Anna Staropoli — A Geographic Diary

5 p.m. on Via Chiavettieri is when balconies drop buckets, euros clattering in metal pails over rusted railings.

Feelings, Head and Heart, JournalsAnna StaropoliJune 7, 2022Head and Heart, Sicily, Italy, PalermoComment

Over the last month, I’ve watched my landscape change from outside train windows and have stepped into small towns, new worlds. Entering a new season is as simple as reaching the next region.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliFebruary 12, 2022head and heart, Tuscany, Incisa, Italy, Italian CultureComment

Tuscany — Perks Of Being A Morning Person

Florence is made for the glow of the early morning the same way she’s made for autumn air and history books.

Feelings, Head and Heart, JournalsAnna StaropoliFebruary 3, 2022Florence, Italy, Duomo, Mornings, OvertourismComment

Lombardy — An Observation For Every Hour I Spent At F1 Monza That Has Nothing To Do With Racecar Driving

After two very full, very hot days in the Monza stands, I’ve compiled a list of observations from the race that have absolutely nothing to do with the sport itself and everything to do with my entertainment.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliSeptember 22, 2021Formula One, Milan, Monza, italian cultureComment

Lombardy — Returning To Italy (Finally!) In A COVID-era Travelscape

I’ve never liked Milan, but being here feels like getting coffee with a friend with whom I fell out of touch.

Head and Heart, JournalsAnna StaropoliSeptember 20, 2021Milan, italian culture, COVID-19, TravelComment

Sicily — On Uncontrollables

It has been nearly a year since I graduated from Dartmouth and I can’t stop thinking about Dr. Seuss.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliApril 1, 2020Dartmouth, Post-Grad, Year AbroadComment

Sicily — On The Sicilian Passeggiata

On Sunday evenings in Sicily’s capital, I join the rest of Palermo at the Four Corners where the city’s cardinal landmarks connect.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliMarch 29, 2020Passeggiata, Sicily, Palermo, StrollComment

Sicily — On Observing

I like to sit on my balcony and look down at the world below.

FeelingsAnna StaropoliNovember 20, 2019Observing, Palermo, Community, Local

Sicily — On Reading

We don’t share a language but we share stories. Fiction is a universal form of communication; writing bonds us across cultures and continents.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliNovember 12, 2019reading, books, sciascia, sicilian writers

Sicily — On Non-Swimmable Seas

I like finding spots like this.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliNovember 4, 2019Swimming, Sicilian water, sea, fishing, boats

Sicily — On Italian Men

Italian men talk to you in real life, real time, the way most tinder conversations seem to go down.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliOctober 22, 2019safety, italian culture, sicilian men

Sicily — On Confusion, On Community

On these streets everyone seems to know one another so I can never tell if they’re actually friends or just excited to meet somebody new.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliOctober 13, 2019Community, Feelings, Cities, head and heart, solo travel

Sicily — On Late Night Loneliness

Manhattan is supposed to be the city that never sleeps but Palermo is the city that is always awake.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliOctober 10, 2019Loneliness, Belonging, Palermo

Sicily — On Belonging

Of course I find myself in Piazza S. Anna right as I begin to doubt whether this is a city that will take me and just me.

Head and HeartAnna StaropoliOctober 7, 2019Palermo, Belonging, Names, Piazzas