Posts by Kimberly Sullivan
Outdoor cinema at Piazza Vittorio, Rome – 2018
I am a big fan of outdoor cinema, and every summer I’m happy to see the screens set up outside at Piazza Vittorio, a neighborhood near me in Rome. There are two screens in the park, and each evening there are two movies shown at what is officially called Notti di cinema a Piazza Vittorio.…
Read MoreFor this playwright, the opinions of a select few are what count most
“I would like critics to like my plays because that is what makes plays successful. But a few people I respect are the only ones whose opinions I’ve worried about in the end.” -Lillian Hellman Wise words by American playwright and screenwriter Lillian Hellman (1905-1984). I love that Hellman admits that good reviews are crucial…
Read MoreSperlonga’s Truglia Tower
Italy’s coastline is dotted by picturesque watchtowers. These have a long history – and were generally constructed to thwart off Ottoman or Saracen invasions. Luckily, today they are merely photogenic spots. One such tower is in the town of Sperlonga – a pretty, medieval beach town south of Rome, on Lazio’s southern coast. I’ve already…
Read MoreManneken Pis: Symbol of Brussels
I’ve already expressed my doubts about the symbols of Brussels. I enjoy Belgium’s capital. I love its elegant art deco galleries, and its stunning, gold-plaited Grand’ Place, so it does seem odd to me that the symbols of the city are a giant model of an atom and a fountain dedicated to a urinating boy. That…
Read MoreBook review: The Burning Girl
This is the third Claire Messud novel I’ve read. I enjoyed her bestselling novel The Emperor’s Children, and her debut novel When the World Was Steady. The Burning Girl is her latest work. This novel set in small-town Massachusetts follows the lives and friendship of Julia Robinson and Cassie Burns. Julia and Cassie have grown…
Read MoreVisiting Brussels’ Atomium
Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Rome the Colosseum. In London it’s Big Ben, and outside of Beijing it’s the Great Wall. Brussels has – er, well – either (take your pick) a tiny statue of a urinating boy or a large model of an atom built 165 billion times its natural size. While I have…
Read MoreWe don’t have wi-fi. We talk to one another
Okay, so I love this sign posted (in English) outside a bar – the Italian word for ‘café’ – close to my home in Rome. The first time I noticed it I enjoyed a hearty chuckle. Soon I’ll be back in NY, and there you can find plenty of cafés where people are completely zoned out,…
Read MoreReason #5389 to love Rome: Golden Gala 2018
I’ve been going each year to this annual international track meet, a part of the Diamond League competitions, ever since my track-obsessed younger son began running at seven years old. This has become a tradition for us each May or June when this international meet arrives in the Eternal City – at the Olympic stadium…
Read MoreMarket day in Forcalquier, France
We loved visiting the medieval town of Forcalquier in France’s Provence region on its bustling market day. Forcalquier is in eastern Provence, to the north of the larger town of Manosque. We visited on market day, which is a busy and bustling time for what must otherwise be a sleepy town. Forcalquier’s heyday was back in…
Read MoreMore beach reading
I’ve already written about my first beach visit-beach reading session of this spring, back in April after my younger son’s running race on the seaside near Rome. But somehow, it never seems ‘official’ to me until I visit the seaside town of Sperlonga, south of Rome. Finally, last weekend I managed to get there for…
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