On The 12th Day of Christmas...
(How 'bout something to read?)
No official post this week— part of a Life Lived Italian is that work doesn’t start till after Befana, the legendary witch, arrives in Italy bearing gifts for children on the eve of the Epiphany. That’s happening tonight. But that still leaves Sunday…
In the meantime, I’ve been doing a fair amount of reading, and wanted to share a couple of other Substack newsletters that have been amusing and informing me over the past few months. I hope you’ll take a second to explore some of them!
Italy In Your Inbox— Melanie Renzulli’s newsletter is a wonderful guide to what’s happening now in Italy and covers everything from art shows to lifestyle trends. Her feature on the Sorrentine Dream Hotel had me from the first photo— anyone who read my last post, “The Coast Is Clear” knows I love the Amalfi Coast. And her story about Italy’s newest UNESCO site led me into a cave spelunking expedition that almost killed me, but will likely yield a Substack post of my own very soon.
Renaissance Rapture— I’ve been deep-diving into the Renaissance recently— just finished a book on those crazy Borgias. Alana White is an author of historical fiction about Florence and the Renaissance; in her newsletter she shares insights about that remarkable and rather mad time and place, along with some wonderful insights about the craft of writing. I loved her “Too many notes, dear Mozart” post, quoting a line from Amadeus that we often recited during my long-lost days as a songwriter and music producer.
Celia’s Perfect Artichoke— Celia Cerasoli brings a wonderful perspective on Italian American life in New York— a culture that is almost as foreign and fascinating to me as the one in Italy. Loved her “Going To Arthur Avenue” post. And she’s great with restaurant recommendations in New York, which I always appreciate!
If your New Years resolution was to read more, now you’re set. But I don’t think anyone does New Years resolutions these days. More on that in my own post next week.
Ciao ragazzi! On Monday, even the Italians head back to work.
Loved seeing the celebration at Piazza Navona! Thanks for the mention... Most appreciated! I must get back to my writing too.. it has been a great holiday!
Hi, Eric, Thank you for the mention! I truly do appreciate it. Keep that deep dive into the Renaissance going...:)