the very heart of Rome, it is also the very centre of Italy. Literally, all roads in Italy do lead to Rome and...
      Brexit unplugged
      • Nov 12, 2018
      • 3 min

      Brexit unplugged

      When it comes to trying to understand the issues surrounding “Brexit,”—migration, sovereignty, taxes, competitiveness—it seems that no...