Dear Uncle Enver

These are notes from a short trip to Tirana in 2019, where it rained non-stop for the entire duration of my stay. While visiting Tirana, the traces of its communist past are inescapable. Enver Hoxha (pronounced "oja") established a communist regime in 1944 and exerted absolute power until his death in 1985, shaping the whole … Continue reading Dear Uncle Enver →

Hi kifak ça va?

These are scattered notes from a recent trip to Lebanon. Beirut and the war. The capital city of Lebanon used to be an influential cultural and financial centre of the Middle East. After narrowly avoiding a civil war in 1958, the so-called 1960s "golden age" saw Lebanon flourish as an affluent, multi-lingual, secular, and open … Continue reading Hi kifak ça va? →

The Earth Trembles

I wrote this post in March 2011, after witnessing the Great Sendai earthquake. A longer version in Italian is available here. I get off at Meiji-Jungumae, one of the hundreds of access points to Tokyo’s massive public transport network. The subway station lies at the intersection between two wide busy avenues, surrounded by ample pavement … Continue reading The Earth Trembles →