anthony di renzo

On December 24, 1914, a dejected Pope Benedict XV cel- ebrated midnight mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. His efforts to secure a Christmas truce had failed. A 400-mile trench stretched from the Belgian coast to the Swiss border. Some British …

When I last saw Garibaldi, he was a broken old man. White streaked his beard. Cataracts clouded and rheum encrusted his eyes. Arthritis crippled his limbs. Propped on crutches in the lobby of the Hotel Costanzi, he was a rust-eaten …

During November, Americans bring chrysanthemums to Roman social events. These New England and Midwestern transplants mean well. What could brighten an autumn engagement party at Cul de Sac or a Thanksgiving banquet at AUR better than mums? Gasps of horror …

“Pasquino, my man!” booms Tyrell. Once a sound engineer for Earth, Wind, and Fire, he now lives in the Parione district and works in the Auditorium Parco della Musica. The only city with more soul than Rome, he jokes, is …

January is my favorite month in Rome. Consecrated to the god of beginnings, it is the best time to recapture the magic those British lords on the Grand Tour must have felt, when they arrived from the grey north to …

Wedged between the Regola and Parione districts, Campo de’ Fiori features Rome’s most spectacular flower market. Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian painter whose name adorns an apartment house on nearby Via di San Salvatore, called it “a symphony of color.” Each …

Halloween is becoming more popular in Italy than Carnival, thanks to American TV. Teenaged zombies startle tourists in piazzas and frighten seniors in alleys. These pranks are harmless enough, but the spectacle reminds me of a more sinister masquerade: Benito …

Ever since the Burger King opened on Via Nazionale, teenagers have come to Piazza Pasquino to eat French fries and to place paper crowns on my head. These coronations never last long. A stray breeze or a conscientious tour guide …

Located on the west bank of the Tiber, south of Vatican City, Trastevere is a world apart. For centuries, this district was disconnected from central Rome, geographically and administratively. Low taxes and light regulation attracted Italians from farflung regions. Most …

Even statues need sleep. The lucky ones recline on their pediments and snooze in the sun. The rest of us are carthorses, napping on our feet in the wee hours. Thus refreshed, we can better shoulder the burden of time. …