I AM GETTING out of a taxi in Rome, Italy. My plan this beautiful sunny morning is to visit the church of St. Francis of Assisi, to see the stone this ascetic monk used for a pillow 800 years ago.

I AM STROLLING past a long line of older Chinese ladies sitting at little tables in a park in Beijing, China. I ask my guide what is going on and he tells..

I AM RIDING in the front seat of Alessandro‘s SUV, driving on a twisting, winding mountain road, barely wide enough for two cars to pass. I close my eyes when a car approaches from the opposite direction. Alessandro and the other driver carefully maneuver their cars and expertly manage the narrow passage. I can’t look. I could never drive on such a road.