Monthly Archives: January 2007

Three things wrong…

Posted on January 25, 2007 by Charles Lambert

The art critic Federico Zeri claimed there were three things wrong with Italy: the Mafia, the Vatican and the University. I don’t have any personal experience of the first (though I know someone who did, and I’ll get to his … Continue reading →

Posted in barone, language, university, vatican | Leave a comment

Two schools of thought

Posted on January 24, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Leading on from the last post: Two schools of ex-pat thought: a) treating local craftsmen as though they were elves or small woodland creatures, as in ‘I’ve got a wonderful little man who looks after my olives/plumbing/holiday lets.’ b) treating … Continue reading →

Posted in authenticity | Leave a comment

A normal country

Posted on January 24, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Twenty years ago I taught English for a while to the journalist and historian Lucio Caracciolo, or rather we wandered around Villa Borghese in conversation I rarely interrupted by correction. Most of what we talked about is gone but I … Continue reading →

Posted in film | Leave a comment

The house above the cork forest

Posted on January 24, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Four houses really, each one a three floored tower attached on two sides to the rest of the building, so that cut across the house would look like a slice of that neapolitan ice cream you used to be able … Continue reading →

Posted in house-buying, la ciociara | Leave a comment

God’s ferret

Posted on January 23, 2007 by Charles Lambert

Cardinal Ruini was on the news last night. If Ratzinger is God’s Rotweiller, he must be God’s ferret, skinny and fast enough to get into the tightest of holes and root out heretics. It’s an ever-growing category, always one step … Continue reading →

Posted in gay, homophobia, language, marriage, PACS, ratzinger, vatican | Leave a comment

FRIDGE POEM VARIATIONS

Posted on January 22, 2007 by Charles Lambert

It’s an odd way to start perhaps but I want to see how it feels to begin to clear away a backlog of work that will otherwise never see the light of day, whether virtual or not. These three pieces … Continue reading →

Posted in art, poem | Leave a comment