Last Saturday I was walking home from my Zumba Class — which is my weekly opportunity to let off steam (see Frazzled Mamma Note at the end of Blog Post: Mudslinging at the Vatican). As I shuffled my sweaty self along, I was deep into a massive personal pity party. The problem with my Zumba […]
Wobbly Arms, Flabby Thighs, and Blog Awards Read More »
The marvelous work of Rossana Petrillo first struck me when I was wandering through an art gallery in Ravello (see Blog Post: Romantic Ravello and Lacing Wars). There were several of Rossana’s large paintings on the wall and I loved the gentle, round women, in elaborate hats and gloves, calmly enjoying a fairy-tale atmosphere, indifferent to
The Marvelous Works of Rossana Petrillo Read More »
Sometimes a photo is worth a blog post by itself. This photo of Pope Francis as Super Pope was taken by my friend, AP Photographer Gregorio Borgia. It is right down the street from the Vatican on the corner of Borgo Pio, a neighborhood of old houses and tiny cobblestone streets. The graffiti was done
Super Pope Francis! Read More »
The claws of the Camorra Mafia are sinking into the soft decadent flesh of Rome, easing their way deeper and making it impossible for the eternal city to break free. With confidence and impunity, the Contini clan of the Camorra has set up camp in the heart of the historic center of Rome, taking positions
Mafia Claws Sinking into Weak Flesh Read More »
Cecile Kyenge, Italy’s first black minister, is once again facing vicious racist attacks. This week it started with the anti-immigrant Northern League party’s newspaper “Padania” starting a new column “Here’s Cecile Kyenge” which lists her public appearances so that party members can go heckle her. This feature appeared after she was harassed last weekend at
I was tempted to title this blog post “Dump Him, Valérie!!,” but I suppose I will leave that for the conclusion, instead I’ve borrowed the headline of an Italian gossip magazine “Oggi”. I have become slightly obsessed in the past few days with the sordid sex and politics drama in Paris. I think it is
Last Tango in Paris Read More »
I am back on the tiny island of Giglio for the second anniversary of the Costa Concordia shipwreck. The gigantic rusting carcass still sits near the entrance to the port, but now it has been straightened up in a dramatic 19 hour operation last September called parbuckling. For those who have not yet heard about
Bitterness, Tears, and Scars on the Island of Giglio Read More »
It was still dark in my bedroom this morning when I heard our new dog trotting around my bed, leaving the room, scampering out, trotting back in, around the bed and out again. My husband is away taking my son back to University in Holland, so I grouchily dragged myself out of bed stumbled into
Doggy Blues or Settimo Cielo Read More »