The myth of traditional Italian cuisine has seduced the world. The truth is very different | Alberto Grandi The comforting tourist-brochure idea of what Italian food looks like obscures a story shaped by hunger, migration and innovation, says Alberto Grandi, author and professor of food history

This is brilliant, and so illuminating.

Sir, this isn’t a road trip.

Dear Diary,
I am unsure if I’m coming or going.

Small talk is an art, not a triviality.

Days just turn into months.
City smoke burning my lungs.