Photo of the Month: February 2015
My favorite images from February were taken during a day trip to Venice for the annual Carnevale di Venezia, a two-week celebration leading up to the beginning of Lent. Carnevale … Continue reading
The Role of Truth in Italian versus American Defamation Law
Italian law, unlike American law, does not require defamatory speech to be false. Above: Truth and Mercy by Pompeo Batoni, circa 1745. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. In American defamation … Continue reading
Defamation Lawsuits, Attacks on Journalists Bring Down Italy’s 2015 Press Freedom Ranking
Above: Italy ranks worse than most of its neighbors, including several EU-hopeful Balkan states, in Reporters Without Borders’ latest global press freedom survey. White states are ranked the highest, followed … Continue reading
How Italy’s Famed La Scala Opera House Packs its Seats with Millennials
Tickets priced at just 10 euros as part of the “La Scala UNDER30” program in Milan sold out in 15 minutes last month. Above: the inside of La Scala opera … Continue reading
Local and National Governments Clash Over Gay Marriage in Italy
Bologna Mayor Virginio Merola (left) and Interior Minister Angelino Alfano (right) have squared off over same-sex marriage in Italy. Photos courtesy of the City of Bologna and the Italian Ministry of … Continue reading
Photo of the Month: December 2014
After so many weeks living in a fortified city, this month’s theme is nature. Click photos to enlarge. View from the hilltop town of Montecatini Alto in Tuscany. The rooms … Continue reading
Self-Guided Walking Tour of Bologna
Above: Looking down on Bologna’s historic city center. The 2014 Rick Steves Guide to Italy, an impressive tome clocking in at more than 1,200 pages, devotes exactly one paragraph to … Continue reading
Photo of the Month: November 2014
A regular feature with a few of my favorite images taken over the past month: Above: The inside of the Altare della Patria, Rome’s monument to the fatherland. Above: View of Rome … Continue reading
Unexpected Environmentalism — Rome as a City of Rebuilding and Reuse
Rome’s constant transformation and re-use make it an unlikely contender for one of Europe’s great sustainable cities. Above: the Pantheon. ROME, Italy — Architect and urban environmentalist Tom Rankin admits … Continue reading
80-Year-Old Court Case Comes to a Close in Naples
The decision finally resolves a 1934 property dispute surrounding a plot of land that required the court to trace the chain of title back to 1536. Above: Naples. NAPLES, Italy … Continue reading
Fulbright Year Italy 