Italian Life

January 21, 2025

Jubilee’s Holy Doors: At St. Paul, you don’t need to be Catholic to appreciate the history and art

The Jubilee has come to Rome for a 13-month stay, meaning about 35 million pilgrims will pour in to walk through one of the four Holy Doors that were opened for the first time in 25 years. Marina and I went through the one in St. Paul Outside the Walls. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I’m not Catholic. Marina is. It was a big deal to her and it has been for the world’s Catholics since 1500. Myself? I just loved the church’s beauty.

January 14, 2025

Travel bucket list 2025: From Wales to Thailand and some “weird” destinations in between

Since retiring to Rome in 2014, I average about 60 days of travel a year. I should top that in 2025. My travel bucket list has a trip either booked or tentatively scheduled nearly every month. They range from Wales this winter to Thailand next November with WAY off-the-beaten-path spots such as Turkmenistan and Syria in between. Take a look at my plan. Hope it inspires you to set sail.

January 7, 2025

Eleven years in Rome: My annual reasons for living here

Every year around Jan. 11, the anniversary of my arrival in Rome in 2014, I write all the reasons I love living here. After 11 years, it’s still not a problem finding new reasons. This year I found a whole new list, ranging from the draw Rome’s 930 churches has on me to chocolate-covered frappe served every Easter. Hope this list brings back fond memories or your trip to Rome or inspires you to make some memories of your own.

December 24, 2024

Rome Jubilee: After 25 years, the city tries to clean up for the world and 35 million visitors

Today marks the start of the Rome Jubilee, the Vatican’s celebration of reconciliation and spiritual renewal that is held every 25 years. Rome has been under heavy construction for the last year but is finally showing the positive effects. Here’s a preview of what to expect if you’re going to be one of the 35 million people expected to visit.

December 17, 2024

Rome Christmas markets: The subtle, romantic way to get into the Christmas spirit far from family

Christmas is different in Rome. Despite being the center of the Christian world, Christmas celebrations are more subtle here. A popular way to celebrate Christmas is Christmas markets. There are many in Rome and we spent the weekend going to three of them. They’re great for snacks, shopping and generally getting into the Christmas spirit without drowning in bright lights and loud carols.

December 13, 2024

Rome to Sicily by train: Ten hours of beautiful scenery but didn’t Mussolini make the trains run on time?

Gabor Kavocs, a lawyer in London and a friend I’ve known since we met in Florence in 1978, recently took a 10-train ride from Rome to Sicily with his wife, Caroline. It was full of lovely scenery and was a comfortable ride, the long delay notwithstanding. This is a guest blog from a good friend.

November 26, 2024

Transnistria: The breakaway republic is a little Russia inside Moldova — and Lenin is watching you

Transnistria is a breakaway Russian republic in Moldova right on the Ukraine border. Neither Moldova nor the United Nations recognizes it as an independent country. It is very Russian, from the Cyrllic alphabet to the Russian language to the ruble monetary unit. I spent a night there and took Village and Soviet tours for a full report.

November 12, 2024

Moving to Italy: Trump’s victory leading thousands of Americans seeking pasta, vino and calm seas

So many people are disgusted with last week’s U.S. election that they are flooding expat websites trying to leave the country. A major target is Italy where I have received numerous inquiries, and the CEO of Expats Living in Rome says her emails have tripled. I examine the whole phenomenon with the CEO as we discuss the obstacles facing desperate Americans but also the rewards that are here..

October 22, 2024

Moldova wine: National Wine Day and world’s largest wine cellar plenty to drown my Italian-trained palate

Curious about Moldovan wine after a couple of tastings in Italy, I flew to Europe’s poorest country for the Moldova National Wine Day. For two days I tried wines from some of the 100 wineries that attended. I also toured the Milestii Mici winery boasting the world’s largest wine cellar with 2 million bottles of wine.

October 15, 2024

36 Hours in Rome: How I’d spend a short weekend here

The New York Times does a wonderful feature in its Sunday travel section called 36 Hours in … It picks a city around the globe and give readers places to go at appropriate times of the day. I did the same for Rome. I don’t include the major attractions such as the Colosseum and Vatican. You know those. I wrote about the places I would go as a Rome resident of 8 1/2 years. Hope it gives you some ideas next time you come to town, especially for the second time.

October 1, 2024

My Five Favorite Restaurants in Rome 2024: A new No. 1

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I started running a list of my five favorite restaurants in Rome in 2016. I try to do it every year that’s not wiped out by a global pandemic. The 2024 list is a little late but it’s out today. There is a new No. 1 but my usual No. 1, Renato e Luisa, made the list for the fourth time. Keep this list handy for that next trip to Rome.

August 27, 2024

Porticoes: These golden arches make Bologna famous

I love Bologna, not just because of its luscious spaghetti bolognese but for its porticoes. Those are the graceful arches that cover 40 miles of Bologna streets. UNESCO awarded them with a World Heritage Site three years ago and they remain one of the most distinct architectural styles in Italy. I visited last month and came away with this report.

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