Welcome to my little corner of Italy.
Fantasioso … creative, imaginative … Italian bars are like the people. “Prendiamo un caffè.” Let’s get a coffee. An Italian bar is always, and I mean always, a stone’s throw away. Italians love their coffee, that thimbleful of dark liquid they throw back with such style. It’s about the coffee, but it’s also about the ritual, the culture, maybe even in the DNA. Read More
Licorice isn’t something people are wishy-washy about—they either like it or they don’t, regardless of how it’s spelled. Or would that be spelt? To the British, it’s liquorice, but what’s amazing is that most opinions have been formed without ever having tasted a single drop of real licorice, or for that matter, the very best licorice from Calabria, Italy. Read More
Provenance. In the end, it all comes down to that record of ownership, sometimes elusive and often just plain false. The Testa di Basilea or the Head of Basilea is a beautiful bronze sculpture, dating from the period of Greater Greece. It was lost, found and “lost” again. Recently, this notable head from antiquity was given a facelift in a restoration project open to the public at the Archeological Museum in Reggio Calabria. Read More
A 360-degree panorama of untamed, natural beauty surrounds the Castle of Amendolea, whose ruins cling precariously to a narrow, rocky cliff on the southern tip of the Italian peninsula. The high ridge dominates the entire valley and is crowned by the abandoned fortification and village, a ghost town with an incredible view. A visit to Amendolea is a leap back in time, to a Calabria of long ago. Read More
This past week Lulu from Calabrisella Mia nominated Calabria: The Other Italy for the Unique Blogger Award. While I’ve gotten lots of great comments from readers over my three and a half years blogging, this is my first official recognition from another blogger in the blogosphere. Read More
Every time there’s another flashy news story about a mob boss crawling out of a bunker or a maxi-arrest of ‘Ndrangheta members, friends and acquaintances tell me about it and want to know what I think. The latest is the New Yorker and the ‘Ndrangheta in Alex Perry’s article “Blood and Justice.” I have a few thoughts. Read More
So many wonderful places to visit, so little time. Need a few suggestions? The New York Times has one for every week of the year in their annual list “52 Places to Go.” Last year, the fascinating Southern Italian region of Calabria was distinguished. This year, the experts say, it’s time to visit Basilicata.Read More
“Non mollare.” — Don’t give up. As we ring in the New Year with resolutions full of challenge and optimism, the advice of an octogenarian who has swum the Strait of Messina 23 times is as good as it gets. Add to that, he was 49 years old when he attempted it for the first time. Reggio Calabria native Elio Musco, Dr. Musco to his patients, practices what he preaches, and swimming the Strait of Messina at its narrowest point is just the tip of the iceberg. Read More
Christmas gets bigger every year, so much so that we can’t fit everything into just one month. Decorations come out earlier and earlier, and we’re hardly able to finish our Thanksgiving turkeys before those Christmas parties start rolling out. But amidst all the hype, there are also those moments, some may even be categorized as magical, that make the season special. I’d like to share a few characteristic images of Calabria at Christmas. Read More
“In Diretta” – LIVE! This past week I had my first occasion to speak on Italian radio. I converse in Italian all the time, but simultaneously staring down a microphone was a new experience for me. I was the invited guest of Tonino Massara, enthusiastic host of the program “Terzo Millennio” (Third Millennium) on Radio Antenna Febea in Reggio Calabria. Read More