January 6th, 2010 Today, in his traditional message after the Angelus, the pope reminded the crowd assembled in St. Peter’s Square that...

December 8th, 2009 At 4 PM the pope makes his way down Rome’s most exclusive shopping street, Via dei Condotti. His popemobile takes a...

November 21st, 2009 At a small wedding dinner at a family restaurant near Piazza Barberini I ask the middle-aged couple why was it they...

November 6th, 2009 It’s harvest time and that means demonstrations. As I pass St John Lateran, in search of approvals for an upcoming...

November 5th, 2009 Ardea did not make the cut for the Michelin Guide, but it holds special treasures. I take a morning bus south and west...

October 23rd, 2009 A transportation strike forces me to walk Via Flaminia all the way to the Metro near Piazza del Populo. Ever since it...

October 20th, 2009 Marcos, a young pianist from Cuba who plays the church organ for us on the weekends, is featured in a recital at...

October 6th, 2009 No matter why people come to Rome, the subject of faith inevitably rises to the surface. Today I speak with two nuns in...

September 26th, 2009 It is a full day of museum hopping to celebrate European World Heritage Day. I join the relatively short line on...

September 2nd, 2009 Ponte Nomentano, the picturesque bridge over the Aniene river that is just three miles from the walls of Rome, was...

June 19th, 2009 Don Bosco was a dynamic priest from Turin who gained the support of politicians and popes for his work with the poor...

June 14th, 2009 Making pictures with flower petals is thought to have begun in Rome during Bernini’s time whe he was the maestro of...

May 31, 2009 As the Western Empire faded, becoming more and more the domain of the Lombards, Emperor Phocas asserted his influence over...

May 19, 2009 It’s definitely a day for miracle stories. During my morning visit to the embassy post office, I hear about a man who...

May 14, 2009 I wanted Frascati to live up to its mystique. How could a town in the Alban Hills known for its refreshing white wine and...

May 11, 2009 About 20 miles southwest of Parma, on July 6th, 1495, the Battle of Fornova was fought. As battles go, it was not momentous:...

May 3, 2009 A text message alerts me to a 9:00 PM organ recital at Santa Maria degli Angeli – just across the street. Such opportunities...

May 1, 2009 Last night, just before a fundraising event at a fortress-like building on Janiculum Hill, my dinner companion noticed a...

April 25, 2009 Last night, during a tour of the Basilica of St. Agnes Outside the Walls, I noticed a long, thin strip of cloth, a...

April 11, 2009 Just off Via Laurentia, near the site of St. Paul’s martyrdom and on property cleverly regained by the Trappists after...