Enjoy traditional Bulgarian food at the Pod Lipite restaurant in Sofia
We loved this traditional country tavern, just on the edge of the Borisova Gradina Park, while we were visiting Bulgaria’s capital. Pod Lipite, which means ‘under the linden trees’ opened as a pub in the 1920s. The cozy, casual environment, with its wood and stone interiors and long tables, is a great place to enjoy…
Read MoreA conversation with writer Francesca Marciano
An English-language university here in Rome hosts author nights, open to the public. Last year, I wrote about the fabulous Conversation with Joyce Carol Oates I attended. This year, I decided to attend a conversation and reading with the Italian author, Francesca Marciano. Ms Marciano was introduced by John Cabot University’s Writer in Residence, Jhumpa…
Read MoreHoping to spot John Wayne at Monument Valley
You really can’t blame me. John Wayne, the actor best known for his westerns may have died in 1979, but anyone who visits this impressive landscape that served as the natural set design for his films can’t help but wonder if they’ll catch a glimpse of him thundering by on his horse past these these…
Read MoreAbdicating the papacy in literature
When, on 11 February, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would be abdicating the papacy, a modest 13th century Italian monk became an unlikely feature bar in newspapers worldwide. That’s because, before Pope Benedict’s surprising news, the last Pope to have resigned from his office was Pope Celestine V, way back in 1294. Pope Celestine’s…
Read MoreReason #5366 to love Rome: Track and field stars at the Golden Gala
Every year in June, Rome hosts the Golden Gala at its Olympic Stadium. Rome held the track and field events from the 1960 summer Olympics here, and it is also here that Roma and Lazio, Rome’s two football (a.k.a. soccer) teams play their matches. But for one night each June since 1980, the stadium is…
Read MoreTime to sign up for the Matera Women’s Fiction Festival
As some of you may know, for the past two years I’ve attended the Women’s Fiction Festival held each September in the beautiful town of Matera, in Italy’s southern region of Basilicata. The festival is a great way to learn about the publishing industry today, how the environment is changing and what writers should do…
Read MoreExploring Napoleon’s Empire: Elba – Part 2
Last week I wrote a post about what to see and do on the interesting Tuscan island of Elba, including a visit to the home of the island’s short-lived Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. This week I’ll continue with some places of interest to help you plan your Elba trip. Capolivieri: This Tuscan hill town has pretty views to…
Read MoreWhich author do you write like?
My fantastic critique buddy, Nicola Layouni, posted a wonderful method of procrastination for writers tearing their hair out with revisions tool for writers. Using the “I write like analyzer” and pasting some pages of her text in the text box, Nicola discovered that she wrote like James Joyce. Pretty nice compliment, right? Since I’m right…
Read MoreExploring Napoleon’s Empire: Elba
As a history buff, Elba has always been the place I associated with Napoleon’s short exile, but I’d never visited Italy’s third largest island until I received a wedding invitation. The weather was touch and go on this Tuscan island during our visit earlier this month. It was definitely too cold and windy to enjoy…
Read MoreGender-bias in book covers? Coverflip.
I’m proud to write women’s fiction, but I know this genre label can raise hackles far and wide. The argument goes that, when men and women write about similar, (often domestic) topics, the men’s work is seen as serious fiction (a.k.a. The Great American Novel), while the women’s work is written off as light, beach-reading…
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