Chiavenna, Italy – Our garden is about three kilometers from Chiavenna proper. We reside in the leafy ‘burbs, far away from the pleasant bustle of the town center. It is a gem of a town, situated on the Mera River at the base of the Spluga and Malojia mountain passes and it is easy to […]
Chiavenna, Italy — My apologies. As you may have noticed, nothing’s been posted for the last couple of weeks. It is not that there was nothing of interest to note. In fact, quite the opposite. Traveling the hidden corners of Corsica and Sardinia, it swiftly became apparent that wireless Internet access is a mainland phenomenon. One […]
The Chiavenna Economic Forum (CEF) — “Italy is broken,” says Giuseppe Balzeretti, a respected architect here. “It is financially, politically and morally bankrupt. And, in its present state, it is an embarrassment to the great civilizations that have preceded it.” I am paraphrasing here, leaving out a lot of profanity, shortening it by about 12 paragraphs […]
Chiavenna, Italy — There is nothing glamorous about international air travel, but it’s still a miracle. Thirteen hours after hopping into a cab in Queens, we were lugging the suitcases up our Italian path and into the garden. The fatigue of jet lag adds to the cloudy and magical effect of plopping down thousands of miles […]