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...
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- 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,...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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,...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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,...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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...