The Face of Florence – I
In the dark of 5:30 a.m., the city of Florence rises in memory, as if I’m hovering over her, not very high up, and viewing her features and moods, wiles and compensations. Yes, her face. What does it take to … Continued
Moments in Viterbo
Odd what moments stand out. When I look back on our excursion from Umbria south into Lazio (the Italian province which contains Rome), I find myself outside a church in Viterbo, gazing over the main piazza of the city. Just … Continued
Close Connections
Italy’s regions hold fiercely to their cooking. Polenta made of corn in the Po Valley, region of immense corn fields. The Veneto influenced by French, wine-based meat sauces. Olives and bread in Sicily. Cheeses throughout, especially cheeses made from goat’s … Continued
Country and City in Italy
Food and the countryside–two topics my Italian friends never tire of discussing. I think of their food fascination as “lingua” which means tongue as well as language, or as in the name of a nice family-run restaurant on the other … Continued
ltaly: Where They Talk of Walls and Sun
My last stop in Italy was with my wonderful friends, the visual artist Patricia Glee Smith (born in Savannah, Illinois) * and her Italian husband Giangi Poli. Giangi used to create documentaries on science and politics for Italian public television; … Continued
The Land of Eels
In Ferrara, Italy, not far from the Adriatic Coast, my friend traveling with me recounts the eel festival in Commachio. In Ferrara, the streets are paved with small stones worn smooth by the huge Po River which brings agricultural wealth … Continued
Correction & Mrs. Gaskell
Spelling isn’t my strong suit: the author from Ferrara is Georgio Bassani. Title of his work correct: The Garden of the Fitzi-Continis. Other wonderful writers I’ve encountered in Italy sometimes have nothing to do with Italy. Their books sit on … Continued
My Mother – The Passionate Traveler
My mother was the most passionate traveler I’ve ever met. Possibly because during childhood and college, she rarely went far from the small North Dakota farming town where her father, as she used to say, was “the big fish in … Continued