CURRENT MISSION

I love teaching...history mostly. And cooking too...

ABOUT ME

I grew up in New York State, then went to Kenyon College in Ohio. After graduation I "went home" to Europe: I lived in Bolzano for ten months (too small), then Vienna for six (too big), then found Perugia in 2001 (just right). I fell in love with the city and wrote an English-language guidebook, then some other stuff.

I now work for the Umbra Institute, teaching Italian History, and in January start teaching The History and Politics of Food in Italy. Food history is my true passion. I also take care of a small vineyard here (it makes horrible vine), and have a small publishing company.

PHILOSOPHY

Uhhhh... I'm not religious or spiritual, more or less pragmatic. I guess that makes me a hedonist, though that sounds bad. My favorite thing is not wine or special food but just a caffè or an aperitivo in my favorite place in the world, Perugia's main piazza.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I travel less nowadays but am willing to host (with my flatmate, Nikos Zimouras) and meet up for a coffee or to show people around Perugia, a beautiful city in Umbria!

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I had hosted a bunch of people with my former flatmate (Mauro Renna) and recently visited the Po River Valley with Nikos Zimouras, meeting up with a bunch of couchsurfers.

Interests

Botany and gardening
Cooking
Petroleum depletion
Etymology

• books
• dining
• cooking
• wine
• coffee
• gardening
• politics
• traveling
• etymology
• history
• tours

Music, Movies, and Books

Movies: zombie flicks, serious movies
Music: Led Zeppelin (and classic rock in general)
Books: general history, food history, evolutionary psychology, Hemingway & Steinbeck, linguistics

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Published some books...

Teach, Learn, Share

I love giving tours of Perugia...

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