So warm, funny, sweet, engaging. Every article that Eric writes reminds me of the charm of living in Italy. And brings back memories. I don't know Bob, but I might know...Michael. I had a hilarious Pugliese friend with noble parentage. When in Lecce visiting with him and other friends, he introduced me to noble heritage acquaintances as the sister of Michael Bublè (I am Canadian and sung in piano bars, but the connections ends there). We continued the joke all week. And even a year later, back in Puglia, we ran into some of these people, who then introduced me to their friends as Michael's sister. Since then, I know Fly me to the Moon by heart. (In Puglia, it's all heart.)
Michael Bublè is popular but people don't know too much about him, at least I dont think so. So it would be easy to believe they were hangin' with his sister! Were you nervous or having fun??
Interesting details in the word cloud: old is bigger than modern and France is bigger than Germany and grappa is bigger than wine!! They could do a psycological profile based on this stuff!!
I was going to write that I wasn't sure if it'd make a good psychological profile of me since those were simply words that appeared in the newsletter. But then I realized I chose what appeared in the newsletter, so maybe you're right!
I was also very interested in what the word cloud revealed. I'm glad some of mt favorite cameos -- St. Augustine, Franco, Freck Vreeland, Hans Küng, Mirko -- were named often enough to appear in the top 100!
Short or long, your "dispatches" are treasures in their own right. Every one contains multiple lessons and invaluable information. The word cloud was very intriguing! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!
Congratulazioni on your 25 issues! I enjoy reading them, there's so much love for my country here - and that's refreshing for me (as many, I have a love/hate relationship with my own country). In case you'd like to talk ideas - please count on me, I'd be honored! Cheers to The Italian Dispatch! Auguri!
Such diverse and entertaining reads! Interesting that you have decided to go for the shorter pieces and understand your argument about them being easier to read and write. The good thing is that it's likely to increase your audience numbers given the apparent tendency towards shorter attention spans. As someone who has never been good at sitting through a movie without getting bored, I get it. But I do wonder if it's a sign of something bigger. Is it part of the instant gratification culture? Is all writing going to have to be done in bite size chunks to hit the mark or gain traction?
It's an experiment. I think/hope the shorter ones will still be interesting and a little challenging. My reasoning (alluded to above) is that these long-form pieces take a lot of time, and I don't want to do a weaker version of them. Plus, I know some readers get behind on them. once they aren't always easy reads. Plus, I think they can require a gestation period between when I decide what to write and when it's ready to publish. I have no shortage of ideas, but I'd like to have longer gestation periods.
All that said, it is a worrying trend that attention spans are contracting. We hardly ever have to work or wait for anything ... it's definitely a sign of something larger.
So warm, funny, sweet, engaging. Every article that Eric writes reminds me of the charm of living in Italy. And brings back memories. I don't know Bob, but I might know...Michael. I had a hilarious Pugliese friend with noble parentage. When in Lecce visiting with him and other friends, he introduced me to noble heritage acquaintances as the sister of Michael Bublè (I am Canadian and sung in piano bars, but the connections ends there). We continued the joke all week. And even a year later, back in Puglia, we ran into some of these people, who then introduced me to their friends as Michael's sister. Since then, I know Fly me to the Moon by heart. (In Puglia, it's all heart.)
I love that story, Ms. Bublè! It’s fun to be someone else sometimes but you broke new ground!
Michael Bublè is popular but people don't know too much about him, at least I dont think so. So it would be easy to believe they were hangin' with his sister! Were you nervous or having fun??
Interesting details in the word cloud: old is bigger than modern and France is bigger than Germany and grappa is bigger than wine!! They could do a psycological profile based on this stuff!!
I was going to write that I wasn't sure if it'd make a good psychological profile of me since those were simply words that appeared in the newsletter. But then I realized I chose what appeared in the newsletter, so maybe you're right!
I was also very interested in what the word cloud revealed. I'm glad some of mt favorite cameos -- St. Augustine, Franco, Freck Vreeland, Hans Küng, Mirko -- were named often enough to appear in the top 100!
I love it! Do you know Bob?? Haha. Luv the word cloud idea
Short or long, your "dispatches" are treasures in their own right. Every one contains multiple lessons and invaluable information. The word cloud was very intriguing! Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!
Congrats 🥂 on 25! So nice to read about my country from a different prospective, thanks so much!!!
I'm all about looking at things from a new perspective! Thank you for reading.
Congratulazioni on your 25 issues! I enjoy reading them, there's so much love for my country here - and that's refreshing for me (as many, I have a love/hate relationship with my own country). In case you'd like to talk ideas - please count on me, I'd be honored! Cheers to The Italian Dispatch! Auguri!
Grazie, grazie, grazie...mi piace molto quello che scrivi!!!
Grazie a te, Lucrezia!
I remember Bob. And I member the film festival in Campobasso run out of the barbershop. Or something like that.
That was our trip! Great memory.
Love that DeNiro story. It's true there are many Bobs in America. But only one DeNiro.
Absolutely. One of the all-time-greats. And now, thanks to these lovely people in Molise, there’s only one degree of separation between us!
I’m surprised they call him Bob and not Robert.
… or Roberto, right? Evidently, he’s told people there to call him Bob.
How many words are in the cloud? Around 100?
I truly enjoy your dispatches every week, thank you!
Just a big thank you for all of it- big, small, and mezzo!
Grazie, Alecia!
Such diverse and entertaining reads! Interesting that you have decided to go for the shorter pieces and understand your argument about them being easier to read and write. The good thing is that it's likely to increase your audience numbers given the apparent tendency towards shorter attention spans. As someone who has never been good at sitting through a movie without getting bored, I get it. But I do wonder if it's a sign of something bigger. Is it part of the instant gratification culture? Is all writing going to have to be done in bite size chunks to hit the mark or gain traction?
It's an experiment. I think/hope the shorter ones will still be interesting and a little challenging. My reasoning (alluded to above) is that these long-form pieces take a lot of time, and I don't want to do a weaker version of them. Plus, I know some readers get behind on them. once they aren't always easy reads. Plus, I think they can require a gestation period between when I decide what to write and when it's ready to publish. I have no shortage of ideas, but I'd like to have longer gestation periods.
All that said, it is a worrying trend that attention spans are contracting. We hardly ever have to work or wait for anything ... it's definitely a sign of something larger.
Incredibly worrisome. All you have to do is Google (or ChatGPT or Copilot, as these slowly become verbs) "chinese micro dramas".
Every time I hear from you you give me another reason to despair (in a good way).
I didn’t know what those videos were and I know and I can only blame you
Happy to help as always! :)
Congrats on 25 issues! Loving your tales.
Enjoyed reading every line. Thanks