An oil painting of a lit candle.

Sight Unseen

A blind expat's musings on life, death and the Trump era

April 23, 2026 | Rome, Italy
France and Germany are once again atop the continent.

M&M power

Donald Trump wanted a weaker dollar, and now he has one, thanks in part to Paris and Berlin.

Summer in New Hampshire, but this time no return to Milan.

Soothsayer

A summer vacation in New Hampshire feels like so many others until you realize its not a vacation at all.

Studies already suggest sitting doesn't help young backs.

The Ritalin trap

Too often, North American kids are riddled with amphetamines for not sitting still. But where's the logic?

Foreigners have always been mesmerized by the city.

Once upon a Rome

Discovering a letter from Rome written in 1987 lets you take a walk in another world, though much endures.

Luminously handsome men.

Navarro-Valls

The death of former papal spokesman Joaquín Navarro-Valls elicits memories of "game-changing" events.

Glimmers of love

After a quarter century in Milan, Madeleine Johnson heads home to America, but not before a nod to her city.