Mark Hinshaw

Mark Hinshaw is a retired architect and city planner who lived in Seattle for more than 40 years. For 12 years he had a regular column on architecture for The Seattle Times and later was a frequent contributor to Crosscut. He now lives in a small hill town in Italy.

Italy — Living Among Farms

"The farms of our Marche region feel approachable, intimate, and reflect individual family traditions."

Italy’s Holidays: Lost in Translation

"When we asked our village butcher to get us a whole turkey the first year, he politely asked if we wanted it alive or dead."

Buona Festa! Italy Has a Festival for Everything

Festivals devoted to almost every fruit and vegetable, as well as fests for grains, flours, and flowers, birds. and every imaginable kind of pasta.

Are Americans Targets of Italian Scams?

To hear some Americans talk, you'd think Italy was the promised land of the rip-off.

The More Things Change: Reasons Not to Fear Italy’s New Rightwing Government

Italy’s cultural composition still essentially echoes the plethora of kingdoms, duchies, city-states, and protectorates that carved up the peninsula for many hundreds of years following the fall of the Roman Empire.

Nano Nano: A Lesson in Italian Economics

'Nanoeconomics.' This is a system of economics centered around small transactions between individuals — often by people who know each other."

Shopping for Food in Italy: Buy It Today, Eat It by Tomorrow

"You buy just enough to eat for two days and then go out again for more."

Rising Violence and Racism Against Migrants in Italy

"All countries and cultures possess a capacity for racism, and Italy is no exception."

Beating the Heat: Water Fans

If you introduce water to blowing air, the temperature can drop by 10-15 degrees.

Venice: The Biennale Is Back

"Compared with previous biennales, this 59th edition of the international art exhibition seems marked by both a greater somberness and an elevated spirt."

Latest