Next up… The Booby Bomber
Be wary of the Booby Bomber… Ok. A weak attempt at wit, but it is where we seem to be heading.
Here is the bomber history. A story is being built. … Continue Reading
I found that working in a holiday rental agency was a fantastic way to get to know Italy and the local culture. My account from behind the scenes reveals what goes on behind closed doors, tells you what you need to know about the agency before you book your holiday …
Last week, the entire financial problems in Testaccio were solved in less than 10 minutes. There was widespread debt and no money in community, until the visit of an American Tourist. Here’s what happened.
Why should you support the use of cash in Italy? Does that not mean that you are facilitating tax evasion? Not necessarily. Instead, overusing your credit card in Italy means to undermine their social fabric, and might hurt the local economy and culture. Here is why.
One of the things you don’t realize about Rome until you’ve left is the city’s (and the country’s) great tradition of pasticcerie.
Be wary of the Booby Bomber… Ok. A weak attempt at wit, but it is where we seem to be heading.
Here is the bomber history. A story is being built. … Continue Reading
Tom Kington’s new article in the Observer (published on 7 February 2010) is amusing, but at the same time evokes a glamourous Rome from a slightly different perspective. This is how the article begins: … Continue Reading
Following on from the article about difficulties and benefits of traveling in recessionary times (Recessionary Travel: Understanding The Issue“), here are some of the specific issues that travelers face and should be ready to resolve. … Continue Reading
Searching for accommodation in these times can seem like a dream come true. Everything you search for is available and seems discounted.
What could go wrong? In this article, we discuss the issues to keep in mind when planning and booking your trip, and how you might avoid and resolve them to ensure you really enjoy your trip – instead of just live through it. … Continue Reading
In a new article published in The Guardian, John Hooper offers an insight into the nation’s values by analysing how Italy is commemorating the 10th anniversary of the death of Bettino Craxi, the Italian prime minister for four years in the 1980s, who died in exile as a fugitive from justice. … Continue Reading
This is a response to the previous post (“False Promises of a Romanticised Trastevere?“). As the article says, Trastevere is full of foreigners (and that includes Romans and Italians who just aren’t locals). And they are there to get a feel for the local delights.
But you need to look deeper. In most places around the world you look deeper and just find nothing or worse. The falseness or absurdity of it all. But not in Trastevere. … Continue Reading
Trastevere. Oh, it is so incredibly charming, magical, and picturesque. And exactly bohemian enough to appeal to just about everyone. Or so says every guidebook in the universe. The proof: Hundreds of tourists traipsing through the narrow streets, exclaiming “Oh, how pretty”, and “isn’t it beautiful”, and then later having pizza on the street, surrounded by countless Germans, Americans, and French people, and feeling oh-so italian. … Continue Reading
The case of young (or not-so-young) italians living at home is generating a lot of international media interest right now, especially as one italian minister is now provocatively calling for a new law forcing young italians to leave their parents’ homes at 18. The Guardian has just published an interview by John Hooper with 36-year-old Maurizio Schiavi, living in Rome with his parents. … Continue Reading
We have already commented on how the timing of the unfortunate attack on Prime Minister Berlusconi was convenient, in terms of his political goals, here.
Now, his opponents are nursing conspiracy theories asking whether his injuries were exaggerated, or whether the attack might even have been fake, because he appears to have completely recovered in such a short period of time. … Continue Reading
A judge has ordered an Italian father to pay a monthly allowance of 350 EUR to his 32-year-old student daughter, who is living with her mother, while writing her thesis for a degree in philosophy and supporting herself by offering dance lessons. … Continue Reading
International commentators observe that Italy is experiencing a rise of xenophobia. Martin Kettle of The Guardian even goes as far as to say: “My love affair with Italy is over. The romance is dead. Now I see the country for what it is: rightwing, racist and corrupt.” (I’ve changed my mind about Italy – The Guardian) … Continue Reading
After a year full of sex scandals, divorce proceedings and renewed corruption charges, the Italian Prime Minister “was badly hurt when a man hurled a metal souvenir of Milan Cathedral at him on December 13.” (Timesonline.co.uk).
The attack could not have been more well-timed: Berlusconi’s time seemed up … Continue Reading
Coffee is so central to italian lifestyle (and physical and mental health, probably), that we have no shame devoting yet another post to this invigorating beverage. Please find our earlier post on the art, culture, and variations of coffee in Italy (complete with a directory of legitimate coffee varieties) here – and more coffee-related wisdom in the form of ten commandments here. … Continue Reading
The strong, catholic family values apparently prevalent across all levels of italian society have deeply impacted on the way in which the country is viewed – by italians and foreigners alike. However, changing reality may be quite different than the static prejudice arising from such observations. One way in which Italy’s society may be changing is indicated by the sudden and explosive rise of divorce rate over the last few years. … Continue Reading
Apart from a leisurly cappucino-and-cornetto breakfast in your favourite bar, probably not much. (Or maybe that is just me.)
In contrast, four courageous Italians have celebrated the New Year by diving into the Tiber … Continue Reading
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