In the late winter/early spring of 1948, American playwright Tennessee Williams arrived in Rome in need of a change of scenery. Williams, of course, is known for his writing set in the American South, including “A Streetcar Named Desire” (written in 1947) and “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” (1955), both of which earned him Pulitzer…
Rome is a city of many hills. But the seven hills of Rome are the original hills on which the ancient city was founded.
A short primer on a few of the dates you will encounter while meandering the streets and squares of Italy.
Calling Italian playwright Dario Fo a “Renaissance” man would probably irk him given his long history of questioning authority and mocking the status quo. But Fo, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997 (one of six Italians to have won the literature prize) proves he is worthy of this nickname with the new…
It has been said (too many times) that all roads lead to Rome. But did you know that you could trace botanical medicine and even the environmental movement to 16th century Italy? It was here in the city of Pisa (1544) then Padua (1545) that the world’s first botanical gardens were set up. This month’s…
Over the past weekend, Rome got pelted with eight inches of snow, the largest single snowfall in the capital since 1986. The rare snowfall prompted the closure of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, and other tourist attractions. Many businesses had to close because workers were unable to access public transportation or get their…
Marble, either as a substance or a style, runs through three different artisan crafts that are famous in Italy.
When my colleagues in the Italy Blogging Roundtable and I decided to write on the topic “gifts” for our December post, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about. I knew straight away that I didn’t want to write about Italian gifts you can buy in a store, though there are many I desire…
Many of you will know that, since May 2011, five of us have been writing a monthly post on a given topic and we call it the Italy Blogging Roundtable. Each month we decide the topic in advance and the only rule is that it has to be connected to Italy; the posts are published…
The potato is a vegetable that no one really associates with Italy but it features in two dishes that some consider comfort fo
Enjoy the outdoors in Italy with these three “fall” activities.
The footsteps behind us were worrisome. With each step that landed on the worn, slightly slick cobblestones, an equal but louder pair of footsteps resonated behind my husband and me as we tried to find our way back to our Venice hotel on a frigid November night. Not too far away, the warm, convivial sounds…
Deciding on a favorite piece of art in Italy is similar to picking a favorite child: it’s an impossible task. On some days, when thinking about Italy’s great art works, a certain color combo will grab me or maybe a dark mood has me preferring chiaroscuro over lighter fare. At any rate, this month’s Italy…
Disclaimer: This post was written before I had the chance to fully appreciate driving (and parking) in Italy. While the below information still applies, I have much more experience driving in Italy, inside cities like Rome and Florence, as well as on highways and the A-1 autostrada. Read my updated post about driving in Italy….
Why do I write about Italy? As I sit here, trying to dream up a good answer to my first assignment as part of the Italy Blogging Roundtable, a project I have entered into with Jessica of Italylogue, Alexandra of ArtTrav, Rebecca of Brigolante, and Gloria of At Home in Tuscany, I am returning from…