Italian Life

January 4, 2022

2021 in review: Covid and travel were odd bedfellows

Last year was the best and worst of both worlds. Covid travel restrictions continued our isolation from the world outside Italy. When the restrictions lifted, I raced to six countries in six months. But as time wore on, Covid returned and my patience did not. Traveling during a global pandemic is truly tiring. Here’s a month-by-month review of one of the strangest years of my life.

January 2, 2022

Italian opera: The little New Jersey girl fulfills lifelong dream

Annamaria Borelli began singing on her family’s porch in New Jersey at age 7. Since then she has trained as an opera singer and landed a role in the famous Italian opera La Boheme, which opens Tuesday at Rome’s Teatro Vittorio.

December 24, 2021

Christmas gifts for 2021: U.S., Italy were naughty and nice

I saw Santa in his hometown in Finland last week and he’s exhausted. I volunteered to sub and pass out presents to all those naughty and nice. The problem is, I’m tired, too. I sprinkled gifts on only the U.S. and Italy but there was plenty of naughty to go around. Donald Trump fans will enjoy his gift. But there were some nice as well. Mario Draghi, take a bow. Enjoy my annual Christmas gifts.

December 22, 2021

Rovaniemi: Finland’s winter wonderland on Arctic Circle

Rovaniemi, Finland, is a 75-minute flight from Helsinki and is the mythical home of Santa Claus. In 1985 the city built a Santa’s Village where it looks like a Currier and Ives painting with huge Christmas trees, sleigh rides and Christmas carols. Santa is around, too. But it’s more than a kid’s Christmas dream. It’s also a winter wonderland where we went dog sledding and saw the Northern Lights.

December 14, 2021

Books on Italy great Xmas gifts for Italophile at home

Thinking of going to Italy with the special someone? It’s always good to research before you go anywhere. Christmas is coming so what better gift than a book about Italy? You’ve already been? Read up more. You’ll want to go again. Here are 10 of my favorite books on Italy since moving to Rome in 2014.

October 26, 2021

Stuttgart: Benztown a sleek machine cruising with class

Stuttgart often gets overlooked in Germany’s landscape but it’s well worth more than just a stopover, its city center boasts parks and fountains and people in no hurry.

October 5, 2021

Italy for retirement? It doesn’t rank but it does with me

How close are you to retirement? Well, if you’re thinking of following your dream and retiring overseas, there are many rankings to guide you to your last destination.

September 21, 2021

Asturias: Spain’s northern sliver of Ma Nature’s best work

Asturias occupies a small sliver of land on Spain’s northwest coast but in an area smaller than Connecticut it packs some of the most picturesque forests, majestic mountains and raw beaches. It’s a great escape from the crowds that flock to the rest of Spain.

August 31, 2021

Skopelos: Greece’s emerald isle more than “Mamma Mia!”

Skopelos became famous in 2008 when Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan sang and danced their way across the island in “Mamma Mia!” But the scenes you see in the movie are just a snippet of the real beauty of this island of 5,000 people. Great beaches. Deep forests. Excellent food. It’s our new favorite Greek island.

August 25, 2021

Rome’s Gladiator School: My two months swinging a sword and learning truth was bloodier than fiction

In Rome’s Gladiator School, I learned to fight three men at once with a 7-pound sword — and how to lay dead without pulling my tunic over my underwear. My two months in La Scuola dei Gladiatori was a rollicking ride of humility combined with insight into one of the bloodiest period’s in man’s history.

July 12, 2021

Euro champion Italy finally gives Italians a reason to sing

Champion
Euro champion Italy hadn’t won the European Championship since 1968 and England had never won it. Something had to give at London’s Wembley Stadium and England certainly did with a pitiful performance in the shootout. Italians in Rome hadn’t celebrated like this since winning the World Cup in 2006.

July 8, 2021

Jose Mourinho arrives in Rome: We want to leave a legacy

Jose Mourinho has won national titles in four countries and Champions League trophies with two clubs. Thursday he was introduced as the manager to lead A.S. Roma, which hasn’t won a title in 20 years and is coming off its worst season since 2004-05. I was there.

«‹ 12 13 14 15 ›»