The Rome office of Associated Press Television News covers Italy, the Vatican and also the two UN organizations based in Rome, the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme. Over the years I have been impressed at the bravery and determination of many of the people working at the WFP who are willing …
Note to Blog Readers: For the past four days I have been on the Island of Giglio covering the aftermath of the devastating shipwreck of the Costa Concordia Cruise Liner for Associated Press Television News. As of today (Monday, January 23, 2012) there are 13 dead and 19 missing. Today I want to tell the …
Dear Blog Readers– The AP office in Rome has been a bit busy the past few days covering the story of the Costa Concordia Cruise ship that came too close to the Giglio Island, off the coast of Tuscany, hit some rocks and capsized Friday night. Rescuers found five more bodies today bringing the total …
Every year the Christmas season begins for me when we cover the arrival of the Vatican Christmas tree. We go to the Vatican at dawn and film as an 18-wheeler, flat-bed truck rolls into St. Peter’s Square with the gigantic tree. We stand around stamping our feet in the chilly, damp air as men in …
Mozzarella Mamma Blog Readers, I was looking forward to completing a blog post today on Italy’s Tiger Mamma, but my plans were foiled when I got called into work to cover a press conference by Italy’s new Prime Minister Mario Monti announcing his new austerity measures that are supposed to pull Italy back from the …
My blog readers might have noticed by now that I jump at any opportunity to do stories for APTN’s Entertainment department. It gives me a break from all the political and Vatican stories that I do most days. On Friday there was a press conference in Rome with Actors Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek from …
In May 2009 I learned that not only food but soccer (or “calcio”–meaning “kick” in Italian) is a fundamental conversation topic for anyone spending time in Italy. It came about in a strange way. I was among the journalists on the Papal plane on Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Jordan, Israel and the Occupied Territories. …
Berlusconi served as Prime Minister for years before journalists in Rome paid much attention to his private life, but then it hit us like a bomb. It was well known that Berlusconi like to flirt and liked young beautiful women. He made some waves when he put showgirls and starlets on his political party lists …