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I don’t usually get invited to these things. I’m standing in the delightful grounds of Rome’s Villa Wolkonsky, the British Ambassador’s residence, a stone’s throw away from the Basilica San Giovanni in Laterano, full of imposter syndrome. It’s a gorgeous … Continue reading →

Almost two-centuries after its opening night, Gogol’s five-act satirical play, The Government Inspector, continues to create a stir each time it airs anew, seemingly no matter where. Maybe because corruption and self-serving double-talk aren’t just familiar features of nineteenth-century Russia … Continue reading →

Gogol was passionate about food, reached obsessive proportions with it—in the portion sizes he consumed, in the elaborate descriptions around the dinner table in his stories. Zolotarev speaks of Gogol’s “stupendous appetite.” He and Gogol dined together often in Rome, … Continue reading →

A fifteen-minute stroll from Caffè Greco, west toward the Tiber, north in the direction of Piazza del Popolo, takes you to Via di Ripetta, which I head up, a narrow corridor running parallel to the river. I pass the Mansoleum … Continue reading →

It’s a bright, remarkably mild, late-January morning. I’m standing on the shady side of the street near Piazza Barbarini, in the heart of Rome’s commercial district, looking at the sun strike Via Sistina, number 125. The Ukrainian-born scribe, Nikolai Gogol … Continue reading →

And so I went to Sardinia, searching for Gramsci’s phantom. An hour’s fight from Rome’s Ciampino took me to Cagliari, Sardinia’s principal city, to its small airport on the island’s southernmost tip. Then I drove a little Mitsubishi rental one-and-a-half … Continue reading →

April 27, 2024 is the 87th anniversary of the death of Antonio Gramsci. Here are some photos of a commemoration event, beside his grave, today at the Non-Catholic Cemetery in Rome, an annual gathering, organized by the Fondazione Gramsci and … Continue reading →