Marcello and I enjoyed a wonderful meal at Da Bucatino last night, probably the best meal in Rome yet. We started with carciofi alla Romana, the artichoke smashed flat on a plate — tender, beautiful, delicious. We split a pici con pancetta pecorino e carciofi and grilled swordfish, and a carafe of unsurprisingly mediocre red house wine. After paying the bill, our waitress, who reminded me of my aunts in their somewhat younger days, brought … more →

I spent yesterday on a long walk to Roma Termini train station where I found Euronics, a discount electronic company. I bought a cell phone for 19€, easy, then went up the the 2nd floor TIM office to buy a SIM card and have the phone activated, not so easy. An hour of waiting behind a throng of Japenese tourists and several angry Italians and 29€ later I had my phone and two months of … more →

Three pieces of smart advice offered by Eric Mayer, headmaster of St. Stephen’s School of Rome, on the first day to new students: work hard, be nice, and take healthy risks. I think it’s going to be a good semester.