- Home
- Barbie Nadeau
Barbie Nadeau
Articles by Barbie Nadeau
World
Italian Women: ‘We Are Treated Like Prosciutto’
Berlusconi’s piggish behavior is the last straw for Italian women, who vow to end a culture of moldy machismo.
6 min read
World
Berlusconi Faces New Criminal Probe in Italy
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation of the scandal-prone prime minister for allegedly having sex with a teenage prostitute and for allegedly trying to cover up the affair.
5 min read
World
Pompeii’s Second Destruction
You may have thought Pompeii died after that battle with Vesuvius in A.D. 79. In fact, the gloriously preserved Roman town is being destroyed now, thanks to human neglect.
6 min read
World
Behind Rome’s Embassy-Row Bombings
The Italian capital’s tony diplomatic neighborhoods are in a panic after the discovery of another parcel bomb, days after two others exploded.
4 min read
World
Bunga-Bunga Nation: Berlusconi’s Italy Hurts Women
It’s 8:30 p.m., and all eyes turn to Italy’s most popular satirical news program, “Striscia la Notizia” (“Strip the News”). Two middle-aged men stand under a strobe light, one of them holding a belt from which dangles a vaguely phallic string of garlic.
10 min read
World
Naples Suffers as Garbage Piles Up
Tons of rotting garbage have piled up in the Cava Sari landfill just outside Naples. Since Silvio Berlusconi’s election promise to solve the Naples garbage crisis nearly three years ago, the landfill has been used to hide the Italian government’s unwillingness to deal with the Camorra crime syndicate. Some residents say the prime minister should fix the problem or resign.
6 min read
World
Should Scientists Probe the Massive Volcano Under Naples?
Fearing a global catastrophe, the mayor of Naples may halt exploration of the massive volcano that lies under her city. But some scientists say inaction could be riskier.
8 min read
World
Coral Ban Hurts Italian Craftsmen
Torre Del Greco is a postcard-perfect fishing village a few kilometers down the coast from Naples. The city is also a stellar example of “clean” economic success in an area known for its mafia corruption.
4 min read
World
How Amanda Knox’s Supporters Could Doom Her
By speaking loudly—and condescendingly—on her behalf, American supporters of Amanda Knox have hurt her standing in Italy at exactly the moment she begins to appeal her murder conviction.
7 min read
World
Rome’s Subculture of Gay Priests Rocks the Vatican
For residents of Rome, the sight of courting priests is hardly an anomaly. But a recent exposÈ is rocking the Catholic Church, which victims’ advocates say has responded with more urgency to the rumor of gay priests than to the history of child sex abuse.
8 min read
World
Van der Sloot, Holloway’s Suspected Murderer, Fumbles Again
Joran van der Sloot, the Dutchman thought to have killed Natalee Holloway, is a murder suspect again. By behaving like a sleaze for the last several years, he has already sealed his fate in the court of public opinion. Why do postadolescent perps behave like reality-TV stars?
6 min read
World
Why Can’t Rome Protect Its Cultural Treasures?
The Roman Coliseum is not only one of the world’s most visited monuments; it is also one of the most threatened. The outer walls are stained black by exhaust fumes from buses, mopeds, and cars that whiz around the ancient amphitheater as if it were a traffic circle.
5 min read
News
Berlusconi’s Coalition Faces Collapse
Italy’s government is again on the brink of collapse. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has survived sex scandals and corruption allegations for years, but now he faces an imminent threat from within his own ruling coalition.
2 min read
News
Europe Turns Against The Pope
The sex-abuse scandal of the early 2000s never did much damage to the popularity of John Paul II, the pope at the time. Pope Benedict XVI can only wish he were so fortunate.
3 min read
World
Amanda Knox Has Lost the Battle for Public Opinion
Even if Foxy Knoxy wins acquittal on Friday, she and her family have already lost in the court of public opinion.
5 min read
World
White Truffle Tips
Truffles have been a staple in family homes in Tuscany and Piedmont for generations. Now an increasing number of area restaurants are featuring truffles as niche cuisine.
2 min read
World
Tracking Down Truffles in Tuscany
Most people who live in Italy for any period of time eventually become curious about truffles. It’s not so much that Italian truffles, with their pungent smell and earthy flavor, are an acquired taste; they are simply hard to acquire, appearing on menus only at certain times of year and in certain regions.
4 min read
Entertainment
Why Are the Venetians Fleeing Venice?
Venice may be engulfed by the ocean in the next century. But will any locals be around to see it happen?
7 min read
World
Berlusconi Clamps Down on Press
Italy’s Berlusconi channels Mussolini, clamps down on press.
3 min read
World
Here’s How the Evidence Stacks up for Amanda Knox
Soon, it’ll be up to a jury in Perugia to decide whether Amanda Knox killed Meredith Kercher. How the evidence stacks up.
13 min read
Entertainment
A Breast-Cancer Scare Made Socialized Medicine OK
When I first moved abroad, I didn’t see the point of socialized medicine. Then I developed a lump in my breast.
5 min read
Load More