I’ve never tried to get social media followers before now.

I am an old-school journalist, a son of a journalist.

Trump’s return to the White House has stirred me out of retirement. I admit it might look partisan, hardly an original position these days. But there’s something deeper that comes from all those years as an idealistic journalist and journalism historian. My wife and I are moving to Italy, temporarily, where from an Italian town on the Adriatic coast I will report on these historic changes – the dramatic global transformation that Trump supporters hope to see as he and Musk toss grenades into so many American institutions and status quos.

This is not reporting for a publication. It’s for you – whoever you are. I hope a daily blog from a temporary expat in Italy can become a small community in dialog. This is, after all, one of the new forms of journalism.

Months before we leave, let me run an experiment on you with a one-week sample of the kind of blog posts it will be. Each one will be short, no more than 400 words. They will use first person, because I’m writing about a direct experience or need to show context. But it will always be about something real, factual, and other people, using good habits of reporting. It will be about my perceptions as observer, not my emotions or private Christian faith. We are all living in “interesting” times (the old Chinese curse), so my wife, Libby, and I are off to an interesting place. I hope to report to readers who find that interesting. 

Why Italy? Because I taught five times in a month-long program for English-speaking journalism students, ieiMedia, in a walled Renaissance city, Urbino. I have fallen in love with the country. The places and people are dependably photogenic. The language, which we are again trying to learn, is beautiful. The contrasts and historic connections with American culture are instructive.

The blog will start close to our departure date, probably next year. But first, now, I need for you to participate in this experiment. Click “subscribe,” and follow my daily posts for the next seven days. Please comment, or simply give it a thumbs up, or down. If I get your email or social media address, I’ll let you know when the blog launches from Italy. Please pass this link on to your social media friends, and help me test a possible readership for “Buongiorno: The View from Abroad.”