Our beloved Marilyn
Conspiracy theories are a dime a dozen and in the light of day rarely withstand serious scrutiny. But when the [...]
Mario Zoom
I called us the Zoomers. I was in my mid-twenties, a novice to Rome life. Behind the wheel of the [...]
The Italian summer we don’t talk about
If you’re a 2000s baby, you probably grew up with films like “The Lizzie McGuire Movie” or “Call Me by [...]
To Italy, with love
A friend of mine, a seasoned journalist in Rome, recently wrote about la dolce vita, and how travelers to Italy [...]
“Shark” drew blood before “Jaws”
Once again, “Shark Week” is upon us. It’s a good time to remember how we became so obsessed with these [...]
Review: Cousin Bette
An exploration of Honoré de Balzac’s feuilleton, or serialized novel Cousin Bette is apt to begin with this quote: “Women [...]
A “well-integrated” Italian?
When I first applied for my residence permit in Italy, I signed an agreement stating that I would commit to [...]
At war’s end
Like a character in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, I recently joined a British pilgrimage in “April, when its showers are sweet.” [...]
Making good trouble
Fighting incessant wind, I hold my homemade sign high above my head as I yell into the highway, “Show me [...]
In the city of coffee
Italy is renowned for its coffee shops on every corner. This devotion to coffee, however, is taken to a whole [...]
Papal stories
When I found out about Pope Francis’ death on Monday, April 21, I had just dropped my daughter off from [...]