About The Italian Dispatch

Italy is more than ruins, sunsets, cathedrals, and gelato in the piazza.

There’s no shortage of glossy, Instagram-perfect Italy content online. This newsletter does not fall into that category.

The Italian Dispatch is written for Italophiles with a low tolerance for cliché, Italian residents who thrive amid the country’s contradictions, and other curious readers who enjoy cultural analysis with depth and affection.

Every Tuesday, subscribers receive fresh, smart, entertaining, and nuanced insights into a version of Italy that goes beyond postcards -- into its culture, history, politics, and tensions.

About me

I’ve been living and working as a journalist and writer in Rome for more than two decades. I’ve reported from Italy and far beyond on everything from papal conclaves and the Olympics to G7 summits, wars, elections, migration, and more revealing moments of daily life. My bylines over the years include The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, Fortune, Food & Wine, The Hollywood Reporter, Axios, The Guardian, Bloomberg, and USA Today.

I’m American and Dominican but grew up in the U.S. I lived in Spain, Yugoslavia, and Peru before moving to Rome.

Italy still has the capacity to take my breath away. But, as with any long-term relationship, there are times when we argue and then I need to cool down. The Italian Dispatch comes from the space between those extremes.

Contact

info (at) ItalianDispatch.com