So how much of the espionage activity in Italy is because of what's happening in Italy and how much is because Italy is a convenient place to monitor other places or things passing through Italy (like the Iran nuclear discussions)?
That's a great question! My educated guess would be that over time spying in Italy is based more on context rather than reasons related to native Italian intelligence. But I'm not positive about that. I'm going to ask Antonio Talia, the expert I spoke to for the article to see what he thinks.
Good afternoon, and sorry for my late reply; last weeks were quite frantic.
To answer to your question: it depends at how you look at Rome as a crossroad for things happening elsewhere. If we consider Rome as an international capital with lot of diplomatic activity going on through at least three different channels - foreign delegations in Italy, foreign delegations at the Vatican and, finally, FAO - there is no doubt that Rome is a useful place to monitor things going on elsewhere. On the other hand, I would insist on certain peculiar traits inherent to the geographical position of Italy and to our political stances, rather than just on foreign delegations.
That's actually the niche I shoot for with the newsletter: a clear-eyed, unromanticized, cliché-free take on Italy. I would never make it as a mainstream influencer, anyway!
My husband and I have spent a fair bit of time in Italy, including living there for 2 years at the end of Covid. Whenever we tell anyone, their eyes light up and they express their envy. Don't get me wrong, I love Italy - the scenery, the energy of the people, the culture, the food, the proximity to other parts of Europe etc - but it is not the place of 3 night trips to Florence, Rome & the Cinque Terre. I look forward to reading your next honest take on another aspect of Italy.
I'm glad to have you as a reader, Glenda -- sounds like our values are aligned on that kind of thing.
Did you see my post "In Praise of Doing Nothing"? It's from 2-3 weeks back. f that, that'll be right up your alley. It starts with almost the same scenario you described here.
Great piece. Love this: "In the end, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Rome’s natural gift for ambiguity persists: geography, corruption, and the cosmopolitan nature of Rome remain camouflage for those living double lives." I made a few visits to the apartment on via Riari: he is quite a remarkable man. I've been waiting for the book for 20 years. And what an intriguing atmosphere: There was a woman there there who grew up on a tea plantation in India, and since the family lost it she was able to live property-less for a long time by her wits, family connections, and friends. And then there was that bizzarely wealthy Afghan family I worked for in the early days of the war. Once the king died they spent less and less time in Rome. The email bounced back and the phone numbers were dead. Where did they go? Also, I read an interview with an American spy/diplomat who was there during the Moro affair, and he said that amidst the confusion, lies and dead-ends, the only sources that provided consistently reliable information before the body was found were his contacts in the Vatican. And speaking of the body, when will the Crypta Balbi open again? This extended temporary closure is un'infamia!!!!!!
I remember well when the Afghan King died ... Mohammed Zahir Shah. I interviewed him at his house once, just after 9/11 and the start of the war in Afghanistan, then I was part of the press pool when the king went to Kabul with Hamid Karzai. That was in April or May of 2002.
Chris, you always meet the most peculiar people ...
Yes, the apartment in Trastevere. The first time I visited he was waiting with a copy of his new book Key to Rome, and he was pleasantly surprised when I told him I already had a copy. Somebody at the Academy had given it to me. Now I wish I knew where it was. I remember your encounter with the king. That was an interesting time in life and in Rome. I will be in Rome the first week of November. Check your email. Hope to see you.
The novelist Christina Lynch explores this in her historical fiction, The Italian Party. It’s set in Sienna and Rome in the mid-1950s, when the US was concerned about the communists winning elections. The CIA, the Ambassador to Italy at the time, Clare Booth Luce, a Vassar educated wife, and Ford tractors are all characters in this short engaging novel. Lynch’s following novel, Sally Brady’s Italian Adventure is just as good; it’s a cautionary tale of the rise of fascism and Mussolini before WWII and the resulting destruction to Italy as a result.
These both sounds interesting! I'm a pretty voracious reader, but I don't know Lynch's work. Which do you suggest I start with? I know 'The Italian Party' was written first and that 'Sally Brady's Italian Adventure' is set in an earlier period. But which do you think is the best introduction to the writer's oeuvre?
I read the Sally Brady book first. It caught my eye at the library; I enjoyed it so much I checked out the Italian Party immediately. You can’t go wrong either way. Lynch’s latest book, Pony Confidential is great too. It’s not set in Italy. It’s written mostly from the Pony’s point of view and was an NPR pick this summer.
Let me know what you think. BTW—I saw Diane Roberts at the farmers market and she said you might be coming to the Flambeau reunion. Hope to see you there.
BTW—Clare Booth Luce is an interesting political figure. I checked out two books about her; she had quite an influence on Eisenhower and Republican politics in the 1950s.
I just ordered The Italian Party -- thanks for the recommendation!
I already know a bit about Clare Boothe Luce. She's fascinating. Her husband is very well known among journalists, and she was an outspoken ambassador to Italy during the Cold War and was one of FDR's biggest critics. I believe there's a conference room named after her at the U.S. embassy in Rome.
So how much of the espionage activity in Italy is because of what's happening in Italy and how much is because Italy is a convenient place to monitor other places or things passing through Italy (like the Iran nuclear discussions)?
That's a great question! My educated guess would be that over time spying in Italy is based more on context rather than reasons related to native Italian intelligence. But I'm not positive about that. I'm going to ask Antonio Talia, the expert I spoke to for the article to see what he thinks.
Did you every get info info on this?
Good afternoon, and sorry for my late reply; last weeks were quite frantic.
To answer to your question: it depends at how you look at Rome as a crossroad for things happening elsewhere. If we consider Rome as an international capital with lot of diplomatic activity going on through at least three different channels - foreign delegations in Italy, foreign delegations at the Vatican and, finally, FAO - there is no doubt that Rome is a useful place to monitor things going on elsewhere. On the other hand, I would insist on certain peculiar traits inherent to the geographical position of Italy and to our political stances, rather than just on foreign delegations.
Sounds like it’s been a mix since the start.
How interesting! Thank you.
I always thought Italy was too inefficient to play a big role. But maybe it's the opposite!
Wow, that's chock full o' nuggets of information I never knew. Thanks for the education - well-written and entertaining as always!
Fascinating! I always love reading about this type of history, can never get enough of espionage.
I'm with you on that -- and it's especially interesting when everything has happened in the city or country where you live!
Wow!
Very interesting read. It certainly does put a different spin on the typical romanticised view of Italy. 😉
Thank you, Glenda!
That's actually the niche I shoot for with the newsletter: a clear-eyed, unromanticized, cliché-free take on Italy. I would never make it as a mainstream influencer, anyway!
My husband and I have spent a fair bit of time in Italy, including living there for 2 years at the end of Covid. Whenever we tell anyone, their eyes light up and they express their envy. Don't get me wrong, I love Italy - the scenery, the energy of the people, the culture, the food, the proximity to other parts of Europe etc - but it is not the place of 3 night trips to Florence, Rome & the Cinque Terre. I look forward to reading your next honest take on another aspect of Italy.
I'm glad to have you as a reader, Glenda -- sounds like our values are aligned on that kind of thing.
Did you see my post "In Praise of Doing Nothing"? It's from 2-3 weeks back. f that, that'll be right up your alley. It starts with almost the same scenario you described here.
I didn't. Sadly the last month or so has been rather off for me. I'll take a look.
Great piece. Love this: "In the end, it shouldn’t be a surprise. Rome’s natural gift for ambiguity persists: geography, corruption, and the cosmopolitan nature of Rome remain camouflage for those living double lives." I made a few visits to the apartment on via Riari: he is quite a remarkable man. I've been waiting for the book for 20 years. And what an intriguing atmosphere: There was a woman there there who grew up on a tea plantation in India, and since the family lost it she was able to live property-less for a long time by her wits, family connections, and friends. And then there was that bizzarely wealthy Afghan family I worked for in the early days of the war. Once the king died they spent less and less time in Rome. The email bounced back and the phone numbers were dead. Where did they go? Also, I read an interview with an American spy/diplomat who was there during the Moro affair, and he said that amidst the confusion, lies and dead-ends, the only sources that provided consistently reliable information before the body was found were his contacts in the Vatican. And speaking of the body, when will the Crypta Balbi open again? This extended temporary closure is un'infamia!!!!!!
Do you mean Vreeland's house?
I remember well when the Afghan King died ... Mohammed Zahir Shah. I interviewed him at his house once, just after 9/11 and the start of the war in Afghanistan, then I was part of the press pool when the king went to Kabul with Hamid Karzai. That was in April or May of 2002.
Chris, you always meet the most peculiar people ...
Yes, the apartment in Trastevere. The first time I visited he was waiting with a copy of his new book Key to Rome, and he was pleasantly surprised when I told him I already had a copy. Somebody at the Academy had given it to me. Now I wish I knew where it was. I remember your encounter with the king. That was an interesting time in life and in Rome. I will be in Rome the first week of November. Check your email. Hope to see you.
The novelist Christina Lynch explores this in her historical fiction, The Italian Party. It’s set in Sienna and Rome in the mid-1950s, when the US was concerned about the communists winning elections. The CIA, the Ambassador to Italy at the time, Clare Booth Luce, a Vassar educated wife, and Ford tractors are all characters in this short engaging novel. Lynch’s following novel, Sally Brady’s Italian Adventure is just as good; it’s a cautionary tale of the rise of fascism and Mussolini before WWII and the resulting destruction to Italy as a result.
These both sounds interesting! I'm a pretty voracious reader, but I don't know Lynch's work. Which do you suggest I start with? I know 'The Italian Party' was written first and that 'Sally Brady's Italian Adventure' is set in an earlier period. But which do you think is the best introduction to the writer's oeuvre?
Read the Italian Party first. It’s shorter and you get a sense of Lynch’s writing style.
I read the Sally Brady book first. It caught my eye at the library; I enjoyed it so much I checked out the Italian Party immediately. You can’t go wrong either way. Lynch’s latest book, Pony Confidential is great too. It’s not set in Italy. It’s written mostly from the Pony’s point of view and was an NPR pick this summer.
P.S. I started reading The Italian Party.
Let me know what you think. BTW—I saw Diane Roberts at the farmers market and she said you might be coming to the Flambeau reunion. Hope to see you there.
BTW—Clare Booth Luce is an interesting political figure. I checked out two books about her; she had quite an influence on Eisenhower and Republican politics in the 1950s.
I just ordered The Italian Party -- thanks for the recommendation!
I already know a bit about Clare Boothe Luce. She's fascinating. Her husband is very well known among journalists, and she was an outspoken ambassador to Italy during the Cold War and was one of FDR's biggest critics. I believe there's a conference room named after her at the U.S. embassy in Rome.
Wish I knew about this when I lived on Lago Maggiore for a few months - could've asked some questions and probably made some enemies!
But I thought only spies lived on Lago Maggiore! Hmmm.
Great read as always!
It's amazing that people like Mr. Vreeland have done so much. I'd love to read that book if it really comes out!
It will/would be an interesting read for sure. I sped through the excerpts I got!
Love what you write!!!! Molto interessante!!!
Ciao Lucrezia! Thank you!!