cherylaossolaJan 311 minThere's a new book site in townWho doesn't love a good book recommendation? Word of mouth is a great way to discover books, and lots of people enjoy wandering around on...
cherylaossolaSep 21, 20216 minAbsolutely nowhere near the Tuscan sunA Comedy of Errors, Perugia Style, or, Have a Laugh at My Expense It's Fine No Really This overly long story begins, as so many do, in...
cherylaossolaSep 18, 20213 minFinding family in Lombardia and LiguriaAfter two weeks bouncing around Lombardia and Liguria doing genealogical research, I'm home in Perugia, my head spinning with names and...
cherylaossolaSep 8, 20202 minDown the Research Rabbit HoleThe genealogy research rabbit hole, to be precise. I have four lines of Italian ancestors to continue discovering, and the one that has...
cherylaossolaAug 25, 20202 minMartino, cat about townMeet Martino, a strawberry blond beauty who's been roaming the borgo (neighborhood) for seven years. He's my neighbor, and he's...
cherylaossolaJun 29, 20202 minA Tale of Two (or More) FrescoesI bought a house recently. It's the parish house in a 15th-century church complex in Perugia, and its history is one reason I couldn't...
cherylaossolaMar 15, 20204 min#iorestoacasa day 5: seeing what I sayMost writers know the oft-cited nugget attributed to E.M. Forster, “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” I totally agree,...
cherylaossolaMar 13, 20203 minSocial distancing and mind gamesIn locked-down Italy, one activity that’s permitted is dog walking, so every morning I venture out as usual to give Aria time to play...
cherylaossolaMar 13, 20201 minLife during a pandemic#iorestoacasa in Umbria day 2: take dog on walk, during which she covers herself in shit (likely not canine); wash down dog with fountain...
cherylaossolaJan 23, 20201 minGood neighborsHappiness is making ribollita (a Tuscan soup) and finding out, when you go to open a big can of tomatoes, that you don't own a can opener...
cherylaossolaJan 10, 20201 minUpdates from a lame PR person (me)I am the worse at self-promotion, so I'm late to my own PR party in posting these links. Recently I had the good fortune to be...
cherylaossolaAug 1, 20191 minMorning at the piazzaNice to be back in the ‘hood after a week away in hospital. A cool breeze announces a shift in the weather—today will bring welcome rain....
cherylaossolaJul 27, 201916 minIn Ospedale: Diary of a PatientI’m recently back from a weeklong stay in the hospital here in Perugia, which turned out to be fascinating from a “sociological”...
cherylaossolaMay 1, 20191 minGhost orchardBefore the 1920s, the town of Manzanar—which means "apple orchard" in Spanish— was a place of abundance. Founded in 1910 in the high...
cherylaossolaApr 18, 20192 minHiding placesWhen I was a kid, we'd visit my grandparents most summers. Their house, a white Victorian in the Italian section of Syracuse, New York,...
cherylaossolaApr 18, 20194 minThe unexpected part of living in ItalyI’ve been living in Italy for just under a year, and it’s been a time of huge transitions, some expected, some not. I’ve found certain...
cherylaossolaApr 17, 20191 minChapter 1, live!The Other Stories is a fun trove of readings and interviews from the not-super-well-known author pool—and yeah, that includes me. Kudos...
cherylaossolaApr 12, 20191 minHouse of buried memoriesIn THE WILD IMPOSSIBILITY, Kira turns to her family's past as she tries to understand the bizarre dreams and visions she's having. The...
cherylaossolaApr 4, 20191 minSecretsSecrets. We all have them, if not entire truths then fragments or details. Adults sometimes regard secrets as shameful or embarrassing,...