STORIES

The Meandering Maven

A Love Story: Coronavirus and Italy’s Vanishing Elders

Over the past two months I have been deeply entrenched in the whirl of the COVID-19 pandemic, awoken each day to reports of the vast numbers of elderly Italian people whose lives have been taken by this powerful virus–merciful in sparing our children and young adults. But with that, I have been deeply saddened by […]

14.03.2018

The Original Takeout, Michelangelo Style

What, one may ask, does a genius Renaissance artist eat for dinner? As a mad lister and journal writer it was a pleasure to recently discover a well-preserved illustrated 500-year old shopping list at the Casa Buonarroti museum in Florence “scribbled” out by the Great Michelangelo– to his servant–who was most likely illiterate. Dated March […]

14.03.2018

The Meandering Maven

In 1927, Carol Sicbaldi's grandfather, a man named Pietro Sicbaldi, was born in a tiny village called Villaromagnano (AL) in

14.03.2018

12 Tips on Wine Tasting

With over 800 wine grape varieties, 20 uniquely designated winegrowing regions, and hundreds of years of winemaking history on the books, Italy's wine scene is a glorious adventure from grape to glass.

14.03.2018

9 Simple Steps to Making Fresh Italian Pasta

As a young girl, I remember watching my Italian nonna Cesarina make pasta almost daily, pounding dough balls by

14.03.2018

Carol is knowledgeable, lively, charming and attentive. . Her contacts with expert guides in the smaller cities made our experience particularly informative, and her familiarity with excellent small hotels and fine restaurants was most helpful.

Neal Borden