…was founded in 1853 back when streets where dirt in these parts and has since been relocated a few times before landing at it’s current downtown location which we visited early this morning in preparation for a week ‘up north’ at the lake cabin – and my first impression is that in comparison to the ..

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…were savored today on this, my last day living in the city, with last bike rides to last interviews – today near Piramide – for the Roma Mangia Roma book, and a last day biking by the crazy elaborate hand lettered signs of rant/protest which I finally took the time to read today, starting with ..

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…near Rieti in the Sabine hills north of Rome is the location of the country house that our artist friend Emiliano Maggi partly grew up in – and where his mother prepared a feast for about 20 Roman friends this evening – so up we headed to conduct interview #26 for Roma Mangia Roma with ..

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…for the Roma Mangia Roma book take us this morning to a house in the most remarkable location on extensive grounds covered with thick woods, picturesque meadows, modest fruit orchards, and casual vegetable gardens, right off the ancient Roman road, where our thirty-something Roman subject grew up, where her parents continue to live on the ..

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…is the Young Architects Program originated at NYC’s PS1 and now a new summer fixture at Rome’s MAXXI, where young Roman architects have created rolling mounds of lawn, punctuated by red tulip-like lanterns, where this evening people are lounging, dogs are running, kids are playing (one in particular seeming to be around six who is ..

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…is the working class but now newly cool-ish youthful-ish (for this city at least) neighborhood of Rome, just beyond Termini and Porta Maggiore, where word is that things are happening, but I never seem to make it there – since it is a bike ride to the other side of town for me – but ..

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…is the village overlooking Lake Bracciano north of Rome where we traveled this afternoon to interview Massimo at Agriturismo Acquaranda, for the Roma Mangia Roma book, to hear about his experiences with food, in particular with making cheese on the land where his father made cheese (which it turns out that he doesn’t even eat), ..

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…in the Sabina of Lazio was the destination of our morning road trip to visit Oretta Zanini de Vita (the font of inspiration and information regarding cucina Italiana and staunch advocate for taking food seriously as culture at the highest level) at her house in the country – built in the 70’s with found windows ..

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…was my last minute destination of choice this morning to escape the city for a day, biking to Termini and hopping on a train to take me to the ancient and current Roman beach resort town, and yes there are picturesque beaches, and yes there are Roman ruins, but most enchanting is the historic hill ..

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…and financial woes are making international news, with austerity plans in the works (here is an Guardian editorial by my political hero from Puglia, Nichi Vendola), and this afternoon as I’m biking by Palazzo di Montecitorio – the Italian Chamber of Deputies – I pay special attention to the usual modest assemblage of protests and ..

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…the 1961 piece consisting of a small group of dancers assembled into a huddle upon which one dancer will occasionally climb in different ways, was casually but energetically performed in front of rows of seated serious looking German journalists at the press preview for the show Move: Art and Dance since the 1960s originally presented by, ..

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…the marvelous Dusseldorf puzzle-like brutalist modernist masonry vertical structure from 1971 well known as the site of Joseph Beuys projects from the 70’s and early 80’s, designed by Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck as an experimental residence/gallery, and recently re-opened as an art venue by the neighboring Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, is where I am comfortably camped ..

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…is the best bread in Düsseldorf according to a few of the market farmers I have asked (in a country where people take their bread very very seriously), so this afternoon I wander around the corner from my temporary home of the Schmela Haus to check out the place (for possible baked goods to accompany ..

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…with welcome chilly drizzly weather – after enduring a few sweltering days rubbing up against sweaty sun-burnt tourists in the sticky blazing Venetian sun – is where I landed this afternoon over the fields of Nordrhein-Westfalen for an event on Thursday evening at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-..

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…on the Venetian island of San Giorgio Maggiore is where I have come to visit an Italian designer friend (working with Michele de Lucchi on one of his many design projects for the foundation, whom we had the pleasure of sharing a dinner with tonight at a neighborhood trattoria in San Marco), exploring the ex-monastery ..

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