LIGHT MODE
DARK MODE
In real life, I'm much more private than I am in print. While hidden behind an ink-filled page, there is no downside to divulging one's innermost reflections. But ask me what I ate for dessert last night and I'll fidget about chocolate being far too personal
How many times have you heard your out-of-town friends say, ‘Florence is such a lovely city, but where are all the kids?' It does sometimes seem like the Renaissance city is completely devoid of children as families have begun to move out of the center and into
Once a week, I force myself to turn on the television. Something might be happening out there, and I might need to know about it. My fleeting desire to be ...
Geoff and I met years ago, during a training program in Florence, where I was the teacher and he was the student. Slightly younger and substantially smarter than me, he always did his assignments well and often waited for class to end to tell me I'd gotten something pitifully
Concerned that living long-term in Italy has somehow damaged my ability to set meaningful goals, my sister does her best to nurture my undernourished purposeful side'. Not that I have one. But just in case I do, she wants to be the first to feed it. Every September,
Although Italy has taught me to nurture a neurotic need for aesthetic perfection, I am not much of a scenery girl. And, while I do prefer palaces to skyscrapers, I'm seldom subject to the wide-eyed ‘wow' that gives weak knees to those who marvel at Tuscan hillsides
Do you remember Mrs. Taylor, the one who used to work at the library?' My mother wanted to know over the phone the other day. >Vaguely,' I said with a more-than-vague idea as to what she was driving at. Every time my mom starts playing the
‘This little pig went to market…’ is the premise of Nancy Shroyer Howard’s engaging Mischief in Tuscany: Running Wild in a Famous Painting. When a Cinta Senese pig with an ...
Fiera, a new children’s book written by Annamaria Sbisa and illustrated by Michela Petoletti, brings to life the beauty and whimsy of Ferragamo’s silk scarves and introduces young readers to Florence. Six playful creatures are aboard a hot air balloon sailing with no evident destination,
In a country where food must always be served at the right time and temperature, I find Sunday brunch the easiest way to entertain. I say this for two simple reasons. First, I am a morning person who makes a mean pancake. Second, the prospect of serving pasta to al
‘Arrangiarsi or the ability to ‘arrange oneself’ is all about overcoming obstacles. Italians love to jump fences, and they do it with an agile grace that people from Anglo-cultures can ...
Watch how people share secrets and you’ll discover the things they are trying to hide. Learn how a country exchanges confidences and you’ll uncover the cornerstone of social rapport. Italians may be known to the world as free-speaking, overly expressive individuals, but in
It was only the third day of the New Year and I had already decided that I was not going to write a single word until the end of the next century. When I am struck by that particular form of self-pity known as ‘writer’s block,&
