I always toss some of "me" into my writing.
I'm emotionally invested in every story I tell and in readers' reactions.
Welcome, Benvenuti, to my virtual world. What's my life consist of? I spend a lot of time exploring the Tuscan countryside. Ditto talking to people from my community from seniors and shopkeepers to factory workers and new immigrants. I'm belong to a few cultural associations and Italy's version of the SPCA where I do what I can to help strays in need. I live in an 18th-century palazzo with a lot of history, no ghosts though. I take photos of beautiful things, sometimes of less beautiful things, because that's a part living here, too. I really listen to people's stories some of which I'm lucky enough to share with others through writing or in video, another medium I've worked for a long time. Mostly, I'm lucky to live the life I'm living, with my Tuscan life (and work) partner and my adopted Longobard cat.
I've lived in a lot of places. My home city of Chicago, twice. Santa Cruz. In various cities across the San Francisco Bay Area. Manhattan, NYC. Sicily, where my people come from. And now, Tuscany, roughly between Arezzo, Siena and Florence, a stone's toss from Chianti's vineyards.
Recent Posts
Experiences, observations and reflections on a range of thing that orbit around my world: from memorable travels and food and wine encounters across Italy and elsewhere to snippets of history and all manner of arcana. Here, you'll get a glimpse everyday life in a mid-sized medieval city, off major tourist routes, and sometimes meet everyday people who live, work and create here.
“If indeed you must be candid, be candid beautifully."
- Kahlil Gibran
