An American journalist heads for Italy to see his country changing from afar.

religion

  • Both / and

    Sabine Rollberg was the perfect interpreter for us in Germany. When we were at the Saturday market next to the 13th century Gothic cathedral in Freiburg, she recommended and ordered “The Big Red One,” translating the name for a popular… Continue reading

    Both / and

  • Magnificent humanity

    Twice, we have walked a circuit of ancient Catholic churches in Fano when they were not having Mass. We admired the art, the architecture and the emptiness, from one to the next: The 1140 A.D. Cathedral, the 14th century Church… Continue reading

    Magnificent humanity

  • The Liberal Tradition

    I found a book titled “The Light of Italy” in a bookrack facing the very piazza where that “Light,” Duke Federico da Montefeltro, had grandly expanded his Palazzo. This was at the height of Montefeltro’s rule before he died in… Continue reading

    The Liberal Tradition

  • Faiths, face to face

    I had turned into the wrong entryway, but helpful men in Islamic tunics waved me across the road to their mosque. A giant electronic billboard overhead probably shocked the Atlanta traffic on I-85 as much as it did me. “The… Continue reading

    Faiths, face to face