In Provincia
Getting dirty and educated
Waking up at the crack of dawn to the stench of manure and mosquitos buzzing in your ear may not be [...]
Polenta’s hardscrabble history
You probably don’t think of corn among Italian food ingredients unless the subject of polenta comes up. Even then, Italian corn [...]
If Umbria could swim
Fish in Umbria has always been scarce. An inland province has no watery pastures. As a result, most Umbrians are not [...]
Dear Uncle
Caro Zio, You left us so recently, just before Christmas. December can be so unkind to the old and the fragile. But [...]
Inspirational saffron
Have you ever wondered why we humans are charmed by anything that resembles gold? Take saffron, which is by far the [...]
A cold Vienna memoir
A lifetime ago I worked in Vienna. I remember that time as among the darkest and the coldest of my life. [...]
Innkeepers of the world, unite!
At last, you said to yourself. At last you found a bit of time on your hands so you pounced on [...]
Poems and lucky stars
San Lorenzo, io lo so perché tanto di stelle per l'aria tranquilla arde e cade, perché sì gran pianto nel concavo [...]
Cometh the flowers
As I sit here finally unwinding after a long day's work at my rustic cooking school and B&B, I know that [...]
Dreaming in Umbrian
Close your eyes. Imagine a long table in a sunny garden laden with delicious food and wine. Look around you. Take [...]
Miss you, Mum
The author winces when she thinks of how her mother dressed her, until nostalgia takes over.
Watching for a wink
Perugia has a troika of protector saints but only one of them is endowed with a special romantic gift.
