The Other Italy

Happy 10th Anniversary to Calabria: The Other Italy

It seems like a lifetime, yet it’s been just ten years since I published Calabria: The Other Italy. My intention was to shine a light on an area that seemed to have been left in the dark – the tree that fell in the forest with no one around to hear it. I found that there was an audience out there, eager to listen, from those with Calabrian roots searching for an English text about their ancestral homeland to Italophiles and other curious individuals looking for a “new” place to explore, familiar yet different, the “other” Italy. Read More

Connections across the miles

Connections Across the Miles on my 10th Blogiversary

When I sat down to write my first blogpost 10 years ago, I wasn’t even sure what a blog was. I knew I had visited blogs on occasion, searching google for various topics, but I would have had to stretch my mind to picture someone on the other side of the earth doing the same thing and ending up on my blog. However, that is exactly what has happened! And for my 10-year blogging anniversary (aka blogiversary), I would like to focus on my readers and share just a few comments that demonstrate how important these connections across the miles can be, the memories they spark and the feelings they evoke. Read More

Treasure of Sant Eufemia at the British Museum

Calabrian Gold in London, the Treasure of Sant Eufemia at the British Museum

The British Museum houses a treasure trove of riches from all over the world. I had visited the venerable institution on several occasions many years ago, enjoying its vastness. But on a recent trip to London, I returned with a purpose and headed straight for Room 73. I wanted to see the collection from the ancient Greek settlements in Southern Italy, what’s known as Greater Greece. I could write a lifetime of blogposts with what was on display, but for this post, I would like to focus on the Treasure of Sant Eufemia. Who would have thought to find Calabrian gold in London? Read More

easy-walking tour

Castles and Wines of Calabria Easy-Walking Tour, Inaugural Journey

How many days in Calabria? People are always amazed when they come upon my tours and realize that the entire program focuses on one lesser-known region. Discerning individuals, however, are rather delighted, not concerned with mass tourism’s raised eyebrow at the idea of a third itinerary in an area used by industry behemoths as a pass-through for their big bus tours traveling to and from Sicily. Really, Is There Anything to See in Calabria? Asssolutamente, sì! With that, I would like to tell you about my third itinerary, Castles and Wines of Calabria Easy-Walking Tour, and its successful inaugural journey this past June. Read More

'nduja di Spilinga

What is ‘Nduja?

Not so long ago, ‘nduja was largely unknown outside Calabria. This delectable salami was local, in the Italian sense of the word, in a world where the other side of a mountain or the other end of a region would have its own specialties. But distances have become shorter and connections faster, so that this once obscure pork product from a village in Southern Italy has even made it to my computer’s dictionary… Read More

ancient Greek gold

A Goddess’ Treasure in Crotone

Buried treasure brings to mind fanciful maps from childhood. X marks the spot of a chest overflowing with gold coins and precious jewels. It’s hard to imagine that riches await a simple turn of the shovel. But where’s the map? In 1987, the Tesoro di Hera, treasure of the Greek goddess, lay just where it should have, within the remains of an ancient temple in Crotone, a province of Calabria in Southern Italy. Read More

Murals in Calabria, Italy

“Detti Calabresi,” Calabrian Sayings from Borgo Croce

How often do we hear about Italy’s abandoned villages? Inhabitants moved away for work, to larger cities, to the north or abroad. In a frazione of Fiumara, a group of townsfolk decided that they didn’t want to move away from their “neighborhood” in the foothills of the Aspromonte Mountains overlooking the Strait of Messina in the Province of Reggio Calabria. And they founded the project Borgo Croce to beautify their village, which now is alive with color as well as colorful detti calabresi, Calabrian sayings. Read More