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 [...]
Un paio di scarpe
Among the remaining artifacts at my father’s house in Iowa was my Italian running trophy. It sat on the fireplace [...]
To Kri with love
My parents nicknamed me Krissy when I was little. Apparently, it had something to do with Chrissy (Suzanne Somers), the [...]
A short history of catnip
There's a big white and grey cat that every so often comes out of my crawl space. Herman is his [...]
The long goodbye
It's official: My father sold the family home in Iowa. After talking about it for almost a decade, he finally [...]
Dammi la mano
Carne. It was my turn at the emergency room at a hospital in Bologna, and the male orderly butchered my [...]
Finish lines
Word got around in my labor and delivery room that I'd run the Rome marathon. I'd mentioned it to the [...]