It was a hot August afternoon in Rome when my cell phone rang. I could see my husband’s name. He was calling from France where he was on vacation with the kids while I was working. I picked it up. “It wasn’t me,” came the voice on the other end of the line. “I swear […]
The Italian Face Whacker Read More »
Quando ci siamo trasferiti in Italia, un amico di famiglia di Gustavo morì inaspettatamente di infarto. Aveva poco più di cinquant’anni. Gustavo mi portò al suo funerale ad Aprilia, a circa un’ora a sud di Roma. Erano tutti vestiti di nero. La grande bara di legno era davanti all’altare. Assistetti alla messa senza capire molto
When we first moved to Italy, a family friend of Gustavo’s died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He was in his 50s. Gustavo took me to the funeral in the small town of Aprilia about an hour south of Rome. Everyone was dressed in black. The large wooden coffin was by the altar. I sat
Questa mattina, Papa Benedetto XVI ha presieduto la cerimonia annuale del battesimo nella Cappella Sistina. In quella che è sempre una cerimonia bella e commovente, un gruppo di genitori – abbigliati di tutto punto – ha portato i neonati nella spettacolare Cappella Sistina dove, sotto il soffitto dipinto da Michelangelo, il Papa ha battezzato sedici
Limbo Scampato per Miracolo Read More »
This morning Pope Benedict XVI presided over the annual baptism of babies in the Sistine Chapel. In what is always a beautiful and touching ceremony, a group of parents — dressed to the nines– bring their newborns into the spectacular Sistine Chapel. There, under the ceiling painted by Michelangelo, the Pope sprinkled 16 newborns with
A Close Call with Limbo Read More »
Note to Blog Readers: My 11-year-old daughter Chiara insisted on doing a post on the tradition of La Befana in Italy. I have always had a bit of a problem with La Befana because she almost pushes Santa Claus out of the way. I also have a problem with the Topolino dei Denti (The Tooth
La Befana – Italy’s Good Witch Read More »
Una nuova mostra a Roma illustra le donne d’Italia negli ultimi 150 anni. Oggi sono andata a vederla per avere qualche ispirazione per il mio blog e ho trovato una miniera di donne sulle quali vorrei scrivere di più. Fra le prime immagini della mostra, ce n’è una inquietante, ma utile a mostrare quanta strada
Dal Fango Alle Stelle Read More »
A new exhibit in Rome looks at the women of Italy over the last 150 years. I stopped by to get some inspiration for my blog today and found a trove of women that I would like to write more about. One of the first sights in the exhibit was discouraging but serves to show
Down in the Dirt to Flying High in the Sky Read More »