Patta-thump, patta-thump went my heart as I stood on the altar at the Pope’s mass in Madrid. There were tens of thousands of young people almost as far as the eye could see gathered for the mass and I was standing up on the altar with the entourage traveling with the Pope. But that was […]
Padre Georg, The Vatican Heart-Throb Read More »
Last weekend I went back to Giglio Island off the coast of Tuscany to cover the events commemorating last year’s deadly shipwreck. At 9:45 on the evening of January 13, 2012, Captain Schettino, Commander of the Costa Concordia Cruise Liner took his ship close to the shore of Giglio Island to do what is known
Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is conducting a media blitz. He is appearing on several TV shows every day (mainly on TV channels he owns), and on radio programs. It is an incessant bombardment of the Italian public as he tries to round-up support for February’s national elections. Last night he appeared on a TV
Veronica’s Revenge Read More »
Rita Levi-Montalcini, one of the Italian women I admire most, died last Sunday at her home in Rome. She was 103. Levi-Montalcini won the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1986 for her discovery of Nerve Growth Factor, how she got there and what she did afterwards is what I find so fascinating. Montalcini was born
Like Water Off A Duck’s Wings Read More »
Dealing with an adolescent is a Herculean task for any mother, in any country. Adolescents have a way of getting under their mother’s skin, being rude, obnoxious and irritating, and challenging their parents’ authority at every turn. Nico, my first child, rose to the occasion, making sure I had full-immersion training in dealing with all
Emerging from the deep Tuscan forest it is hard not to gasp at the striking beauty of Villa Ferraia. It’s a series of connected buildings made of stone with red tiled roofs surrounded by olive and lemon trees, potted flowers, patches of rosemary and wild growth. There is a giant infinity pool and large chessboards
Wintering at Villa Ferraia Read More »
Today I am in mourning for the innocent children slaughtered at the school in Newtown, Connecticut by an armed maniac. How many children have to die before we do something to stop weapons getting into the hands of lunatics? My heart goes out to the mothers and fathers of the children who died and
Mourning for the Innocent Children Read More »
My Dad has always been an athlete, outdoorsman and adventurer. He played basketball and football in college; he has scaled mountains from the Himalayas to the Alps, and at age 79 still cross-country skis in the backwoods of Maine, participates in bike races, and plays squash. Over a lifetime my father has taught me lessons
Keep Your Eye on the Ball Read More »