I recorded this interview with NBC between the time that the first nationwide locked down occurred, and the next night when stricter measures were put into place. That means: all coffee bars and nonessential businesses are closed; you can only go to work if you work for an essential industry; and we need to be […]
Author Archives: Natalie
The government of Italy announced late on 9 March that the entire country would be subject to the same rules which apply to areas previously known as “red zones.” This has been referred to in the press as Italy on lockdown, but it was not clear what that means. Here is the letter I wrote […]
Life in a small town near Modena was turned upside last week when wine suddenly started flowing from the water taps thanks to a mistake at a nearby Lambrusco winery. The “problem” occurred in the Castelvetro area of Modena, when tanks at the Settecani winery began to leak into the water supply. The high pressure […]
Italy is so full of natural wonders that it is hard to know where to begin. Even after more than a decade of living in Rome, I feel like I am barely beginning to scratch the surface of things to see. However, the white, undulating Scala dei Turchi has been at the top of my […]
Sitting in the imposing shadow of Mt. Etna, the streets of Catania are dominating by the Sicilian volcano. One of the best places to see the volcano is from the wide, straight avenue that is aptly named Via Etnea. My favorite place to enjoy the view, the buzz of the city, and some of the […]
Updated 9 April: After more than 30 days in a full national lockdown, Italy appears to be seeing a downward trend in infections and an upward swing in recoveries. We are cautiously optimistic of the news but things continue to develop and change so quickly here in Rome that I have decided to keep all […]
From the Alps to the pink beach of Sardinia, Italy is full of natural wonders. But when traveling outside of Bari, I was introduced to one in Puglia that I had never heard of: the grotte di Castellana. The cave system can be found near the town of Castellana and it is absolutely mesmerizing. The […]
I have thrown my fair share of coins into the Trevi Fountain. In fact, I make a point of tossing in a few cents whenever I find myself in the area. Even though I find myself unable to resist the romantic story behind the coin toss – I have often wondered exactly where the money […]