“How to solve Europe’s pension crisis: Work longer, have more babies” cover of The Economist, Sept 27, 2003 – with a photo of a rather horrified (and rather Italian) -looking woman “Sheesh! What is wrong with you Italians?! You inherit one of the most beautiful cultures the world has ever seen and you jeopardize it … Continue reading Italian Babies: Why So Few Are Being Born
One side effect of living in Lecco is that I need to drive. Not so much to get around Lecco itself, nor even into Milan, but because our fourth family member, Hamish the horse, now lives in a place not easily reached by public transport. (Yes, there are buses, but they don’t run very often.) … Continue reading Scuola Guida: Learning to Drive in Italy
Even in Places Not Famous for It (Like Milan) Rossella started high school last week, she’s going to liceo artistico (art high school). Monday was the first day of regular classes, so they’re moving through the timetable and meeting their teachers one by one. For religion class they have a Catholic priest, who nonetheless explained … Continue reading Seeing Beauty
Many people would consider me to have the best of all possible worlds: I live in Italy, after all. In 1995, Adaptec bought Incat Systems, the small Italian software company I was working for, and I was part of the package. I wanted to become a regular employee of Adaptec, though at a distance, since … Continue reading Living in Italy Isn’t Everything
During my July trip to the US, I stayed with friends in different cities and types of homes, giving me fodder for reflection on differences in customs, styles, and expectations for housing in the US and Italy. As I have mentioned before, renting an unfurnished apartment in Italy means completely unfurnished, so for our new … Continue reading Housing: How Italians Live
