David Farley (born September 25, 1971) is an American author and journalist. Farley is originally from Dubuque, Iowa, but spent his formative years in Simi Valley, California. He graduated from Simi Valley High School and received a bachelor's degree from University of California, Santa Cruz and a master's degree in European history from San Francisco State University. Farley writes mostly about travel, food, and culture for '' The Wall Street Journal'', '' The New York Times'', '' The Washington Post'', '' Conde Nast Traveler'', and '' Newsweek'', among other publications. In 2006, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2019 he won

Lowell Thomas Awards Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29, 1981) was an American writer, actor, Television presenter, broadcaster, and traveler, best remembered for publicising T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). He was also involved in promoting the ...

from the

Society of American Travel Writers A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societi ...

for magazine articles he has written. He has lived in Prague, Paris, Rome, New York City and Berlin.

An Irreverent Curiosity

''An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church's Strangest Relic in Italy's Oddest Town'', Farley's first book, is a narrative history/travelogue about Farley's time living in

Calcata, Italy Calcata (locally ) is a ''comune'' and town in the Province of Viterbo in the Italian region Lazio, located north of Rome by car, overlooking the valley of Treja river. Calcata borders the following municipalities: Faleria, Magliano Romano, Mazz ...

while searching for the

Holy Foreskin The Holy Prepuce, or Holy Foreskin (Latin or ), is one of several relics attributed to Jesus, a product of the circumcision of Jesus. At various points in history, a number of churches in Europe have claimed to possess Jesus's foreskin, sometime ...

, which was preserved in the medieval hill town's church for centuries until it went missing under mysterious circumstances in the 1980s. The book was named one of the best travel books of the year by the '' Los Angeles Times'' and WorldHum.com and one of the best books of the decade by the '' Dubuque Telegraph Herald''. In October 2010, it won a Lowell Thomas Award for best travel book. In December 2013, National Geographic Channel broadcast a documentary, starring Farley and based on his book, called "The Quest for the Holy Foreskin".

Underground Worlds

In May 2018, publisher

Black Dog & Leventhal Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...

published Farley's second book, ''Underground Worlds: A Guide to Spectacular Subterranean Places''.Black Dog & Leventhal, 2018,https://www.blackdogandleventhal.com/titles/david-farley/underground-worlds/9780316514002/

References

External links

Official site"The Quest for the Holy Foreskin"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farley, David 1971 births Living people American travel writers American male non-fiction writers Writers from Dubuque, Iowa Simi Valley High School alumni Writers from California