“Cinquecento, Cinquecento”, Tom Hanks says quickly and I start giggling. “I just like the sound of that,” he adds, “Salone del Cinquecento, that sounds so much better than the Hall of 500.” I am standing in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence interviewing Tom Hanks about his work on the film “Inferno” and he’s given my […]
Tom Hanks and the Salone del Cinquecento Read More »
Dear Blog Readers – After spending nearly a week in Sicily working on the migrant story this month, I had so much material for a blog post, but no energy left to write it, so this post will be brief. The AP team was working around the clock covering ships arriving in the port of
In over 20 years working as a journalist, I don’t think I’ve ever covered a story where one word counted so much. Genocide. Prior to Pope Francis’ Mass on April 12th to mark the 100th anniversary of the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks, we debated the question all week. Will Pope Francis use the
The Weight of a Word Read More »
“It’s an Exodus” sighed Sargeant Marco DiMilla who works in the press office for the Italian Coast Guard when I called him frantically Wednesday morning trying to figure out which ports the Coast Guard ships would be landing at in Sicily and disembarking migrants rescued at sea. He reeled off some numbers and places as
Dear Blog Readers, Just a quick follow up to the “Tired Pope Post” yesterday. Last night I covered the Via Crucis at the Colosseum. As I mentioned yesterday, it is one of my favorite events on the Vatican calendar because of the intermingling of the violent history of the Colosseum with gladiators battling to the
Darkness, Despair and Light at the Via Crucis in Rome Read More »
Dear Blog Readers – Pope Francis is neck deep in Easter Week celebrations and I have the distinct feeling he is tired. He said it himself Thursday morning in the Chrism Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica. The Chrism Mass is the annual Mass held on the morning of Holy Thursday during which the Pope blesses
Is Pope Francis Tired? Read More »
Dear Blog Readers, I am in the city of Padua in northern Italy where today I was covering the trial of the couchsurfing policeman, Dino Maglio. In the first day of the fast-track trial, the prosecutor asked for Maglio to be sent to prison for 7 years and 4 months for drugging and raping a
Italy’s Couchsurfing Policeman Read More »
Dear Blog Readers – With fears of terrorists hopping on boats and crossing the Mediterranean, suddenly Italy – which has been pulling migrants out of the sea by the thousands over the past year – is witnessing a strong backlash against migrants. This weekend the leader of the right-wing anti-Euro, anti-Migrant Northern League led a