Rick chats with author Phillip Barlag about a dozen buildings and plazas in Rome that offer particularly fascinating insights into the city's rich history.

Italian-food expert Fred Plotkin describes a tempting array of Italy's countless varieties of pasta, highlighting some tasty regional favorites.

Rick checks in with Italian-food expert Fred Plotkin to talk about their guide to Italy's regional cuisine.

Journalist Beppe Severgnini helps us view life through an Italian lens, urging us to embrace the chaos — and to smile in spite of everything.

We learn some colorful phrases and hear about Italy's regional differences from one of the country's most popular newspaper columnists, Beppe Severgnini.

Irish writer Fintan O'Toole describes the role of the supernatural in Celtic traditions and in more recent Irish literature.

Irish writer Fintan O'Toole uses personal vignettes to illustrate the extraordinary transformation of the Republic of Ireland during his lifetime.

Greek tour guide Effie Perperi helps us get acquainted with the fascinating ancient structures atop Athens' Acropolis.

Communicating successfully with the French involves mastering the cultural nuances and unwritten rules of engagement of this rich language, as explained by the authors of "The Bonjour Effect."

Historian Jacob Mikanowski describes how the monolithic "Eastern Europe" of the Cold War has faded and the region is surging with life.