Italian Life

June 3, 2025

Wine wars: Why we get headaches from drinking wine in U.S. but rarely in Italy — Chapter 2

Since retiring to Rome 11 years ago and getting fairly heavily into wine, I rarely get headaches. Yet I always did in the U.S. So do my readers. I sought answers at a recent wine tasting of my favorite Piedmont wines as well as wine experts in the U.S. and California. The culprit isn’t sulfites as I always thought. It’s much more complicated.

May 27, 2025

Rome hotel guide: The world’s briefest (Hey, I live in an apartment!) offers four I can recommend

I don’t know why visitors always ask me to recommend a hotel in Rome. I don’t know. I live in apartments. But over the last few years I’ve taken Marina to six hotels in Rome for one-night “staycations.” It has given me a small glimpse at the hotel scene here. Unfortunately, two we visited have closed. For what it’s worth, here are four we can recommend.

May 20, 2025

Pesto: Liguria’s trademark sauce puts punch in pasta

Pesto is one of the most popular sauces in Italy and two weeks ago Marina and I went to the birthplace of pesto: Liguria. During our four days in the port town of Porto Venere, we had pesto on pasta, in paninos and even on pancakes. We also interviewed the instructor of a pasta-makìng school. I became so addicted I bought a bottle of his homemade pesto.

May 13, 2025

Porto Venere: Italy’s Cinque Terre light perfect place to celebrate 10-year anniversary

I had never heard of Porto Venere until Marina suggested it for our 10-year anniversary. It looked perfect. Close enough to Cinque Terre to enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery but far enough away to avoid the mobs. Well, tourists still poured into Porto Venere but it’s nothing like Vernazza in July. We also had a lovely apartment away from the Old Town right on the beach with one of the best restaurants we’ve been to in Italy almost next door.

May 9, 2025

An American pope? It’s true and the Vatican Thursday was awash in hope and so was I

I was one of the millions around the world caught off guard by the naming of American cardinal Robert Francis Provost as the new pope. I was not interested in writing about Pope Francis’ successor but when I saw it was the first American pope in history, I raced to the Vatican. I found optimism from a wide range of people, from American pilgrims to nuns to Carmelite priests. I like the pick, and not just because he’s an American.

April 29, 2025

10-year anniversary: Cross-cultural relationships have challenges most couples never experience

Ten years ago today, I went out with Marina Pascucci for an aperitivo in Rome. We’re still going out — around Rome, around Italy and around the world. Tonight marks our 10-year anniversary, a grand feat considering the challenges cross-cultural relationships have. I discuss our journey with some learned observations from an Italian relationship counselor.

April 21, 2025

Pope Francis’ surprise death turns St. Peter’s Square into bastion of prayer — and tour groups

I woke up ready to write about my trip to Meteora, Greece’s towering collection of monasteries hanging off cliffs. Instead, I wrote a bigger religious story. Pope Francis is dead. It was announced at 7:30 a.m. Rome time and I raced down to St. Peter’s to capture the scene. It was business as normal but there was a very solemn backdrop.

March 25, 2025

Italy overrated: My 10 most overrated things in my adopted country (do you really like Prosecco?)

Italy has many beautiful things to write home about but some things have been written about too much. I count 10 overrated things in Italy, the hype of which has driven me crazy for years. I itemize them, from Prosecco to Cinque Terre.

February 25, 2025

Gorizia-Nova Gorica: Italian-Slovenian odd couple sharing European Capital of Culture 2025

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For the first time in the 40 years of European Capitals of Culture, two bordering cities are sharing the designation. Gorizia, Italy, and Nova Gorica, Slovenia have been on opposite sides of the same international border since Nova Gorica rose from the ashes of World War II. Today they claim to be borderless and civic cooperation led to their dual honor for 2025. I attended their opening ceremony earlier this month and this is my report.

February 18, 2025

Borgo Pio: Tiny Rome neighborhood perfect spot to celebrate Valentine’s Day eve and save money

Occasionally Marina and I spend a night in a hotel in our city of Rome just to remind ourselves why more than 10 million tourists visit every year. Last week we took a room in historic Borgo Pio, a slivert of a neighborhood near the Vatican. We went Feb. 13 to avoid the price gouging the next night on Valentine’s Day. The weather was rainy, perfect to scare away tourists and present Borgo Pio in its rawest form.

February 4, 2025

Hungary: How racist is Viktor Orban’s all-white country?

In my four visits to Hungary, I’ve always been startled by how white it is. I never see anyone of color. In light of prime minister Viktor Orban’s outlandish statements about immigration and his even more outrageous laws, I sought some answers during our visit last week. It’s not as racist as I thought but Orban is clinging to his immigration stance as he falls in the polls.

January 28, 2025

Giorgia Meloni: Life in Italy is so far so good — but I remain cautious

Frantic friends and readers have asked me this month how to move to Italy — but also ask what is life like under Giorgia Meloni. The prime minister, whose Brothers of Italy party has neo fascist roots, has been pretty benign. Nothing she has done has repulsed me or affected me. However, I remain cautious as her cozy relationship with Donald Trump and Elon Musk makes me and others in Italy nervous.

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