The unforgotten soldier
Memories of love can also be ones of loss, as columnist Kristine Crane found out when reading a Vietnam-era correspondence.
From Signorina to Signora
A few years ago, when I visited Rome for the first time since living there in my twenties, it was [...]
Love letters to heal the pain
A decade ago, columnist Kristine Crane met a man on an Italian train and felt a pull. From this came an email bond forged of grief.
The Mamma Mission
One of my missions when I visited Rome a few years ago was to find out about mamma, the mother [...]
The big toss of a small coin
My good friend Jyl put it to me well some years ago. “It’s like you don’t quite get America, and [...]
Piano keys and ponies
I learned to play piano from the woman we knew as Mrs. E. Her real name was Charlotte, and her [...]
Once upon a catwalk
Some years ago, I was a model for Halloween. In real life, I am pretty and petite, but not model [...]
Bella Ciao, and memories of a man
Recently, I played “Bella Ciao” for my students. I first heard the song as a college student in Bologna. I [...]
I Gemelli, an Italian story
Columnist Kristine Crane had no idea where she sat on the zodiac until she came to Italy, after which planets aligned.
Italian 101 (or, In the beginning)
I’m teaching Italian at the University of Florida this fall. The course is called Beginning Italian II, which was my [...]
Sleeping with the enemy
Columnist Kristine Crane found an unwelcome bedfellow one night, reviving a fear of cockroaches in an American state they love.
From words to anatomy, and back
About five years ago, I briefly considered embarking on a second career as a doctor. Though I’d been a health [...]