An Italian film, seen on a whim - Take two ('Le città di pianura')

Last month, I saw an Italian film and it's still living inside of it, or maybe I'm still living inside of it.

It features two lovable losers -- older men who have lost their factory jobs and roam their region of northern Italy looking for one more drink for the road until they meet a young architecture student.

In Italian, it's called "Le città di pianura," but in English, they dubbed it, "The Last One for the Road."

I saw the film at a wonderful independent theater in Hartford that I visit each year to see "It's A Wonderful Life" and also Italian films when I can. It's called Cinestudio, located on the campus of Trinity College and it's one of Hartford's treasures.

Watching films in a theater remains a treasured activity for me. Theaters are designed for the experience, of course, but what does that mean? It means you can truly travel somewhere else for two hours or so.

In the case of a foreign film, this is doubly the case. It's dark, and there are no distractions.

And of course, I've told the story here about wandering into Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in Manhattan to see an Italian film a week before leaving for Wesleyan -- and never looking back. Adopting Italian as my (second) language, my culture, my tribe. 

But let me pay specific homage to this film, and this director, Francesco Sossai, whom I'd known nothing about before I saw "Le città di pianura," but whose films will now command my attention.

He made the film such that we, too, go on a road trip -- we, too, have one more for the road. We identify with these two characters -- I did, and I am not a factory worker, I do not drink too much, I am not a man. The film examines friendship -- celebrates it, in fact.

Yes, I've fallen in love with a film about two alcoholics -- so odd! -- from Northern Italy who meet a young architecture student and find hope in the connection they forge with him.

Let me say that again: They find hope in the connection they forge with him.

Isn't that the way?

Sossai has said in interviews that he wanted to illuminate the profound impact of the 2008 economic crisis, and he absolutely does. 

I've been thinking about the people left behind by both economic progress and economic disaster since I became a newspaper reporter more than 20 years ago.

The mill towns in North Georgia and South Carolina, now towns in name only.

The little boroughs in Pennsylvania who had their heyday when mules lugged barges down the canals.

But how do I convey the film is ENTERTAINING?

Heartbreaking, to be sure, but when it's over, you simply want it to start all over again.

THAT kind of heartbreaking.

Almost equally as good as the film is the soundtrack. The director said in an interview that the music was conceived to feel organic to the film, and of the main musician he said, “You have to have the feeling that he’s there with you and he’s half drunk and he’s playing the guitar, maybe sitting in the car or in the other room, just outside the frame.” 

I was swooning the day after we saw it and tried to read everything I could find about it, including:

https://brooklynrail.org/2026/05/film/francesco-sossai-the-last-one-for-the-road/

Note, I also wrote about the film in Italian because I needed to!

As I said before on this little baby blog that no one reads (and why would you read my public diary?), go to the movies. See a film you know nothing about. It might change your life! But at the very least, your day. 

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What I bought at Powell's City of Books

I've made the pilgrimage to Powell's City of Books in Portland, Oregon. I entered the temple and I paid my respects by buying a book by Patrick Modiano I'd been eying for a while and which sat in my Amazon cart for years -- how wonderful that I instead bought it at an incredible independent bookstore!

I was visiting Portland for the American Literary Translators Association annual conference so of course it was fitting to visit a bookstore and to buy a book in translation.

Powell's is enormous! Supposedly the largest bookstore in the whole world. I only had a short time to spend there, unfortunately, but it made a big impression on me, as did Portland, and I hope to return (downtown is laid out on a grid, splayed across two banks of the Willamette River and a walker's paradise).

What I love about a bookstore like Powell's: the inventory is so vast that you can go ahead and search for a book you won't find every day, such as the Modiano book (even most independent bookstores won't have Family Record -- far likelier you'll find one of the more recent titles like Ballerina or one of his better-known such as Suspended Sentences.)

It enters the pantheon of great bookstores that I've visited, which includes Rizzoli, I AM Books, Commonwealth Books and Il Libraccio.

Happy reading, book-lovers, and may you have a bookstore pilgrimage of your own soon!

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'Le città di pianura' -- strepitoso

Sono ormai anni che non abito a Firenze e quindi colgo l'occasione di vedere i film italiani quando mi capita -- cosi, per due ore, posso fare finta di vivere ancora fra gli italiani, forse pure nella città di Dante, e comunque sia nel posto dove ho lasciato il mio cuore.

E ogni tanto incontro pure un film che mi cambia.

Un film come 'Le città di pianura,' il quale ho visto 10 giorni fa presso un bel cinema indipendente a Hartford (nel Connecticut) che si chiama Cinestudio. 

Bellissimo, triste, assurdo -- questo film va visto non solamente da chi ama il cinema italiano ma da chi ama il cinema, basta. 

Ho l'intenzione di scriverne di più -- in inglese -- in modo di poter spargere la voce che gli amanti del film in USA debbano vedere questo film a tutti i costi. 

Ma non riesco a liberarmi dall'incanto del film -- ne devo parlare, ci penso ancora, non mi abandona. E allora eccone il primo argomento che inserisco qui. A tra poco.

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Taking an American teen to Italy

Dream #1: Take Leo to Italy.

Dream #2: Write about taking Leo to Italy.

And I'm thrilled to say I've now done both, and the writing is no longer just on this blog but on CNN's site, under CNN Travel where I'm working as a contract editor.

Here's the link:

https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/16/travel/mission-mom-son-love-italy-compromises

I had to leave out the moment where he might have lied to a nun in a church -- in Italian -- but the rest is all there. (It's not clear if she was a nun but it is clear he said he was "nove" years old when really he was "dieci.")

Note, the story was chosen to go out just to subscribers.

I am not a born saleswoman -- I typically don't want to obligate someone to spend money on my behalf, if I can help it, and so it's not natural to ask you to sign up for CNN's subscription.

But the people who decided news on the web should be free weren't in the news business so it wasn't their decision to make.

News sites need paid subscribers because the stories cost something to produce. I try to do my part: in addition to 7-day-a-week home delivery of The New York Times, I have a digital subscription to the Boston Globe and I also subscribe to The New Yorker, the Smithsonian, National Geographic and Connecticut magazine (and I have a personal subscription account to CNN, even though I get it for free at work).

I'd love it if you could read about our adventures in Italy, including the time Leo met Dante (the dog)!

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Best piazza in Florence?

My (other) sister is in Florence this week and as I was mulling over where she might go, I thought to say that Piazza della Repubblica (top photo) is my favorite piazza in Dante's old city.

How many times did I walk through it, late at night, as I headed home from the pub?

(There's only one pub in Florence). 

It's where Floriano, Giovanni and I saw the movie "Big Night" and where the big bookstore is. Home to the "big four" old-school caffes, including Caffe Paszkowski, which is my favorite but you won't go wrong at any of them (supremely elegant inside, phenomenal people-watching outside) and afterwards, you have some of the best shopping in Florence right across the way (or a half block away).

And if you time it right, you'll see the weekly flower market, which is held under the porticos on the side of the piazza away from the Duomo (see a cool photo of the market here).

There's also a carousel there now, but that's new.

Of course, as soon as I call it the best piazza in Florence, I remember how much I love Piazza della Signoria (called Florence's living room), which is home to one of the most iconic buildings in the city (see the photo below) and also the Rivoire, another old-school caffe that shouldn't be missed. 

Having said that, how could I forget the millions of hours I've spent in Piazza Santo Spirito (home to my favorite restaurant in Florence and my father's favorite church, plus the pensione where Daddy stayed when he came to visit me en route from Russia -- cue the James Bond theme song now).

Maybe I'm just trying to suggest that every visitor to Florence spend time in the piazzas? All of these piazzas, plus:

Piazza Santissima Annunziata

Piazza dei Ciompi

Piazza Beccaria

Piazza del Carmine

As it happens, I love piazzas so much that I wrote about them for CNN Travel.

Three cheers to any American city breaking ground on a true piazza today. If done right, it's an instant gathering spot.

Buonviaggio!

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Biking the Appian Way in Rome

What do you remember about high school? My sister says she remembers almost nothing while I remember nearly everything.

So that includes knowledge that France was once known as Gaul, the first words of the Aeneid are, "Arma virumque cano," and that Caesar when crossing the Rubicon with his army headed back to Rome didn't actually say the words, "The die is cast," but rather, "Alia iacta est."

(Maybe I should note that my mother had been a Latin scholar in her school days and when I went to Catholic high school, she was delighted that I could begin studying Latin, too).

So when I learned we could bike along the ancient Appian Way while visiting Rome last year -- known to all Latin scholars as the Via Appia -- I thought my mind might break out of geeky happiness. You know how all roads lead to Rome? We're actually talking about the Appian Way when we say that!

Three cheers to National Geographic, which published an amazing article about the Appian park system and how it's been embraced by a new generation of Romans.

There's a great quote in the story where an official likens the Appian Way to our Route 66. "It's not really about driving. It's about the real America. We have Route 66 -- plus 2,000 years," he says.

(My CNN Travel colleague, Julia Buckley, also wrote a very cool travel piece for National Geographic Traveller UK about visiting Via Appia.)

There are sections with cobblestones that date to the time of Caesar. Pinch me! While we biked, I marveled over the idea that my bike tires were rolling over the same stones as a chariot that once carried Julius Caesar!

(Which also means, some spots are a little rough-going).

We only biked a short section but we still managed to see some amazing ruins, and at one ruin, they have virtual reality glasses that Leo (in the photo above) enjoyed.

The park, which stretches far into Southern Italy, is quite varied, with sections that are ideal for walking and others for biking, plus as I said ruins, ancient aqueducts and other sights. You can access a part of it in the suburbs of Rome.

So in all seriousness, you can enjoy a bike ride (or a stroll) on the ancient Appian Way even without the weird high school Latin obsession!

But if you're studying Italian, subscribe to the Appian Park newsletter or listen to their podcast: 

https://www.parcoappiaantica.it/i-podcast-del-parco/

**English-language info about renting a bike here**:

https://www.ecobikeroma.it/en/

And either way, visit the Via Appia next time you're in Rome!

Literary prize nomination for 'This Darkness Will Never End'

My translation, This Darkness Will Never End, has been nominated for the Italian Prose in Translation Award!

It is a thrill but I also have to say: this was my goal, from the outset!

To create a translation worthy of being nominated for this prize, which is awarded by the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA). 

If for no other reason than Edith Bruck's story deserves the best treatment, it deserves an English vehicle capable of conveying all the horror she experienced during the Holocaust and the intrinsically creative way she had of converting these experiences into fictional stories.

Just as a reminder, you can buy a copy on Amazon here.

You can buy a copy at Bookshop here.

Oh and you can ask your library to purchase a copy! (Most recently, I got word from the Baltimore County Public Library that a copy has been purchased for its collection. YAY! I think that makes at least 5 states where there's a library with the book in its collection. Thanks to Silvia and many others who are asking their public libraries to buy the translation).

I believe the photo above is of a copy of the translation that was for sale at River Bend Bookshop in West Hartford. So you can also ask your local independent bookstore to purchase you a copy!

The other books that were nominated for the prize are all important books -- works by Cesare Pavese and Luigi Pirandello, heavy hitters in the sphere of Italian literature. And the other translators are far more experienced than I am, and if you think I'm being humble, consider that Ann Goldstein, also known as Elena Ferrante's translator, is nominated as well. She translated a book called The Night Trembles by Nadia Terranova, whom I met in Italy and whose previous novel Gli anni al contrario impressed me so much, I wanted to translate it almost as soon as I began reading it (someone else beat me to the punch, though the English translation hasn't been published yet in the US).

That means I probably won't win but it's an incredible honor to have the translation included in this group of works of Italian literature.

The winner will be announced in October at ALTA's annual conference. Learn more about the works nominated for IPTA here:

https://literarytranslators.org/awards/2026-italian-prose-in-translation-award/ 

And if there are young translators out there who would like to learn more about ALTA, please get in touch! It's a wonderful association. I've attended one ALTA conference and I was so impressed with the translators who attended, all committed to bringing foreign literature to American readers.

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Top photos from 20 years of blogging

Leo in Rome, 2018 (Piazza Bucarest)

I love this photo so much because it's the honest result of introducing a curious boy to the Eternal City. 

Leo was 5 years old when we snapped this photo, and excited to visit Italy (actually, really just excited to do anything except go to bed).

It's one of many photos taken in Italy that make me swoon. 

Here's a selection of photos posted previously on the blog that I love, and which best express the joy Italy has injected into my life -- which I guess, come to think of it, is the theme of this blog. The pure beauty of this country I happened upon during a study abroad program, chosen all because a week before I began college, I saw a movie that convinced me to study Italian or bust.

I'm reposting these photos to celebrate 20 years of writing this blog. Note, some were taken in Italy, some just reflect the life of Ciambellina, the person. Might need another post just for photos of actual ciambelle/ciambelline (hold that thought).

In the past two decades, I've had the thrill of visiting Torino (under the radar for many American travelers even though it's a fantastic city with a coffee culture all its own and a mountainous locale that's just stunning), various places in Puglia (including Trani), and of course Rome, Milan and Florence (and Siena and Pistoia and Pisa and Le Cinque Terre and San Marco dei Cavoti and Lucca and Bologna and and Focene and Matera and Venice and ... ). 

Torino, a city of grand piazzas

I've also chronicled Ciambellina's transition from aimless, vagabond journalist to besotted mother whose favorite subject (via photos or writing) is Leonardo.

He was an adorable little boy -- no thanks to me since I wasn't this cute as a child -- and now he's a teen with a gorgeous smile and rather strong opinions (Milan is the best city in Italy, don't challenge him!).

The most adorable Leonardo ever (Atlanta)

When you eat calamari fritti for the first time

My favorite place in Milan

The photo I always take when visiting Florence

To be sure, this is a make-shift photo gallery that includes my favorite moments during my travels to Italy and also my favorite moments from this lifelong project of remaining fluent in Italian and immersed in everything that Italy's one-of-a-kind culture has to offer. Buona lettura!

Monte Sant'Angelo, Puglia -- road-side pranzo!

 a

A gem of an appetizer in Puglia

Weekly flower market, Piazza della Repubblica, Firenze

The photos of Italy are more enchanting but of course the little Italian touches we've brought stateside feel pretty cozy. Our not-so-little shrine to the place we met.

Buon Natale Christmas decoration (in Atlanta)

Buon Natale sign with my little tesoro! (Leo's 1st Christmas)

Little souvenirs for little Italophiles

What I saw during those 24 hours in Rome

At Bennington, thinking of Leo

Priests crossing a piazza in Trani (2006)

Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for caring about the ways I've incorporated Italy into my life. And if I know you in person, thank you for caring about Leo. That's the most important thing you could for for me. I love Italy, no question, but nothing is bigger than my love for Leonardo.

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Postcard from Montreal (2026)

I'm terribly behind on blogging about Montreal but let me quickly say it's one of my favorite cities in the whole wide world.

I love the way it allows me to slip into a foreign locale, just a few hours from my boring, suburban life in Connecticut.

Everyone is on bikes in Montreal.

Everywhere there's a mural waiting for your gaze. Everywhere there's a patch of greenery, a pocket park, a median full of flowers tended by anyone and everyone.

Every neighborhood seems conceived for people to stroll or bike or sit on a front balcony and enjoy the world as it passes by. The city, but with touches of the country.

Every block in Montreal appears to have a bakery whose pastries will literally warm your heart! Conceived with love and lots of butter.

All of this to say, if you haven't visited Montreal, go. Go now, go soon, just go there.

I'll be blogging about the city again but I wanted to begin gushing about this place, which has become a beloved spot once again, after first visiting as a child.

When I visit Montreal, I go to immerse myself in a Francophone world that also leaves space for other cultures (especially Italian culture). I go so I can be somewhere foreign without an overnight flight that leaves me sleepless. I go because the pastries are gorgeous and delicious.

But it feels especially important to visit Canada now for a completely different set of reasons.

Canadians are our neighbors! Our friends. A country so similar to ours -- and one that's lent us some of the best comedians of the past 50 years -- but which has retained arguably a stronger sense of community and a sharper notion of neighborliness.

In other words, we have much to learn from this neighbor, regardless of what politicians may say. 

Highlights from the trip:

*We once again biked using the city's Bixi bike-sharing app, and it was delightful. 

*We visited a lot of bookstores and they were a joy to explore (including Librairie Le Port de tête, various branches of Renaud-Bray, and Multimags, which arguably is really just an extremely large newsstand but which sells a lot of wonderful books, and a lot of wonderful magazines, which were a balm for my heart. Magazine World is wonderful).

*We stayed near Parc Fontaine where Montrealers biked, played boules, held concerts at an outdoor amphitheater, sat by a pond, ran and danced. Delightful!

Signs of a good trip: everyone in the family embraces Montreal, finding an outlet for needs and passions, and I couldn't stop writing in my journal.

More to come!

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Commonwealth Books (Boston) & the book I had to buy

Walking around Boston one afternoon before a concert in 2024, Mike and I stumbled into a used bookstore on a sidestreet.

It was one of those classic old-school shops crammed with books, where books were the decoration, books were the products, books were all that you could see from floor to ceiling.

I've developed the habit of looking for books by Edith Bruck wherever I go, and since it was a bookstore that specialized in used books and hard to find volumes, I took a chance and wandered over to the foreign language book area.

To my amazement, the shop had a copy of Edith Bruck's Andremo in città.

It was an edition published by Lerici, an edition I didn't have, and one that featured a rather enigmatic photo.

But I'm burying the lede. It was a copy of the book I was translating at that moment. The first-ever English edition, which would the following year be published under the title This Darkness Will Never End.

When I approached the counter to pay, I mumbled to the owner that it was stunning he had the book in stock since Italian books are hard to find in the US (with a few notable exceptions) and that I happened to be translating it into English. 

Did he hear me? Did he care? I don't know and it doesn't matter because Commonweath Books officially entered the pantheon of my beloved places at that moment.

Serendipity. Kismet. And the pleasures of visiting bookstores, especially storied bookstores with used, out-of-print or hard-to-find editions.

(Also: the pleasures of translation, of meeting a living legend, of fulfilling a lifelong goal and of trying to live a life steeped in letters).

Commonweath Books

9 Spring Lane

Boston, Mass.

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