Sometimes I think that this famous pair of bronze statues must be tired, on their feet all day in that fixed warrior position. The Riace Bronzes are like models in an art studio, except no one’s drawing.
My Calabrian Tea Party
BOOK SIGNINGS: THE UNKNOWN Book signings of an unfamiliar writer can be rather awkward affairs. Patrons of the bookstore, library or other organization hosting the event may wander by to support a local initiative or they may just pass the author’s table by chance. However, without a line out the door, potential readers often find themselves at a loss.
Curiosities: The Easter Hand
THE COSMOS We’ve all read our horoscopes whether or not we actually believe in them. Could there really be something to the positioning of the stars, the alignment of the planets, the lunar cycle? Nowadays we have so many facts at our fingertips, but are we any closer to understanding where the individual fits in with the tides or the …
The “Tavola Calda” – Part 1
BEFORE THE TAVOLA CALDA My father likes to reminisce about the wonderful meals he ate while living in Rome in the 1950s. Perhaps surprisingly, one of his favorite lunches consisted of a big plate of cooked spinach on which he drizzled olive oil and squeezed a lemon. He would lap it up with several slices of a hearty, crusty bread …
A Calabrian Tarantella
DANCING IN THE STREET In Calabria, the tarantella always seems to be present, whether formally or informally, whenever there’s a traditional town festival or religious procession. A group of musicians with folk instruments may set up in a piazza, begin playing, and a crowd will invariably gather—young and old, toddlers flailing with their characteristic, unbridled enthusiasm, and old-timers with the …
LE FRITTOLE: The Pig Boil, Calabrian Style
INVITATION TO A PIG BOIL My introduction to le frittole came early in my time in Calabria when I was invited to a student’s house in the country to participate in the experience. I must say that I was impressed with the master of ceremonies and his wife. They were just regular people—a civil servant and schoolteacher—who as far as …
Palmi, Calabria: The House of Culture
PALMI’S ASSEMBLAGE OF CULTURE La Casa della Cultura, the complex of museums and libraries in Palmi has a good name. It certainly piqued my interest. The photos I had seen of various items in its ethnographical museum had further aroused my curiosity. Before visiting, however, I thought it best to confirm the opening hours.
Christmas Eve at St. Peterʼs
CHRISTMAS EVE TICKETS Arms pinned to my sides, neck craned, strobe-like lighting accompanying a vertiginous din . . . the memory of my visit to the Sistine Chapel many summers ago. An unfortunately negative experience that featured hordes of unruly tourists and their flashing cameras left me with a less than favorable association with the Vatican. So when my friend …
Elections in Calabria
ITALY’S SEXIEST MAYOR “I don’t find him sexy.” “Who?” “The mayor. The TV’s saying he’s the sexiest mayor in Italy. I don’t know. He doesn’t transmit ‘sexy’ to me.” The 70-year-old woman wanted my opinion.
Calabrian Eateries: Mushrooms
MUSHROOM HUNTING Whenever I think of mushrooms, I think of the little old Italian woman who picked the wild ones growing in the front yard of our house in suburban New Jersey. She would always knock on our front door and ask permission. The first time, my mother hesitated, not knowing if they were poisonous. “No! They are good, very …