La Dolce Vita

1st post of 2012 :: Best of 2011

2012-02-05T15:08:00.000+01:00

Wow! It has been so long since the last time we posted something on our blog!! We have missed so many times to photograph for lots of 10 on 10s, to write travel diaries and to report daily happenings of these last few months...that a recap is necessary. 2011 was a year of incredible emotions and great adventures around the world. So we like to remember it with the best images!

1. A tradition: my birthday in London (March 2011)

Since 1999 - the first time that I visited London with a bunch of friends - I fell in love with the UK's capital. It's the most eclectic, never-the-same, always-changing, exciting, amusing, culturally enhancing city in the world for me. It's one of those places in the world where I feel as comfortable as at home. It's for sure, my favorite city...and I have spent there many birthdays and important unforgettable moments. It's physiological: I NEED to go to London almost once a year! Last time I visited it was March 2012 and this is a remainder of that stay. I miss London very much. ;)

2. Wedding

What a memorable day!!! I only have good memories of that day. It was the day I smiled the most in my life...in fact at the end of the day my cheeks ached. It was the day that united all together in the same place most of the people we love the most. It was so nice to have all our friends and family with us for our special day. The setting was just perfect and we couldn't expect something better that what it resulted at the end. The day after the wedding we woke up in this beautiful old villa and it was like:"After 8 months of preparations...is it really all done? Is the wedding gone?" I still don't know if it was more a sorrow for not having the opportunity to do it again, and again and again (only the wedding day, not all the 8-month preparation!!!!) or happiness for a pain relief...because, to be honest, all that preparation and the expectations for a perfect day were pretty exhausting!! Anyway, after a wonderful in-room breakfast (one of the best of our lives!) and a half day spa treatment with massage for 2...we were ready to leave the villa and get ready for the other big deal of 2011: Honeymoon! :))

3. Honeymoon part 1: The Hampton's and NYC

The first part of our honeymoon was spent at Kyle and Marcus beautiful mansion at the Hampton's, about 1 hour north-east of NYC. We landed at JFK and took a car to reach them by night. We couldn't expect a better host than Kyle and Marcus: we were SPOILT like never before and we are sorry it was only for a few days. Thank you guys for making us feel so special. We wait for you in Italy as soon as possible!

The next stop was New York City. This was the second time in the Big Apple for us and the city didn't betrayed the expectations: great shows (we went to see the musical "Spiderman: Turn off the dark" and the Cirque du Soleil show "Zarkana" at the Radio City Music Hall), great shops and great museums. In a few words, NYC is the center of the world, where everything is possible. One of our favorite sightseeings were the walk on the Brooklyn Bridge and the view from the "Top of the Rocks", the panoramic deck of the Rockefeller Center. Last but not least, the experience of being in Time Square by night: it's just AMAZING! All that neons and flash lights on the screen walls...they are hypnotic. You just stand or sit on the newly made red staircase, and you just admire all this reality show around you. Time Square...rocks! We stayed in a beautiful hotel (Yotel), a few blocks from Time Square and moving around by feet was easy. Great location, which we would highly recommend.

4. Honeymoon part 2: Seattle, Vancouver (Canada) and family

The second part of our honeymoon was spent in the northwest, that we love because is where my relatives live and where we feel like home. As soon as we arrived in Seattle from NYC, we decided to sleep in a motel right outside the airport (bad idea, the cleaning was awful!!!) and the next morning we drove up to Vancouver, Canada. It was our first time in Canada and we loved Vancouver at the first sight. We visited the famous Stanley Park and then we had a nice walk around the city center and enjoyed the view of the planes landing on the water of the bay. We also visited the Capilano Bridge park, where we experienced the feeling of being suspended on a cord bridge...BRAVE!

From Vancouver we endeavored a long drive toward south, back to the USA to reach Jeff, Jenny, Wes and all the rest of the Gough's in Long Beach (WA). We were so happy to have the chance to meet Wes for the first time (almost first time outside Jenny's belly!!) and spend some time with this beautiful big family. We felt so loved and they made all the best to celebrate our wedding again with a nice dinner party. The next days we spent lovely days at the beach and visited Astoria, OR where the movie "The Goonies" of Steven Spielberg was filmed. The beach here is huge and the monoliths in the ocean are spectacular. Worth the visit! Thank you Jenny, Jeff, Wes and Gough's family to make us feel so special. We loved being with all of you and we miss those days!

The last part of the trip in the northwestern USA was spent in Fox Island, where we spent more days with Linda, Merry, Traci, Mike, Dylan, Shelby, Taylor and Joe. They were in Italy at our weddings just a few days before, and it was fantastic to meet again in the US to keep on celebrating. In fact we had the wedding party nr. 3 at Linda's house with a lot of relatives and friends, great food and good company. Thank you all for the incredible effort to plan and realize this party for us. We did feel all the love around us and we miss you all. What an incredible night...and the 3-layer wedding cake made by Merry was AMAZING! We couldn't not try typical american burgers and smores for dessert...love at the first sight (I know, it's not healthy, but they are sooooooo good, but so heavy!) hehehe ;)

5. Honeymoon part 3: Kauai, Hawaii.

I think that the human race didn't invent any words that can even nearly describe the beauty of these islands. They are the paradise on Earth, the most wonderful place I have ever been to...The first island we visited and stayed almost a week was Kauai, and it was love at the first sight. We immediately realized why they call it "Garden island". It's all green, with taro fields and beautiful plants and flowers all around. It's luscious, with beautiful dramatic landscapes, high peaks, canyons, beautiful beaches and the most beautiful sunsets ever. We stayed in a nice little apartment in Poipu, just a few steps from Poipu beach, where we had a lot of fun playing in the waves and bodyboarding. We also loved the northern part of Kauai, with Ke'e Beach voted one of our favorite place on Earth. We had an half day boat tour along the Na Pali Coast, jumping on the waves of the Pacific, admiring incredible landforms of the coast, discovering secluded beaches and snorkeling in a very nice place with lot of colorful fishes and turtles. We had a photo shoot taken in Kauai, right between Ke'e Beach and Tunnels beach. Thank you Jennifer @ Island Echos Photography. Ah! Paradise has a name: Kauai island, Hawaii.

6. Honeymoon part 4: Maui, Hawaii.

After 6 days in Kauai, we moved to Maui for a 4-day stay. We visited some of the south beaches and the nice town of Lahaina where we appreciated the nice art galleries and the restaurants. We woke up at 4 am to see the sunrise at the top of the Haleakala National Park (peak 10.023 ft / 3.055 meters high). We also hiked half day along the trails of the park, descending with a heavy jacket and returning with a swimsuit because in a few hours temperature conditions change drastically. The rest of the stay was spent in a bamboo house off the grid, in a wonderful location overlooking the pacific ocean. Waking up with the view of palm trees and the ocean...is priceless, even if Ely was terrified by the colony of geckos who were living in our bamboo house! ;)

6. Honeymoon part 4: Big Island, Hawaii.

Big Island was another pleasant step in our Hawaii island hopper tour. We spent about another week there, partly on the Kailua-Kona coast, partly visiting the Kilauea Volcano National Park and partly on the Hilo coast. When around Kona, we stayed in a luxury place which was just perfect for honeymooners: The Fairmont Orchid. We had a wonderful room with a garden view terrace where we had delicious breakfasts. The hotel has a wonderful tropical garden, a big pool overlooking the ocean and a white-sand beach with light blue lagoon. We really enjoyed staying there, just laying on the beach and just do nothing...But our adventurous spirits couldn't stay calm for long. In fact we planned a Mauna Kea summit experience for watching the spectacular sunset at the summit of the mountain and then stargazing. We arrived at the height of 4.205 meters ( 13.796 ft), which wasn't easy. You feel strange at that elevation, breathing is difficult, it was really cold especially at sunset and later by night. But the view from there, with the white astronomical observatories in the background, made all the efforts to resist the height worth it. Also the stargazing was amazing: we could clearly see the Milky Way, because over there it's one of the clearest point on Earth where to see the stars. Just for a lucky chance, we were in Big Island right when Jenny's parents Pat and Joe were there for a vacation too. We joined them for a really nice dinner on they terrace in Kona and we spent a wonderful night out with them celebrating again our wedding. Thank you for your warm hospitality Pat and Joe! ;)

The day spent at the Kilauea Volcano National Park was really interesting and we made a lot of walking around the different trails and view points of the Volcano caldera, old lava fields and incredible lava formations that witness the power of one of the most active volcanic area in the world. It was fascinating to experience this place, where the force of the nature shows itself with all its power.

Hilo and the tropical coast of Big Island were also another nice discover, especially the high Aka Aka falls. We can say, we didn't miss anything on Big Island...even an unexpected beautiful rainbow. Check! ;)

7. Honeymoon part 5: Oahu, Hawaii

In Oahu we ended our Hawaiian vacation with style!!! We didn't want to stay in the crowd of Waikiki, so we rented a fancy car and an apartment in Kailua, just a block from the beautiful beach. We did a lot of beach life there and the place was perfect for bodyboarding. We couldn't miss the nightlife in Waikiki and the great shops there. Waikiki is full of daily happenings, street shows, surfers who cross the street to the beach, which is always full of people playing, drinking, catching tan. It's fun to see, but not our cup of tea. Nothing in compares with the tranquillity and the relaxation of Kailua beach and surroundings. So we did the right choice to stay there. Between Kailua and Waikiki we spent a day in the beautiful Hanauma Bay Nature Reserve, where we did a lot of snorkeling and enjoyed to experience a vivid sea life. Another fun day was when we went around the island to find some of the most famous "Lost" filming locations. One of them was the beach where they filmed the camp. As the show has finished, the camp was dismissed, but we could find some airplane pieces and the graves of mr. Echo and some other died characters. Another location we saw was the others' camp, that in reality is a bunch of cabins of a summer camp in the westernmost part of the island. Along the way between these 2 locations, we stopped in Sunset beach and at the Dole Plantation, where we ate the most delicious pineapple ever. Emotional was to visit Pearl Harbor memorial, where we learned more about the attack made by the Japanese who threw USA into the 2nd World War. The summer before we were in Hiroshima, Japan where we visited the Atomic Bomb dome and museum, which was another shocking experience, but it's important to learn from the past to avoid same errors in the future. War is something terrible that breaks lives and brings sorrow and pain in both the fronts. Nobody wins.

We had a lot of fun in Oahu, it was one of our favorite island (even if choose a favorite one is difficult!!!), because it is a mix of all the best that Hawaii can offer: great nature, fantastic beaches with the lively of a big city like Honolulu and great shopping and eating experience in Waikiki, where you really can find everything (Ala Moana is one of the biggest shopping mall in USA!).

During the last bodyboarding session we had, just a few hours before our flight to Los Angeles, Ely had a close encounter with a tropical jelly fish on her calf. She said, it was the most painful thing she has ever experienced in her life. Fortunately she wasn't allergic, but her leg hurt for many hours until our arrival in LA.

Hawaii, we love you! Ti amaiamo, Hawaii!

8. Honeymoon part 6: Disneyland, Los Angeles.

On the way back home, we stopped over in L.A. and spent 3 wonderful days in Disneyland. Fun, fun, fun!!!!

9. December in Morocco :: Our first time in Africa

We always try to find the time to break the autumn/winter season with a vacation in a warmer place. Last year we found a great offer for a holiday in Marrakech and we decided to go! The first impact with Africa is quite shocking, because there are really strong contrasts. You end up feeling guilty to be able to stay in a luxury place and have spa treatments with fruits, camel milk and other stuff while outside you see people living in shacks and children asking for pennies along the streets. As the days pass by, you learn how to approach people and appreciate their beautiful culture and customs. Moroccan people are generous, welcoming, entertaining and kind. Going around Marrakech is like being in a washing machine most of the time: people, animals, cars, motorbikes are all together along the streets, with not a particular order and most of the people stop you because they want to sell you something, take you somewhere (for money), say you something or give directions (for money) or take you a picture with a snake around your neck or a monkey on your shoulder. It's a circus! A wind whirl! Then, suddenly, you find a quite place: an old palace, the seat of a Koranic school, a cemetery of the sultans or a closed park. The souks are very characteristic but are sort of a labyrinth and if you don't go fast, you risk that the sellers of these shops take you in, offer you a cup of mint tea and try to sell you the entire shop! We never felt in danger and people are very friendly (but pushy!), honest and helpful if you are in need. Souks are colorful, crowded, chaotic and you are overwhelmed with exotic odors and tastes. Some products sold in souks are particularly interesting like spices, leather bags, colorful tissues and beautiful handcrafts. The main square, Djema El Fnaa is a world apart. It's a Unesco world heritage site and it's full of people selling food and other goods, snakes charmers, dancers, singers and much much more. It's a unique experience.

After 4 days in Marrakech we left for a 4 days adventure safari in the Sahara desert with a nice guide - Hamou - and a driver with a 4x4 jeep. We passed the Atlas mountain and stopped in Ourzazate, before to go on to Zagora, Tamgroute, M'hamid and the high dunes of Erg Chagaga and then back to Ourzazate and Marrakech. We slept 2 nights in nomadic tents in the middle of the Sahara, we rided camels, experienced oasis and amazing landscapes with red kasbahs in front of snowy peaks in the background. We climbed the dunes in Erg Chagaga and saw the sunset and the sunrise from the there. The food was delicious and the company great. What an unforgettable experience! We loved Morocco, the desert, the people and this will be only the beginning of our adventures in Africa. More to come!!! ;)

Long Lasting Summer

2011-10-14T15:52:00.000+02:00

It's incredible how beautiful the weather has been doing this season. We are at the half of October and during the day temperatures are like in summer. Except than in the early morning and in the night, when it's cooler, we are experiencing a long lasting summer, which is very nice to me. Unfortunately with all the work I have lately, I can't enjoy this climate as much as I would. Ely, who is always cold, doesn't think it's all this warm, but it's a common opinion that an October like this isn't very usual. Probably it won't last too long again and we are expecting temperatures to fall down after the first heavy rain (which means heavy snowfall in the mountain). But, by now, why not taking advantage of this good and warm weather? I can't wait for the weekend to begin!!!! :)

Happy weekend everybody!

Mario + Ely :: Story of a wonderful wedding 30.07.2011

2011-09-21T13:51:00.001+02:00

Wow! We just realized that we haven't written any proper posts since this May! There are several reasons why we didn't have time to keep our blog updated and the main one was the preparation of our wedding that took place this July, 30th.

For those who were at the wedding, we can say we have enjoyed every single moment of that day and it was special because we were together with all the people we love: family, friends and colleagues. For those who couldn't come here it is a quite brief story about that wonderful day, probably the happiest of our life up to now.

7.00 am, the photographers came to our house, where I spent the night alone while Ely moved momentously to her parent's house. The night before I was quite tranquil but probably deep inside pretty anxious at the point that I cleaned the house until 2am and at 6am I was awake, ready to get dressed while the photographers shot more than 200 photos of the whole process...

Meanwhile Ely was at Ten's hairdresser for hairdo, later make up and dressing at the tailor's boutique in Trento. Photographers reached her after my photo session and took pictures of her preparation too.

Going to the church from Trento took about 40 minutes by car. My brother, my mother and I took the Mini and stopped by at the florist's shop to grab the bouquet I order days before for Ely. It was made with English roses and peonies and Ely loved it! Later Ely arrived at the church accompanied by my father and her father and was waited by all the guests (and especially by me!) outside the church.We decided to decorate the church inside with sobriety, using simple flowers such as blue and white hydrangeas. The florist made a perfect job and the result was incredible. It was the perfect choice. The church where we made the celebration is located in Vigo Lomaso and it's considered one of the oldest romanic churches in the region, with origins in the 10th century. Recently it was completely restored and it shows incredible stone columns and original paintings.

As tradition, I was accompanied at the altar by my mother, while Ely was anticipated by our 2 awesome flower girls (my cousin Eleonora and Ely's cousin Lisa) and then accompanied at the altar by her father. It was a moving moment, especially when Ely was along the aisle while the organist and the choir were playing. Ely couldn't stop crying!!!

The wedding was celebrated by my uncle Flavio and lasted about 1 hour. Days before the wedding, we chose all the readings and the different parts of the celebration together with my uncle. We prepared copies of a booklet with all the ceremony texts and asked some of our family members to read some parts in church. Thank you for all of those who made the effort to read in pubic and be part of this important moment of our life. Considering the participation at the wedding of some american relatives from Tacoma/Fox Island (WA), we also read 2 readings in English and it was very much appreciated. Thank you Shelby and Mike. All the celebration was accompanied by the amazing local choir and organ.

...with this ring I take you as my wife...

...and with this ring I take you as my husband...

After the ceremony, all the people was outside waiting for us to come out. There were little sachets of rice and paper hearts to throw at us.

Outside the church we took some photos with parents, witnesses and all the guests...

1st photo, from left to right, Ely's father, Ely, Mario and Ely's mother

2nd photo, from left to right, Mario's father, Ely, Mario and Mario's mother

3rd photo, from left to right, Valeria (Ely's best friend), Ely's sister Anna, Ely, Mario, Andrea (Mario's best friend) and Mario's brother Diego.

But it took not long to notice that our car was wrapped into toilet paper,stuffed with colorful balloons and strings with empty cans were attached at the rear part of the car by our friends! It was fun to blow up all the balloons and leave the church with our Mini while all the guest were clapping at us.

The reception was taken at Villa di Campo, a beautiful location just 5 minutes from the church. The villa has a fantastic yard and garden outside, where we could spend a couple of hours eating a delicious buffet of appetizers, drink fruity cocktails, take more photos, chat with all the guests and enjoy a wonderful warm sunny afternoon.

Later we entered the villa to enjoy a seated 6-course lunch in the main tower room, finely decorated with original 19th century paintings and a beautiful Murano crystal chandelier.

We had wedding favors ready to give to all the guests. All was themed about tea, so we had little sachets with heart-shaped tea biscuits, little glass jars with a tropical fruits infusion and a box with a tea selection for our wedding witnesses.

Photographers took us around for a couple of hours to take photos in a little medieval village (Canale, Borgo degli Artisti) and in a field of grass and wild flowers we found along the way. It was fun!

At the villa we prepared a photo booth with some funny accessories to wear so all the guests could enjoy an amusing moment by taking photos and playing in front of the camera. This is one of those we took...but we have very very funny photos of most of the guests... ahahah!! ;))

After 6 pm, more guests arrived and we offered another wedding cake (multi-layer cake with cream, strawberries and chocolate, freshly made right that day by the incredible team of chefs at the villa. All the food was more than delicious!!!). The cut of the cake was accompanied by music played by my brother (DJ Diego Esse!) and by all the guest who were blowing soap balloons that we provided in little white wedding cake holders. It was so nice to see all the people around us and see all these soap balloons flying around.

Then we animated the party with a hula dance...

...and Ely threw her bouquet for the happiness of all the single ladies who tried to catch it. (Shelby and Anna, Ely's sister caught it together!!!)

Then more hugs, fun and partying until late...

...when we retired in our suite at the villa, accompanied by a glass of champagne and the memories of a wonderful wedding day.

Thank you all for taking part at our happiness on our wedding day.

Mr. and Mrs. Sorrentino

[Mario total look custom fit Boggi, Milano - shoes Boggi, Milano:: Ely total look Giuliana Orsini, Trento - shoes Kurt Geiger, London]

10 on 10 :: September :: Back in the Alps

2011-09-13T01:02:00.000+02:00

Honeymoon preview

2011-08-20T11:55:00.002+02:00

A preview of our photoshoot in beautiful Kauai, Hawaii. More pictures to come!!

Location:Kauai, Hawaii - USA

A date on the balcony

2011-05-27T00:50:00.007+02:00

These days we are experiencing an unusual heat for the season here in Northern Italy. During the day we are way over the 85°F and we have started air conditioning. I like warm rather than cold, and considering that we have mostly cold months, I really enjoy this climate and I am trying to take advantage of this moment.

First of all, I must say that I have put lots of efforts to cure and display all the plants on our balcony to make it cozy and perfect to stay out and enjoy it. We bought new cushions for the chairs and new candles and lanterns to light up just before the sunset and enjoy a warm atmosphere also by night. The result of my cures and attentions really makes me proud of myself. I couldn't expect better flowers and I love love love the scent of my jasmin flowers, expecially when it comes dark and the breeze of the night is full of this flowers' odors. I have also planted some herbs to use for cooking, such as rosemary, basil, parsley, sage, thyme and mint. I love our little green angle of the house. It's made with love. Furthermore, our little furry friend - Rufy Pissy the cat! - loves to stay out and watches the world from a height. He usually doesn't like to go out (probably he associates going out with going to the veterinary!), but staying on the balcony is his new delight. Right now, while I am writing, he's enjoying the summer breeze and the light of the candles outside.

One of my favorite activities on the balcony - as well as Ely's - is eating outside. We have a little table with a coordinated cover with the cushions and a vase with peonies or lavender. This evening we have planned a romantic dinner on the balcony. We stopped at the grocery shop and we bought some fantastic mozzarella and fresh tomatos to make a caprese salad. We added only some basil (from our balcony!), some toasted bread, some olive oil, black salt and pepper and....voilà! La cena è servita. It was super yummy and so fresh and juicy. Candles are still burning outside and I am finishing my drink before to clean the table and just relax under a sky full of stars.

I love early summer. ;)

Ten on ten :: May 2011 :: A day in Genova

2011-05-11T14:45:00.001+02:00

This 10 on 1o has been shot in Genova, the main city of the northern italian region Liguria. We were there for a short visit and this is what we photographed every hour. We loved the flowers, the excellent food and the great views of the city, of the aquarium and of the sea.

Happy 10 0n 10!! Can't wait to see all the other installments this month! ;))

Sunny days in London

2011-04-16T02:14:00.001+02:00

Recently Ely and I made our annual trip to London, one of my favorite place on Earth. As I have already probably written in previous posts, I have a special feeling with London. Once I land in Heathrow, it's like being back home. Everything is so familiar in London(probably because I went visiting several times, almost once a year!) and to me it just feels good to be there. I love it! ;)

This time we were traveling with Ely's parents and all together we had a great time. Incredible for this period, we found a fantastic warm climate, mild temperatures, extremely over the average. When in London, we have a traditional first visit once we have settled in the hotel and have taken the tube to Piccadilly. In fact we always make it to Waterstones Book Shop, where we enjoy some time at the culinary section for new finds on cook books. Later we visit the always incredible chic and expensive Fortnum & Mason, with its incredible floors of food, luxury housewares and stationary among the others. Afterwards we go through the Burlington Arcade to Regent Street, then walk to the super commercial Oxford Street and end up somewhere between Soho and West End after many stops in different shops (and several Pounds later!). Our first very culinary stop in London is a great Jacked Potato at the food court of the Plaza Shopping Centre. Yummy!

F&M

Burlington Arcade

The days later we visited most of London's best markets such ad Borough Market, Camden Town Market, Portobello Road Market, Spitafields Market, Brick Lane Market. One of our favorite day was spent between Spitafield and Brick Lane, trying to pick some good occasions in the several vintage markets. It was fun! ;)

We also found an incredible place where to have a special Fish and Chips.

Every time we go back to London, another habit is to go to see a West-End musical. This time we made it for "Mamma mia". What a show! We like Abba music, and the performance was so absorbing and exciting. The cast made all the people in the theatre literally dance all together at the end of the show. Stunning and so much fun!!

We also met some friends in London, with whom it was a pleasure to catch up and talk about our weddings (in fact also these friends are getting married this year!!!).

For the first time we also climbed the 300-and-something steps of the Monument in the City of London, from which the view over the river Thames, the Tower Bridge and the skyscrapers of London were amazing.

Approaching the city

@ the top of the Monument

View from the top of the Monument #1

View from the top of the Monument #2

London Eye

Summary? Great city, great weather, great company, great food and great shopping (Ely found shoes for the wedding at Harrods! ;)) ) We have been missing London yet and are thinking about the next visit...to do as soon as possible.

God save the Queen, and the Royal Wedding, soon to be! :)

10 on 10 :: April 2011 :: Wedding church visit

2011-04-12T01:46:00.004+02:00

This Sunday, on the way to visit my grandparents, we attended the Sunday Service at the Church of San Lorenzo where we will celebrate our wedding this summer. We love this location, overlooking all the valley from the terrace of the old romanic church. The view is breathtaking, especially these days of spring that seem summer! After the Holy Mass we enjoyed the sun on a bench on the pathway to the village and played with the camera...this is our belated 10 on 10!

Enjoy!!! ;)

Italy's 150° Anniversary :: Buon Compleanno Italia!!

2011-03-17T03:19:00.007+01:00

Today I supposed to be at home on holiday, but considering all the work is expecting me at the office, I feel better to be productive and go to work.

By the way, today most of italians are on vacation and they have rediscovered a new national holiday. In fact today we celebrate our 150th anniversary since Italy has been united in one State in 1861. At that time we had a king and Italy wasn't a Republic (as it is known in the modern era) but it was a Reign (Regno d'Italia). The first capital was Turin, later Florence and in the end, only in 1870, Rome. At the beginning Turin was the seat of the kingdom and the place where the parliament was. Trentino-Alto Adige (the region where we live) was Austria in that period and we were annexed to the rest of the country only in 1919, after WW1. My ancestors, who left Italy to go to the U.S.A. before 1919 were registered upon arrival at Ellis Island in New York as austrian people and I had proof of this when I went to search their registration books when I visited Ellis Island in 2003. What an experience it was!!! :)

I must admit that Italians aren't usually very patriotic, but today something has changed. We identify ourselves more into the idea of State, upon politic parties or religions. Today my perception and prospective of being italian has improved a little more, and - beside the facts that I haven't an italian flag to expose on my balcony and that I have arbitrary decided to go to work today (sorry, mr. President!) I feel somehow proud to be part of a country that - among many problems and difficulties - has always been competitive and willing to excel in arts, manufacturing, design, fashion, food and so on. Italy has grown much in the last 150 years, and even though much has been done to reach what we are now, the road to perfection is still long and full of perils, so we must be united - today more than before - to face a world that is changing and a continuous economic competition from emerging countries.

Italy is an amazing place where to live, where to come visiting, where to have fun and where come to eat the best food. We are far from being the perfect place, the paradise is far far away and we are conscious of that, but I find it's a great idea to have a day to celebrate our status as citizens and our country, to improve our sense of State and a new sense of unity from the Alps to the greek temples in Sicily. Our story put together different parts - some very different from one another - of a country that has always been divided into different states, under the domination of foreign countries such as Austria, Germany, Spain and France. This diversification of people in a small country like Italy didn't help immediate identification into a whole country, but things have changed and now we try to be good citizens in a country that is rediscovering patriotism and love towards the 3-color flag.

Happy Birthday, Italia! Let's celebrate! ;)

9 on 10 :: March 2011 :: Hurry up! I forgot today it's 10 on 10!!

2011-03-11T00:29:00.005+01:00

Today Ely and I completely forgot it was the 10th and...in fact we forgot to start photographing for this month's installment. By the way, while I was out, Ely had a family dinner at home with her mom, dad and granddad. So she captured some (only 9, instead of 10!) glimpses of the preparation of the dinner.

Happy 10 on 10 everybody! :)

Weekend out-of-town :: Munich :: Germany

2011-03-07T01:29:00.005+01:00

Last weekend Ely and I decided to go visiting our friends Steffen and Katja, who had a baby (Lisa) last September. Lisa is a cutie and with her parents we had a nice - even short - catching up and we had a yummy sushi dinner promptly delivered to their home.

With the occasion we spent a nice weekend in Munich. The weather was great, so we had the opportunity to visit the city, do some shopping and - obviously when in Munich - drink some good healthy german beer and eat some fatty german food in one of the many famous historical locals in town. One of our favourite is HB (Hofbrauhaus), the most famous local, founded hundreds of years ago by the royals of Bayern, where traditions remain untouched since that time for beer brewing, food serving and typical music played. The place is huge, with old wooden tables. You can take a seat wherever it's free, sharing a table with strangers that, after the first liter of beer, become your best friends ever!!! The atmosphere is cherish and people sing typical bavarian musics played by men in typical dresses. Ceilings are very high and in some cases richly decorated. Waiters run around very quickly and there are girls going around with huge pretzels (mmhhh...my favorites!!) for sale. Food served is typical bavarian, with high concentration of typical sausages (wurst). My favorites are Nurbergers. Ely got a Laeberkase, a slice of pork meat that is basically made with the same paste of the wurst. Everything was delicious and we really enjoyed the mood of the place. Recommended for everyone who will visit Munich next.

In Munich we also have some "must" shopping places, such as Magazin in Funf Hofe, Manufactum and Dallmayr. It was fun.

We spent also some time at the Therme Erding, said to be the biggest of Europe (and on some brochures, the biggest of the world (??)).It can be, because they are huge, lots of saunas, thermal water and treatments to relax body and spirit. It was extreme, but very relaxing, to go out at -1°C after being in the 85°C sauna. Sort like a thermic shock that makes you feel great afterward. If you like thermal spas, saunas and treatments, don't miss this incredible place, right 40 minutes drive from the Munich city center, in Erding.

On the way back home we found some bad weather, expecially on the border between Germany and Austria. But around Innsbruck it stopped raining and the rest of the trip was ok.

Fortunately we are only a 4 hour drive from Munich. We'll go back - especially to the thermal spa - as soon as possible. We are already looking forward for our next weekend there. :))

Have a nice week, folks! We'll wait for the next 10 on 10 for a new post.

02.03.2011 :: Mia is born

2011-03-02T05:40:00.001+01:00

With great happiness, we want to make a celebration post for the birth of Mia, on March, 2nd 2011 at 5.40am. She is the first doughter of our best friends Eleonora and Paolo. Congratulations to the newly parents! We visited them at the hospital the other day, but we can't wait to see baby Mia tranquil at home as soon as possible. More photos to come. :)

xoxoxo

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T20:28:00.004+01:00

I am waiting for Ely to come back home from work. She's out with my father at a meeting and she should have returned minutes ago...I hope she didn't have much problems with these clients and that she will be willing to go out for our japanese dinner, as we planned for Valentine's Day. Whatever it will be, even if she will be too tired for a date out, we will stay home, enjoying being together (this is our 10th Valentine's Day!!).

I brought her flowers and candies...pretty ordinary gifts for Valentine's day, but I think they are always very much appreciated...

I hope you all are having a wonderful Valentine's day, filled with love by people around you.

[While I was uploading photos Ely called...she's coming home...finally!!!!]

xoxoxo

10 on 10 :: February 2011 :: Polaroid edition

2011-02-10T23:55:00.003+01:00

The "d" is missing...because the Polaroid program didn't accept it!! A nice start in the morning!!

Before to go to work...I always wear my engagement bracelet (Thank you, Mario!) :) ;)

Rules at work...

Lunch time

Missing parents on holiday in Brazil

A look at the blogs just after lunch before starting the afternoon's duties

5 p.m.

Visiting my grandfather at his house while Mario is at the course

A late dinner

Relax time in front of the TV. Glee rules! (This is only an image taken from internet, but we are at the same episodes as in the US!).

Coming out...

2011-02-06T02:31:00.005+01:00

It is time to update our blog other than the 10 on 10s we always enjoy month by month. In fact these past few months Ely and I didn't have much time to write on our blog because we had lots of plans going on and here it comes the big news (that some of you, readers, still know!): this July we are getting married!!! It has been some time since we were thinking about it, but after a mini-vacation we had last November, when we renewed our engagement vows, we started planning it seriously. We made the coming out with our families at Christmas and after with all the other relatives and close friends. Now, it's time to publish on this blog the news, to let all the friends far from us and who read us the happy news about the marriage.

It's not easy to plan everything and conciliate it with work, family and all the rest. Basically we have already chosen everythig:

1. The church where we will get married is in Vigo Lomaso, a little village about half an hour drive from Trento. It is the oldest romanic church of Trentino and it's called San Lorenzo church. It is set on a hill overlooking all the valley. It's not big, but enough for our guests. My uncle Flavio and Ely's uncle Luigi will celebrate the ceremony and now we are thinking about music and decoration in church. Inside there is a beautiful antique organ and we wish there will be someone playing for us on that special day;

2. The reception will follow at Villa di Campo, a beautiful location just 5 minute from the church, in Vigo Lomaso. It is an old villa, recently restored with a shabby chich taste that Ely and I just love! It is exactly what we were looking for. It has incredible interiors (the lunch will be held inside the main tower) and a beautiful exterior, with a big park where we can entertain our guest with an open bar, live music and appetizers. We will spend the night in the Romantic suite and the next day we will have a relaxing treatment at the local spa. Enjoy some photos of the location:

3. Ely has already bought her dress. I haven't seen it, obviously. But she told me it's spectacular. She went quite around some shops with her mum, her sister and her aunt, but at the end she bought it at a local atelier here in Trento. Now it's all top secret and it will be a surprise for everybody. I haven't had time to search for my suit yet, but I am thinking to buy a tight or something like that. I asked my mom to accompany me somewhere in the next weeks...I'll keep you updated.

4. We have already chosen the menu, drinks and wedding cake. All sounds delicious...

5. We are designing invitation cards and wedding favors by ourselves. For invitation cards we have in mind a vintage style, while for the favors we have a theme: tea time. We won't tell more for now, because it will be a surprise for our guests.

6. Honeymoon has been already booked. At first we went to a travel agency, because we wanted to do the registry there. But all the agencies we went to, tried to cheat us with high priced flights and accommodations. So we took some time to think about it and at the end we decided to plan the honeymoon by ourselves, as we always do for our travels. On fist hand we intended to spend it in French Polynesia, but on the second hand we decided to return to the US and spend it before with family and friends in NYC and Seattle, and later go to our tropical dream: Hawaii. On the way back home we will also stopover in L.A. for a couple of days, because we want to go to Disneyland. We have the flights, but we haven't planned all the rest yet. We are reading guides about Hawaii, and the more we read the more we think it must be a great place to visit. We couldn't be more happy for this choice. Hawaii, here we come! ;) Do you have any suggestions about Hawaii?

7. Photographers have already been booked for the wedding. Check it out Tecnofoto2000

Today it's 174 days to go before our wedding.

More updates to come...

10 on 10 :: January 2011 :: A day in the mountain

2011-01-11T03:26:00.004+01:00

10 on 10 :: Un dìa en Barcelona

2010-12-10T23:43:00.002+01:00

This is a special 10 on 10 directly from Barcelona, in Spain. Ely and I are here visiting thanks to some traditional holidays that we have in Italy this period and that - adding a weekend - can be perfect to plan a little "escape" from the cold and the snow we have been having in Trento recently and fly somewhere warmer. This is our first time in Spain, and Barcelona is definitely a place to see. We are loving this city and we are enjoying its mild climate. It's nearly Christmas and during the day temperatures are around 20*C and it's not unusual to go around without a jacket and enjoy the sun on a terrace beachfront. Today we also visited some of the most important works of Gaudì in town, such as Parc Güell and the very famous Sagrada Familia.

Enjoy this set of 10... ( Sorry for the quality, but they were taken with the cellphone!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Barcelona, Catalunia (Spain)

Japan :: #2 :: Food

2010-11-16T02:20:00.001+01:00

Here it continues the sets of theme photos regarding our recent trip to Japan. This time it's about "food". We love japanese food, but in Italy it is quite different than in Japan. Here it's mostly all about sushi and tempura, but in Japan the variety of plates is huge, and different from region to region. In Tokyo it's possible to find everything to eat, but as it was our first stop in Japan, we tried mostly sushi at those fantastic kaiten restaurants (with different plates on a rolling mat), which was such an experience thanks to our friends Ayako and Yukiko that suggested sushi to eat and ordered it for us. Another fun and interesting experience in Tokyo was to go to a supermarket and be amazed by all the different food and beverages they have in Japan. All completely different than in Italy. I must admit that going to supermarkets and get some typical ingredients of the foreign place we are visiting, is something we do every time we travel somewhere abroad. We love checking all the different products, try strange flavors and find something to be amazed about. We couldn't bring much stuff back home, but we bought something little and also we bought some foody gifts. :)

The south of Japan (Osaka and Hiroshima) are famous for their tasty food such asOkonomiyaki, Teriyaki meat and some kind of fried pork served with rice and a tasty curry souce. Very yummy!

When we were on the go, we preferred to get something typical, than burgers or sandwiches. In fact we often ate Onigiri and Bento boxes. Onigiri are little triangular rice balls filled with different ingredients: chicken, tuna, egg, etc... and they are sold wrapped into a nori seaweed sheet, while bento boxes are plates composed by different kinds of food, presented in a box with many compartments where different components of the plate are separated and presented into a scenographic way. In Japan the common rule for food is: "eat" with your eyes, then with your mouth, which means that the presentation and composition of the food is as important (or even more important) than the taste. I must admit that I agree with this concept about presentation and composition of the plates, but at the same time I also disagree with the fact that presentation is more important than taste!! In my opinion taste and presentation should be combined for the best result!

Sometimes we also ate soba (japanese noodle) and my favorite were those with sesame sauce. Sesame is in general a very common ingredient in the japanese cousine and we also tried beverages and ice creams made with sesame and tasting like that.

Japanese sweets aren't our cup of tea. They are often a cheat: they look fantastic, it seems like they are filled with chocolate cream of vanilla cream...but, when you bite one, you fall into a cruel reality: it's not chocolate but it's mashed azuki beans (black or white)!!!! They also sell some little sweet balls made with rice. They aren't particularly good to me: they are chewy and filled with strange flavors. Fortunately in most places there were coffee shops or french bakeries that were selling European style or American style sweets, especially for breakfast.

I must admit that japanese have learned to cook other international cousines very very well. One night in Kyoto we went out to eat in an Italian restaurant (we really needed some italian spaghetti!!), right in front of our hotel. The name of the restaurant is "Second House" and it really became our second house in Kyoto!!! With our great surprise and happiness they cooked fantastic plates of pasta, right in the same way we would cook it in Italy. Really good and at a very reasonable price. Also french pastries are made very well in some bakeries around Japan.

The king of all beverages in Japan is green tea at all. Then it's followed by local beers (such as "Asahi" or "Sapporo"), plum wine and sake. Japanese have also invented a very massive beverages vending machines system. You can find cold or hot beverages everywhere...at every corner there is a vending machine. It's so typical!!! We used these vending machines very very veeeeery often, because in August the heat was unbearable and we were loosing so many liquids going around. We always had something fresh in our hand to drink while walking around. One of our favorite beverage was jasmine iced tea, but also Wonda iced coffee and some grape flavored drinks.

Last but not least to remember are a couple of unique experiences we had: one was to stay and eat in a real Buddhist temple in Koya-san, the most important place for the japanese Buddhism. We could experience the real buddhist food shojin ryori, prepared only with vegetables. We ate a dinner and a breakfast in a fantastic old dining room into this temple, in the most typical and authentic japanese style. Another unique - but also traumatic - experience was another dinner in the japanese Alps, while we were staying at the Takaragawa onsen. They served us a bear soup and other kinds of strange foods that we still don't know what they were!!!

Here are some photos about our japanese food experience in Japan (summer 2010).

Enjoy!

1. Lunch at Bill Granger's restaurant "Bill" in Kamakura

2. Drinking iced coffee Wonda

3. First time in a kaiten sushi restaurant in Tokyo

4. Dinner at Mc Donald's with a teriyaki burger

5. Some typical and "kawaii" sweets

6. More "kawaii" sweets shaped like bunnies

7. Hello Kitty cakes (only in Kiddy Land Omotesando)

8. Teriyaki sticks in Beppu

9. Noodles in Beppu

10. The famous Beppu Pudding cooked in the hot thermal water

11. Soba eating in Beppu

12. Curry pork with rice in Hiroshima

13. A typical cake...filled with azuki beans

14. Maple leaf cake, a speciality of Hiroshima and Miyajima Island

15. Tempura in Hiroshima

16. Okonomiyaki in Osaka

17. A stop by the temple, drinking green tea in Nara

18. Fake food on a stall in Kyoto's Nishiki Market

19. A great dessert in Kyoto

20. A bento box on the go...

21. Ice with sweet syrup in Kyoto (very typical during summer in Japan!)

22. Finally...PASTA! ;) in Kyoto

23. A yummy cake in Kyoto

24. Iced tea with lemon and lime (for me) and wild berries (for Ely) in Kyoto

25. Sesame icecream in Kyoto

26. Breakfast at the Buddhist temple in Koya-san

27. Breakfast at the Buddhist temple in Koya-san

28. Another foody break during a visit in a temple in Koya-san

29. Italian food again, in Osaka

30. A stop for some donuts shopping at Osaka's Krispy Kream shop

31. Matcha Frappuccino and Cinnamon roll at Starbucks in Kanazawa

32. Tea ceremony in Kanazawa

33. Breakfast on the train.

34. Shabu-Shabu at Takaragawa Onsen's restaurant

35 . More kaiten sushi in Tokyo

36. Sushi

37. Sushi

38. Preparing green tea after sushi dinner in Tokyo

10 on 10 :: November 2010

2010-11-11T01:59:00.004+01:00

[Photos by Ely]

Fancy engagement renewal

2010-11-05T01:10:00.009+01:00

Last weekend Ely and I spent a long weekend in Milan in order to take a romantic fancy break, see some friends, do some shopping and - last but not least - renew our engagement promises.

On Friday we arrived in Milan in the late afternoon, because we had to finish working. Just after settled in our hotel and left all the luggage there, we headed to the Duomo and later I took Ely to Tiffany & Co. to buy her a little but special gift to celebrate our engagement renewal. That same afternoon we met our dear friend Ursula and we had a fantastic fancy aperitif at the H Club by the Sheraton Diana Majestic Hotel near Porta Venezia.

On Saturday, in the morning we visited the new Dalì exhibition at the Royal Palace and after a fast food lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon shopping at the Rinascente and in the Brera area. We also found that Ladurèe just opened a branch store in Milan and couldn't resist to get some macaroons...divine!!!

For Saturday evening I planned a special dinner for me and Ely. In fact I booked a table at the Dolce & Gabbana's restaurant "Gold" , where we ate a fantastic pasta and a delicious dessert with real gold leaves all accompanied by great prosecco. Really really an experience!!! So we celebrated our engagement renewal and spent a great night out.

On Sunday the weather in Milan was terrible, so we decided to extend our weekend in Switzerland at a Spa in Vals, and it worthed the 4 hours drive because the weather was much better in Vals (even if we had to pass a snowstorm at the San Bernardino's pass!!) and the spa was really relaxing. Moreover the mountain village of Vals is so nice and really typical. The area is also famous for the water Valser, rich of minerals and really good. We stayed in a very nice Gasthaus in Vals and our room was tiny but very comfortable, with all walls, ceiling and floor covered with wood. That evening at 9pm we were so tired that we went to bed just after dinner. No Halloween celebrations this year...and our pumpkin was left uncarved in Trento...

On Monday morning just after breakfast, we had a walk around the village of Vals and on the way back home we also visited the town of Chur and Vaduz, the capital of the Principality of Liechtenstein ( a very tiny state between Switzerland and Austria).

Chur - Switzerland

Vaduz - Liechtenstein

[Photos by Ely]

Japan :: #1 :: People

2010-10-22T01:24:00.009+02:00

Finally here it starts the series of themed posts about our summer experience in Japan. This first chapter is about "People".

Here there are some pictures we captured around Japan of japanese people. Some are friends, some are strangers...but they are all vivid memories of the beautiful holiday we experienced this summer.

Enjoy!

1. In Asakusa with japanese friends - Tokyo

2. Surfer in Kamakura

3. A girl on the beach - Kamakura

4. Kaiten Sushi restaurant - Tokyo

5. Tsukiji Fish Market - Tokyo

6. A girl praying at the temple - Nikko

7. Children visiting - Nikko

8. Cosplay girls in Shibuya - Tokyo

9. People working in a food stall at a summer festival - Beppu

10. Girls in yukata dress - Beppu

11. Little boy waiting for the train - Beppu

12. Honoring Sadako - Hiroshima

13. Posing with Ayumi

14. Posing in Mijayima Island - Hiroshima

15. Traditional dressing walking around Dotombori - Osaka

16. Shopping in Nishiki food market - Kyoto

17. Making new friends in Arashiyama - Kyoto

18. Girls praying - Kyoto

19. Geishas - Kyoto

20. Making new friends (again!) in Yoyogi Park - Tokyo

21. Wedding - Tokyo

22. Yoyogi Park on Sunday - Tokyo

23. Yoyogi Park on sunday - Tokyo

24. Yoyogi Park on sunday - Tokyo

25. Yoyogi Park on sunday - Tokyo

26. Yoyogi Park on sunday - Tokyo

27. Yoyogi Park on sunday - Tokyo

28. My friends Ayako and Yukiko - Tokyo

(Photos by Ely).

Mountain walk - Karersee

2010-10-16T11:52:00.008+02:00

Just recently Ely and I decided to close the season of mountain excursions with a walk around the Karersee (Lago di Carezza) in South Tyrol, not too far from Trento. The day was still preatty warm and the intense blue sky was so inviting...so we prepared a couple of sandwiches, grabbed a backpack and a couple of pairs of mountain shoes...and after an hour drive there we were...and it was JUST AMAZING!

We also found some mushrooms, but just fine to photograph, because they were venomous.

Along the walk it was full of plants of wild berries....yummy!!!

Stopped by for lunch (with my "little" sandwich: rye bread and smoked raw ham, speck)

Along the way we climbed down an incredible stoney landscape...

10 on 10 :: October 2010 :: Falling into fall...

2010-10-10T16:37:00.005+02:00

We haven't posted much lately, but we couldn't miss 10 on 10...so here it is our day in pictures, looking at the new season starting to show its colors. Fortunately it is still pretty warm during the day and today in particular it was fantastic! A pleasure to take pictures around...

And this is the right occasion to wish Jenny a special super "Happy Birthday"...did you accomplish to finish your blanket in time? :) Love you from both of us!!! M&E.

Enjoy our 10 on 10!!

1. It's hard to wake up...

2. Breakfast in front of the "fireplace"!!

3. A short walk after lunch

4. Blue sky and red tree

5. Mario resting on a bench in the sun

6. Visiting my sister...and her worm!!

7. Faded flowers to trash

8 - Waiting...

9 - Taking fresh flowers in my parent's garden

10 - Seasonal basket on our dining table

10 on 10 :: September 2010 :: Ely in town with bestfriends

2010-09-11T00:39:00.004+02:00

Today Ely went in town with her best friend Vale to take pictures for a photo-contest they intend to participate. It was a good excuse for them to spend a nice afternoon together and have fun! Also another good friend Baby joined them in the late afternoon.

Back home

2010-09-04T14:30:00.002+02:00

Wow...I have just realized that I haven't been writing on our blog since the end of July, just before departing for our long journey throughout Japan. I can say that doing it all by ourself, it was kind of an adventure. It was our first time in far east Asia, and Japan is beautiful but slightly disarming for the first time traveller. Coming from western nations, at the beginning you loose all your points of reference, everything - from finding a place on a map (but without names of the streets) to ask easy information - becomes an intrepid endeavor that not always (sometimes never!) has the result or the answer that you would expect. Japan is a land of strong contrasts: modernity vs. ancient traditions, concrete buildings vs. beautiful nature, rigor and severity vs. "kawaii" (cuteness) and fun characters used for everything. We loved Japan and we tried to experience as much as possible of that country, its traditions and its contrasts. In the next posts we will share some of these experiences together with photos and videos. Not just a mere description of our trip, but more like a tale of fun facts and personal opinions of what we experienced.

The most important fact after our return was about our cat Rufus. In fact we left him with Ely's parents during our trip (3 weeks!) and he escaped from their balcony just after the first night. We knew about the escape just the first day we were in Tokyo and it was a shock to know him lost and alone somewhere around Ely's parents house, but because we left Ely's cellphone at home and on Rufy's collar there was a heart-shaped medallion with Ely's phone number, Ely's parents needed to know where the phone was, and so they called us as soon as they realized the cat wasn't hiding somewhere in the house, but escaped!! Despite all, we couldn't do much from such a distance, and begged my parents and Ely's parents to do as much as possible to find Rufus. We knew he is a shy and easy-to-scare cat and in fact he didn't show up until our return, despite it was made everything possible to find him during our absence. Fortunately, as soon as we arrived back home (and with the last strengths after 26 hours from when we left Tokyo until we arrived in Trento!!), we found him after some hours of searching. He was skinny and dehydrated but in general in good health (fortunately he was a pretty fatty cat!!!). Probably he heard our voices and recognized them in the silence of a 5 am morning. Rescue day - as we call it now - was Aug, 25th. He was so happy to be back at home and now all is back to normality (weight, cuddliness, vitality, curiosity...). I really don't know how we could have done without our little furry ball...it was such a relief to find him safe and sound.

Rufus, we love you!! And now - more than before - we know he loves us. ;)

Vacation plans

2010-07-25T14:47:00.003+02:00

Our little furry samurai ;) Banzaiiiiiiii!!!

After a very very very hectic end of spring and beginning of summer, finally it's time for holidays. Summer holidays for me and Ely are synonymous of some kind of adventure abroad, in search of new vitality for the rest of the year, curiosity to discover a new culture, a new place and - if possible - meet old friends and make new ones. We aren't those kind of travelers who just expect a sunny beach to lie down and rest for 2 weeks or so. We are greedy of enriching ourselves with something different than bare resting. In fact, we usually come back home and we are even more tired than before, but with an unexpected new strength given by the travel that we have just experienced. It's difficult to explain how it makes us feel, but for sure among our readers we will find someone with the same attitude who will understand us perfectly.

Probably I have already written among the lines of the previous posts that this summer we are heading to Japan and we will travel around the japanese islands for about 3 weeks. :)

We have always wanted to travel to Japan, but just recently we have took the final decision to spend our holidays there. I also have a couple of japanese friends in Tokyo, and we will probably meet up while there. We met for the first time when at university we attended the same meeting at french Lille's EDHEC Business School in 1998. It was a great experience at that time to meet students from all over the world and after that we kept in touch until now. It will be great to meet Ayako and Yukiko again.

So, just another full week of work and then we'll fly away! We can't wait!!

If possible, we will post from Japan. Otherwise we will make a recap upon our return back home at the end of August!

Do you have any tips about Japan? We would like to have suggestions from our blog readers who have been there before and have some recommendation for us! Thank you!

10 on 10 :: July 2010 :: Memories of a visit from South America :: Javier

2010-07-10T13:30:00.000+02:00

Almost 2 weeks ago we had here my friend Javier from Argentina for a few days. He was visiting Italy for the second time and before coming to the north, he stopped over in the south, visiting Rome and Naples. Together we had a great time, visiting Venice, Verona, Garda Lake, Bolzano and spending a half day shopping in Milan for Ely's Birthday on June,30th. It was fun, especially for her because she got quite a lot of gifts! Lucky girl!! :)

We went to pick Javier up at the Venice airport on Friday, June,25th. Since we were so close to Venice and despite he visited it last time he came here, we decided to spend a half day in the lagoon city anyway and enjoy a walk around, even if the temperatures were extremely hot. Venice is always nice and we love to take friends there for a visit. In fact, we had a great time and Javier loved visiting it again.

On the way back to Trento, we stopped over at the Replay outlet near Treviso and in Bassano del Grappa for a nice dinner in one of our favorite restaurants "Birreria Ottone". The perfect end of a perfect, but tiring, day! :) YUMMY

On Saturday June,26th it was a day of celebration here in Trento. It's a tradition in Trento that on June,26th is held a celebration for the patron "San Vigilio" and in this occasion it is evoked the battle between the inhabitants of Trento and those of Feltre (a nearby city) called "Mascherata dei Ciusi e Gobj". After this, there is always a beautiful display of fireworks and it's nice to lie down on the grass along the river Adige and see the fireworks for more than half an hour! They are spectacular! :) So we spent part of the day in Verona, where we met my dear friend Ursula and later we came back to Trento for the fireworks display and for the celebrations afterwards until late night!!!!! It was fun fun fun! ;)

Sunday morning we were quite tired for the late night partying in the city, so we woke up late and decided to go to the Garda Lake for some sunbathing and walking around. First stop was Riva del Garda, where we headed to the beach, ate there our "panini" and then had a walk in the town centre. In the late afternoon we decided to go and visit another nice town on the lake, Malcesine, where we had a nice walk around the alleys and reached the heights of the castle and had fun watching all the german and english tourists stuck in front of every video in every bar and restaurant, watching the match Germany vs. England for the World Cup Soccer Championship. Unfortunately Italy is out of the games and I can say we deserved to loose this time because we played in the worst way possible and without any passion...

On Monday it started a new working week for me and Ely, so Javier had time to go visiting around by himself in the morning, while in the afternoon we went for a walk in Trento for some shopping. The same was on Tuesday, but instead of Trento we went to visit Bolzano.

Javier was leaving Trento for moving to Milan on June,30th. So, considering that is was Ely's birthday, we finished working earlier and went to Milan with Javier. We arrived early in the afternoon and spent the whole time going around shopping. We also visited the first "Abercrombie & Fitch" store in Italy. Ely couldn't NOT shop there! In the evening we met up with my friend Ursula again (she works in Milan right now), but in consideration of the drive back home that was expecting us, we couldn't stop for a drink and had to say goodbye to Javier, who was stopping in Milan for a few more days before to fly back home to Argentina with a stopover in Rome.

Thank you for visiting us, Javier! You are always welcome here with us! Ely and I hope to see you again soon...

xxxoooxxx

9th anniversary and new blog design

2010-06-13T01:39:00.003+02:00

Today it's 9 years that Ely and I share our love. These last 9 years we have been together, we have grown not only as a couple, but also as individuals . We have passed through bad and good times (and fortunately good times have been the most!), we have made lots of experiences together, took decisions, went on travel (and we keep going!) but anyway at this point I feel like it's only the beginning of an happy life together. We are bound together not only by the love we feel for each other, but also for all the common passions we have. We are very lucky and we feel blessed by the fact that we can count on a special person, every day side by side, and being together is never enough. We are not only lovers, but also soul mates. Halves of the same one thing. Happy 9th anniversary, Ely. I love you too.

And...to celebrate this special day, I have decided to change the design of the blog...and make it more summer-ish. I love it this way!

We missed 10 on 10 this month. What a shame. We wanted to participate, but last week was hectic...We'll do our best to attend it next month!

-M

Happy Birthday, Rufy!

2010-06-02T21:11:00.005+02:00

Rufus - June 2010

Rufus - July 2009

Today is holiday here in Italy. It's the day to celebrate the Republic, the State and the way it was created. But, despite the fact that I appreciate this day more for the day off work than the Republic celebration itself, for me and Ely June,2nd is a special day anyway. In fact it's the day when we found and adopted our little "pissy", our Rufy "Rufus" the cat! :)

It's no doubt that Rufy was born probably in April 2009, but for us his birthday is the day he arrived in our life and found a place in our hearts. Personally I have never thought I could love a cat in this way and that a cat could be so cuddly and loving with us. He has his routine according to our day routine. He sleeps with us, he comes to be cuddled even when it's not expected to get food. He loves staying on our balcony and watch the "world" from a distance. He's shy with strangers, but once he feels he's safe he's very affectionate and wants to stay in company. To us, Rufus is more than a simple pet, he's part of our family and we couldn't stay without him anymore.

Happy birthday, Rufy!

We love you.

-Mario and Ely.

Paris

2010-06-02T21:04:00.003+02:00

About almost a month ago Ely and I were in Paris, enjoying a 6-day holiday with my parents, my brother and his girlfriend. As told in a previous post, it was the occasion to celebrate my parent's 34th anniversary of marriage and also a chance to spend more time together.

Considering all the needs of the group and for the economy of the stay, I found a flat for rent right in the centre of Paris, between Opéra and Musee du Louvre, on the Grand Boulevards, just south of Montmatre. It was perfectly located on a very nice boulevard, full of shops, restaurants, cafes and very close to a Metropolitain station, that made moving around very easy. The owner of the flat didn't speak any Italian or English, so despite I don't speak French (except a few easy useful words) I understood quite enough to know the basics for using the facilities of the flat, open and close the door and use the heater. The flat was clean, but not very big, especially for 6 people. It was composed by a room with kitchen, a table with 6 chairs, a double bed and some closets and a bathroom. There was also a little stair that gave us access to a loft where there was just barely the space to sleep for 4 people on mattresses lye on a wooden floor. Linen and towels were provided and clean. Therefore this apartment's entrance was at the ground floor of an inner court of a building whose access was on the main boulevard. This helped to don't have the need to use stairs and heavy luggage to lift...In general this is my opinion about the flat: it wasn't luxury or big, but very nice and in a perfect location. Great choice! If you need to stay in Paris with a budget, I'll suggest it!

The first day we were very tired, because we had to leave Trento in the middle of the night to arrive in Milan Malpensa on time to catch the first flight to Paris in the morning at 7.00 am. At about 10.30am we were right in Paris city centre, at our apartment address. After settling in the apartment Ely and I couldn't stay in and rest, we just wanted to go out and explore the area and have a walk. The rest of the group decided to stay in and sleep a little bit. Ely and I had a nice walk to the Opéra, Place Vendome, Place de la Concorde and all the way down to Jardins des Tuileries, Jardin du Carrousel and we ended at the Louvre, not before eating a fantastic baguette and a french pastry by Paul. So damn good!! We met with the others at the Musee du Louvre and visited some of it with them. Personally I think I have visited this museum 3 or 4 other times before when I visited Paris in the earliest years of college, so I was pretty lazy to walk around the museum and I started to feel all the lost sleep. So I asked Ely if she was feeling like gong to the Musée de L'Orangerie, that was new to me as I haven't visited it yet before. In fact once out of the Louvre the cool air made me feel less sleepy and the view of the fantastic set of Monet paintings and Renoir masterpieces made the rest! I loved this museum!

The second day started with the visit of the biggest flea market of France, known as "Le Puces de St. Ouen". In fact it was very big, with many stalls selling a little bit of everything, but more or less the same stuff. Interesting was the central area of this market, where there were all the shops and stalls of antique dealers. The best stop was resting in a authentic creperie shop...YUMMY!!! Returning to Paris city centre, we divided the group again, because every couples had the plan to visit different museums. Ely and I decided to go to the modern art museum known as Centre Pompidou. It was the first time we visited this gallery, and I must admit that it was one of the best modern and contemporary museum of art I have ever seen.

The third day was dedicated to the visit of the Ile de la Citè with Saint Chapelle and Notre Dame. Then we took the regional train RER and went to Versailles in order to visit the famous Royal Palace. It's huge, sumptuous and golden. It's pure expression of the Grandeur de France that had its maximum example with Luis XVI and Marie Antoniette. All ended in 1789 when their cut heads became the symbols of the French Revolution. But let me say that before the fires of the revolutions...they really had fun in that palace!!!! ;) The gardens are so big that one day isn't enough to visit it all. But we walked and walked and walked...but our trophies and treats were macaroons at the end of a long way to reach the secret country village of the Queen. Incredible!

The fourth day in Paris we went to EuroDisney (Disneyland Paris!). Except my parents that decided to visit the city, my brother, his girlfriend, Ely and I couldn't resist to spend one day in the magic of Disney. It wasn't as emotional as the first time we visited a Disney Park (it was in 2003 when we visited Disney World in Florida!) but it was fun anyway. We couldn't get enough of the Space Mountain ride (Mission 2!). And I also tried the "House of Terror" which was quite of an experience!

The fifth and last day in Paris was dedicated to visit the other landmarks of the city, such as Montmatre in the morning and Champs Elyseés and Tour Eiffel in the afternoon. And of course, finally do some shopping! Ely and I bought food overall and teas at Theòdor, a tea house that we knew thanks for Jenny and whose teas are just amazing!

Here is a summary of all these experiences in a video. Enjoy the view!

Very belated 10 on 10 :: Paris and Versailles

2010-05-16T03:30:00.001+02:00

This 10th Ely and I were in Paris with my family for our annual family trip. It was fun, but the weather wasn't really what we expected in May. In fact it was pretty cold and rainy all the time, except right on this 10th, that we decided to spend visiting Ile de la Citè in Paris and The Royal Palace and Gardens of Versailles, only a 35 minutes by RER (regional train) from the Paris city center. Ely made loads and loads of pictures, but these are whose we have chosen for this very belated 10 on 10. Enjoy!

On the wall

2010-04-23T16:45:00.006+02:00

Recently we have moved into the new office and Ely was nominated to be the decoration designer for all the different spaces. We still had some interesting modern paintings in the old office, and we adapted them in the new one, finding the perfect location for each of them. But we still needed some more pictures on the walls.

So we had together the idea to create a double colored wall, from the entrance along all the corridor that connects the offices, with 2 different shades of sand/kaki that creates a color bend that is a sort of direction sign to follow to reach the offices, but also a decorative artistic motif. Inside this band, we decided to put some squared metallic frames and we used some photos taken by Ely during our travels. We did some editing, transforming the photos into black and white and in a couple of cases using a lens effect for the light, but the final result of this work is amazing. We love how it came out.

As promised, we will soon post the pictures of the new office, but for now here is the set of pictures that now are on the wall and that accompany us during our work day.

Dubai - 2009

Seattle - 2008

San Francisco - 2004

London - 2010

Lisbon - 2009

London - 2009

London - 2010

Seattle - 2008

Welcome "Cioccorina"

2010-04-17T01:50:00.001+02:00

"Cioccorina" is the name that Ely wanted to give to our new car.

It's a long time that Ely and I were looking for a bargain to buy a Mini as a substitute of our old car that was in need of massive repairs and a full check-up. I bet it would have needed thousands of Euros to fix all of it. So my friend David found me this barely new (it's used, but only by BMW, not for private use!) Mini Cooper Clubman with the colors Ely and I were looking for and it was love at the first sight!!!

Despite the price wasn't really economic, we have decided to get it, also in consideration of the high standards and the comfort that this car combines with a great design and driving it is really a pleasure. I would like to travel somewhere with this little mechanical jewel as soon as possible. At the moment, the furthest we travelled was my grandparent's place for Easter...

Inside it has quite an old asset, that mirrors the inside of the old Mini. The chose of the colors inside also found our tastes and we can also connect our i-Phone to the stereo car system to listen our music. It's great!

There isn't any in-car navigation system, but I have my Garmin Nuvi that is a great navigator and I will use it when necessary.

Ely wanted to put inside a teddy bear and a little cushion to make it more comfortable and fancy...ahhh girls! I told her I wanted it more manly...but girls always win!!! ;(

Welcome, "Cioccorina"! ;)

A new cupcake set

2010-04-09T02:18:00.001+02:00

New cupcakes baked and decorated and now ready to be eaten...

...this time we made Banana and Chocolate Cupcakes. Delicious, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger in the dough and a fabulous chocolate frosting . What a treat!

;)

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T02:20:00.005+02:00

Tomorrow is Easter. We have plans to spend it with Ely's family (parents, sister and sister's boyfriend) in Pieve di Bono, where my grandparents live, so I'll have the chance to spend some time with them and also with my aunts, uncles and cousins.

Weather's forecasts aren't good at all here in the north. Tomorrow it will be rainy and cold. Lately we have been having a terrible weather and, despite Spring seemed to have arrived (we ate out something like a week ago or so!!!), now temperatures have fallen down and on the mountains it keeps on snowing. We want our Spring baaaack! :(( All my new plants on the balcony are suffering very much and my just-bought basil has almost died the other night because it was freezing outside!!! boo hoo...I am starting to think that my gardening skills are pretty disastrous! :((

By the way, as tradition wants, today Ely and I have baked the Neapolitan Pastiera, the most typical Easter sweet of Neaple. My father is a great fan of this rich sweet, because it reminds him of his childhood in Neaple and he always remembers when my grandfather (his father!) spent days baking Pastiera for all the family. In fact it is quite a difficult sweet to prepare, because it has many and very particular ingredients (some impossible to find here in Trento, but last time Ely's mother went to Ischia, she bought us some of them!), different preparations and a food processor is needed to mince all the ingredients for the filling of the shortcrust pastry. On the internet you can find many different recipes for Pastiera, but this is one of the best (it's my grandparent's original one):

ORIGINAL PASTIERA NAPOLETANA

(ingredients for 2 cakes of about 30-35 cm in diameter)

Ingredients for the filling:

PREPARATION 1:

1 tin (about 450 gr) of soft wheat kernels (grano)
100 gr whole milk
grated zest of 1 lemon
30 gr of butter

PREPARATION 2:

700 gr of whole milk ricotta
600 gr of white sugar
5 eggs and 2 yolks
Orange flowers water
Vanilla extracts

Ingredients for the shortcrust pastry:

Use that one ready-to-use (freezed of fresh!). Otherwise follow this:
6 T. butter
1 1/2 C. flour
1/4 C. sugar
3 extra large egg yolks

For the pastry:

Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Mix in the egg yolks. Gather the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the filling:

In a pan put together all the ingredients of "preparation 1" and cook for 10 minutes until it is well mixed. Afterward put this preparation in a food processor and mince very finely until it becomes like a cream. In another bowl put together all the ingredients of "preparation 2" and stir well until all is well mixed and soft. Add this to the cream in the food processor and mix it well until the 2 preparations are well incorporated and mixed together.

For the baking:

For the base of this sweet, it is necessary to cook it into an aluminum baking tin. Baste this tin well and add some grated bread (so the cake will not attach!). You can buy ready-to-use (freezed or fresh) shortcrust pastry to use as base of the filling just prepared. Otherwise take the dough out of the fridge and stretch it out until it is thin enough at your own choice and taste. Cut the shortcrust pastry to fit the size of the baking tin, and cover it with the pastry. Fill the pastry with the mix prepared before until it reaches the edges of the shortcrust pastry. Prepare little stripes of pastry and decorate the top of the filling. Put in oven (pre-heated) at 150°C for about 1 hour (but it can be more time) until the top of the Pastiera light browns (like it was caramelized). Remove from the oven and let it stand in the pan until cool. Serve when cool or refrigerated...the next day is even better. It can last more than a week in the fridge.

This sweet tastes like flowers. It's a jubilation of spring flavors. It something unique, to try once in a lifetime at least. Wish I could share it with all my friends close and far. :))

Do you have a typical Easter sweet that you bake or buy every year?

Happy Easter everybody! Eat a lot of chocolate! :))

-M&E

Sushi take away

2010-04-01T22:53:00.006+02:00

Finally we have found a place here in Trento where it's possible to find a good take-away ready-to-eat sushi at a reasonable price. It's a wholesale grocery shop (Metro) that usually has a very good fish selling area and last time we went to shop, we found this interesting sushi corner. We couldn't resist to get one tray of sushi to try and - as we had Ely's sister over for dinner - for the occasion we also prepared japanese noodles (bought at the great Japan Center in London last time we visited the UK capital!) with teriyaki chicken and soy sauce. This japanese dinner was really good at the end and the sushi was the highlight of it. It might sound quite primitive, but here in Trento and surroundings there aren't proper japanese restaurants or sushi bars. Most of the japanese food you can find is in Chinese restaurants that have added at their menus japanese food. So for finding something decent we have to go at least to Verona.

But this find at the Metro shop changes everything!

Happy sushi everybody!

-M&E

Cupcake galore!

2010-03-31T16:20:00.003+02:00

We are officially cupcake addicted!! The Hummingbird bakery book is the best cupcake recipe book Ely and I have ever had and the results are spectacular and super good. I really feel like I could eat these cupcakes forever all day long...if it wasn't a matter of wight gaining and health care!!! But what can a little cupcake a day do? Ok, I must admit that it's difficult to don't exaggerate like last Sunday when I ate 3 Nutella cupcakes in a day. I couldn't help myself not eating them. Ely is much better than me. She ate one or two of all those we made and the rest was all mine. :) Fortunately I don't gain weight very easily... :))

Here is a photo of our Nutella Hazelnut cupcake. The best cupcakes I have ever ate!

And this is the last creation we did yesterday with Ely's sister Anna. Lemon cupcakes. Delicious (I love lemon and citrus in general!).

I have already in mind the next dozen of cupcake I wanna bake: Velvet Cupcakes with vanilla frosting and multicolor sugar decorations...YUMMY!!!

Good-bye Mariella!

2010-03-25T02:40:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow morning my 10-year-old Peugeot 206 will be sold and I won't see it anymore forever. It's a little bit sad to sell this car, known by everyone as "Mariella", because it has been part of my (and Ely's too) everyday life for these past 10 years, across good and bad times. It was my car (new at that time!) when I first dated with Ely. It was the car that we used for our trips around Italy and later Europe (we went to France, Germany and Austria). I know it's just a machine, but I am very attached to all the memories related to it and it's sad to give away something that has been part of my life since 2000.

I'll miss you, Mariella!

Good trip wherever you'll go!

[...by the way, a new car is on its way! Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! ;)...]

Cupcake...mania!!

2010-03-23T01:05:00.000+01:00

Our mania for cupcakes began about 2 years ago, after our last trip to the USA in 2008. When we were there, we could experience some different kinds of cupcake and all were delicious. It was the first time that we tried these little cakes with a tasty topping...with different flavors.

At Trophy Cupcake - Seattle, USA

Later, during one of our visits in London, we found out that cupcakes where disembarked in UK as well and now there are some notable cupcake shops where to try these delicious treats. One of our favourite cupcake shop in London is, among the others, "Hummingbird Bakery", in Portobello Road (but there are other Hummingbird bakery shops in Kensington and Soho!!). It's a must to stop when visiting the famous Portobello Road Market on Saturday morning!! :)

At Hummingbird Bakery - London (UK)

Last time we were in London some weeks ago Ely wanted to stop at Waterstones near Piccadilly, to check for some Nigella Lawson's cookbooks and while there I couldn't not notice my perfect book for cupcakes:

And, this is the result of our first try at home...

At home (photos by Ely)

...in just one word : HEAVEN! The recipes on the book are easy and results are just the same as the cupcakes in the shop. The cakes are so soft and delicious. The buttercream frosting sweet but perfect and equilibrated in flavor. I couldn't ask more from a cookbook!!!

And tomorrow...more cupcakes to come. After all, on Thursday (March, 25th) is my birthday and I want to spoil myself at the maximum!!!!!!

I ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ CUPCAKES!!!! :))

In a London state of mind...

2010-03-05T01:50:00.003+01:00

This is a bunch of pictures taken during our recent stay in London...and still wishing we were there!!! :) We miss it!!!!

:: DAY 1 ::

:: DAY 2 ::

:: DAY 3 ::

:: DAY 4 ::

Musical week

2010-02-23T00:43:00.003+01:00

These last few years it started to be a tradition for me and Ely to plan a week dedicated to theatrical musicals at the end of the winter. It all started in 2006 when, for the first time, we had the experience of a great production in London's West End: The Lion King. To tell all the truth, we have considered watching a musical live in theatre before in London and New York, but when we were in these cities the price of the tickets seem too high for a show and gave up buying them. This is probably because we were used to musicals here in Trento, where usually only little production on tour arrive and the level of the show is pretty basic. Later a good friend of mine told me about her experience in watching musicals in London and told me and Ely how fantastic those production are and explained us some musicals she watched before. So we gave it a try and it was love at the first sight!! Since 2006 we regularly plan a short trip to London and go to see one or two different shows.

This year it's all even better, because before to leave for London on Thursday, tomorrow we have tickets for "Cats" here in Trento and this time it's a very good production and we are really looking forward watching it (even if I am not a big fan of musicals in English then translated in another language just for having a wider audience!!! But this is another story!) However in London this week we are watching two fantastic show: "Sister Act" and "Wicked". We are so excited, because it has been months since we started to listen to songs of these musicals and now Ely knows all them by memory! I told her she risks to sing along while watching the show (and even though her voice isn't bad, I guess our neighbors would prefer listening only to the professionals on the stage!!!! hehehe)

Last but not least, we wanted to make it crazy in London, booking also for a concert. This year we feel pretty disco-pop...so what's better than a hyper-galactic Lady Gaga show at the O2 Arena?

It's gonna be super fun!!! :))

February celebrations...

2010-02-14T16:00:00.002+01:00

...are in the air. So, as lady Ciccone used to sing lately, "I'm gonna party, it's a celebration" and "let's get this started, no more hesitation"!

YES! It's time for Carnival and today it's also Valentine's Day. HAPPY VALENTINE'S EVERYBODY!! It's time to celebrate love. I must admit that, for me, Valentine's Day is a very commercial celebration, mostly invented to sell more chocolate, jewels, flowers and everything else...but in my opinion it's not one day that makes the difference in a love story. This is to say that , if it's real love, every day should be special and not only February,14th! It's not chocolate or expensive gifts that enrich a relationship, but love in everyday little things, helping and supporting each other, loving and appreciating even those "little" defects that our loved-one has, but whitout those she or he wouldn't be the same person we are in love with. For me it's like this: I love Ely in every little things she does, in all the little attentions she gives me everyday, in her creativity and joy, in her way to live life and do things everyday with passion. My life with her is like a never-ending Valentine's Day!

By the way, it's normal that, especially at the beginning of a love story or when we were teenagers or young adults, this celebration was more like a status-symbol, a way to show to the others that we love, we are loved and feel special. I remember a Valentine's Day with an old girlfriend many years ago. For me it was the first year of college, for her the last of high school. During the week she couldn't go out, so we were usually dating on weekends and basically we didn't know each other very well. We had been dating for about 2 months when Valentine's Day came along, and by that time we hadn't told our families about the relationship, mostly because we were young and didn't feel like make it serious so early. So I had a brilliant idea: why not buying a wooden flower so she could hide it, but still have it? LOL And so I bought her a wooden red rose. Actually, there's nothing like real flowers, but this wooden one was very well made and the shop assistant made a great packaging. I was very proud. So when the day arrived, I proudly gave her my flower and she gave me some chocolates with hazelnuts. Up to this point all sound perfect and pretty normal...but, after the excitement for the gifts, the cards and the date out (I don't remember what we did and where we went)...at the end of the date I took her home but I noticed she wanted to tell me something, but was a little embarrassed. She was there, in front of me with her wooden flower and told me :"Well, it must sound strange, but...well...ehm...I have always hated receiving flowers! And now I have this wooden one, I have this little purse, how can I go back home with this? My parents will do questions about it.... where can I hide it?" I was wild-eyed! What kind of girl doesn't like flowers?!?!? Anyway, we had to find a solution, because , fortunately, the rude option to give the flower back to me or leave it in my car was even not mentioned (but probably considered by her! :) ). So we started to check the structure of the wooden rose, and I found out that it was made by different wooden pieces and it was possible to take it into pieces. Fortunately those pieces fit perfectly in her mini purse and she could go home with her broken wooden Valentine's flower. Anyway, I was nice enough to do not tell her that, at that time, I hated those chocolates with hazelnuts she gave me and, moreover, I was allergic!!! Now I remember with fun that Valentine's. But I can tell it was a real disaster!!!!!!! :))

Do you have a funny episode happened on Valentine's Day to share too? :)

Today Ely and I will do nothing but stay together and enjoy our love like we always do. We will spoil ourselves with a nice couple of little pastries shaped like hearts and full of something good (they are still in the fridge, but they look delicious!) that we bought yesterday. So we will have a little Valentine's celebration...because, beyond all the good words and feelings, it's always a good occasion to celebrate, especially celebrate love!!! Furthermore in about 10 days we will be in London for our musical weekend and that will be like a romantic gateway and another good occasion to celebrate love together! :) Ahhhhhh, l'amour!!!!! (^_^)

Here in Italy Carnival is also a big celebration and we are in the middle of it. For many reasons we aren't celebrating it and our annual trip to Venice for the Carnival was cancelled this time. It should have been this weekend. In fact finally we moved into the new office, we had to work hard the other days to move and reorder all the files and stuff, and so we have to work this weekend to have everything set for next week. I have millions of post-it everywhere to remember all the things I have behind and I can't finish those tasks that my desk is full of other things to do (always, why?!?) urgently! Damn!

The office isn't finished yet though. We have planned to go to IKEA next Saturday to buy the last things we need like shelves, curtains, some decorations, frames and some stationaries. As soon as it will be done, I'll make a post to show you the final result of the "extreme makeover" we did to this space...I should have some pictures of what it was before...it has been long, hard, expensive but we succeeded! YESSSSSSS!

And of course, we won't loose the occasion to celebrate the opening of the new office with a party! Are you coming? ;)

So Let's get it started....yeah...

Ooops, I did it again...

2010-02-07T02:50:00.003+01:00

I can't help myself...I did it again: I like to make "travel" surprises, especially to my parents, who like traveling, but are reluctant when it comes to move without a proper guide. Their biggest fear, especially my mom's, is the problem in communication abroad. And even if she has studied both German and English for quite a long time, she doesn't feel ready to communicate without a proper support. Probably she has the skills, but goes in panic when it comes the moment to speak in another language. As far as I am concerned, for traveling it's not necessary to speak the language of the country you are visiting. Obviously it helps a lot if you do. But I personally have survived in countries where I didn't speak any of the native language. For sure my knowledge of English helps because, more or less, everybody speaks some English.

But, returning to my "travel" surprise 2010, I made it. It all started the other day, when Lufthansa sent me a newsletter with an incredible offer. Fly from Milan to other european destinations for only 110 € per couple (tax included). On sale only for a limited period. Suddenly I called my brother and asked if he agreed to plan together a "travel" surprise for our parents in occasion of their 34th wedding anniversary. After some date planning on the calendar and internet surfing, we decided to make it all 6 (Ely and I, my brother and his girlfriend Patty, our parents) to Paris next May. WHOO HOO! So, the same group that last year "invaded" London, will have an adventure in France this year. That is quite unexpected, because I hadn't in mind anything before the Lufthansa newsletter found me, but I think it's a good occasion to spend time together. Even if we live close and see each other almost everyday, sharing a travel experience is something different and unique. I am happy we are going all together again.

Now, we basically have 2 other things to settle:

1 - Find an apartment for 6 in Paris (does anyone have suggestions?);

2 - Decide when telling the parents about this travel (their anniversary will be on May,1st and we are leaving a few days later, but I think it's better to say it before, because they will have time to prepare! What about around Easter? Or do you think it's better a shocking revelation a few days before departing?).

If you haven't understood yet, well..... I love planning trips, not only for myself but even for other people. I love to give travel tips and find the best travel options and offers on the web. Is it a mania? Probably, it more like a passion. So, do you have a trip in mind? Here I am, count on me! :) I'll be your planner!

Some time ago I also had the idea to open a website for this travel planning thing. Then I gave up. There are plenty around the web. But just recently Ely and I have bought a domain where we intend, in the next future, to design and publish all our travel diaries with photos and itineraries, maybe open a blog and give the opportunity to our visitors to get useful information about the places we have visited. The domain name is: http://www.travelnotesmarioely.eu (now empty). But we are open to suggestions, tips and whatever you like to suggest for design, logo, contents, etc... All the ideas will be more than welcome!

In Black & White

2010-02-04T15:00:00.000+01:00

Last summer, at Eleonora and Paolo's wedding, the photographer took us a picture with an old camera with a b&w film. This is the result: I LOVE this photo! As soon as I saw it, I wanted to share it with you through this blog.

Life is good, but pretty ordinary and - as usual - hectic. This is why lately we didn't post very much. We miss it, though and we are following all our friend's blogs. We will be back blogging regularly as soon as possible. In fact, just recently Ely and I were noticing how having a blog is, not only sharing life, pictures and thoughts with other people but it is also like having a diary of memories of our life, even in the ordinary things of everyday. And, with great surprise, Ely found out in a blog the link to a website where it's possible to import, edit and print a photo-book of all the entries (or those considered more significative and interesting) of a blog. It's genial. We are considering doing it.

Not enough time!!

2010-01-12T03:00:00.000+01:00

Time has flown by and I feel like these last holidays passed too fast. For sure they did. In a second it was Christmas, then New Year's Eve and in a moment we were ejected into the 2010 (said at the Jenny's way! TWO-THOUSANDS and TEN!!!).

A new year has started with a lot of new projects, hopes and - as usual - new year's resolutions. For Ely the most important new year's resolutions are "be more efficient" and "improve with photography + photograph more". My new year's resolutions are instead "end some long-term projects started long time ago...and start new ones finally" and "spend more quality time with family and friends".

At the moment 2010 has started as a full-of-everything period! These days we feel like we were in a washing machine at the maximum speed. With the fact that daylight is still short and that it hasn't been good weather lately, days seems even shorter and it's suddenly night. It's all day work for both, then housekeeping, cat-sitting, prepare meals, go to grocery store, go to the veterinary, dentist, family dinners, etc...etc...etc... and with the fact that we are moving to a new office at the end of the month, we are moving stuff on weekends. So there is no break at all. We are tired and are really looking forward a better quieter period to come (hopefully!).

Anyway, the result of all this stress is that Ely didn't take enough photos for the last 10 on 10...and I did't have time to post anything!! :( And all ours new year's resolutions didn't started again! :((( (except for the "be more efficient" thing...I hardly can imagine Ely be more efficient than this!!!).

However we enjoyed to look at all the others January 10 on 10 installments and for sure my (Mario) favorite one is Rebekah/Simon's set of pictures. Why? Well...because there is the "Mario" game tribute photo, of course!! Moreover Simon was very good at photographing...and it's nice to see what's important for a child during his day. Of course, "Mario" was important! ;) So, good job! Good job! :)

A glimpse of our Christmas...

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It all started with Christmas biscuits making on Christmas Eve. Ely had the idea to prepare cinnamon flavored biscuits for all the poeple (relatives and friends) we had to meet these holidays. In fact it was a good idea and it was fun. We baked loads of biscuits!!! And they turned out very good also! ;)

On Christmas Eve we also had to face a little emergency, because our cat Rufus didn't feel well. He started to have problems with breathing and so we took him to the veterinary clinic in town for a visit. And it wasn't for nothing. It happened that he had some kind of allergic reaction and that provoked the partial closure of the oesophagus...poor Rufy. Moreover they found on the X-ray that he had some kind of a swollen gland between the lungs and the heart. They made exams and it shouldn't be anything to worry about, but we are giving him medicines once a day to see if it could be a lung infection taken when it was a wild kitty and maybe had it passed from her mother. We spent a very bad moment though. It seemed it could be something worse than what it really was.

We woke up with some snow on Christmas day. But I also woke up sick! I felt really bad, probably both for the cold taken the day before and also for the stress caused by the Rufy thing. However we had a planned huge Christmas lunch at Ely's parents with all the relatives and - despite Ely would have wanted to stay at home with me - at the end we went together to the lunch. Ely was very happy to stay with her parents, the food was great and I enjoyed the company of everybody until I fell asleep on the couch because of the fever. I spent all the 26th in bed or on the couch watching movies we rented the day before. All this laziness never happens usually...so despite I was ill, it was nice to be cozy at home, doing nothing. Just resting. Great!

On the 27th I felt much better and we went to visit my grandparents and relatives in Creto. They prepared us a fantastic polenta carbonera for lunch and we spent the day all together. My grandfather wanted to show us some old photos and it was nice to see them together.

This week we were back at work, but this is a short working week because on New Year's Eve we will be closed until probably Jan,6th.

This New Year's Eve we have planned to spend the night - as tradition of these last 2 years - at my best friend Andrea and his wife Monica's place near Brescia. We will be some couples, all taking some kind of food and we will wait the coming of the new year eating, chatting, playing games and having fun together. For a perfect start of a new year full of expectations and plans for me and Ely.

Happy 2010 everybody!

And the winner is...

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...Ely! With this photo:

She won 1 out of the 10 prices for the 10 best photos that now are displayed at the Pojer & Sandri winery in Faedo (near Trento) in an photographic exhibition and journey about wine, harvest and wineries. The photos in the exhibition are 62 and Ely has these other 2 displayed:

This last one is my favorite...I like the light and, just for a chance, the colors of the items are the same colors of the Italian flag.

Ely won a set of 3 bottles of wine and a fantastic selection of balsamic vinegars with different flavors (like apple, cherry, blueberry, cinnamon etc...)...that's better than money! ;) YUMMY And now we have a big print of the winner photo displayed in the house...

Now Ely blushes when I call her "photographer", but in my opinion she actually is considering her improvements and achievements in these last few months.

Belated 10 on 10 December :: Craft Fair in Milan

2009-12-13T18:00:00.001+01:00

How could we miss the last 10 on 10 of 2009? Nooooo way! So here it is our belated installment for this month, about the craft fair we went to visit yesterday in Milan with both my family (except my brother) and Ely's family. It was fun to walk around this huge fair (they say it's the world's biggest craft fair with more than 3,500 stalls!) with crafts and food from all over the world. It was also the perfect occasion to buy some Christmas gifts for the family and friends. And, of course, something for us: fantastic olives from Puglia, lemons, mozzarella and caciotte from Naples, a little olive tree in a vase from Provance (France), soaps from Provance (France), pain briochè and madeleines from France, a tie (for me!) from Naples, earrings for Ely from Sardinia (Ely is suggesting me while writing:"very similar of those Rebekah made some time ago!") and a pair of danish slippers made of the same material as duvet, very warm and comfortable for this time of the year (Ely couldn't resist them!).

1. Upon arrival at the Milan-Rho fair

2. Entering the fair

3. All together...(except me, taking the picture!)

4. A stall selling waffles (cialde) with Nutella

5. Christmas decorations from Germany

6. A stall of sweets

7. A polish restaurant (but then we ate a french baguette!)

8. Origami at the japanese stalls area (every country was also showing and teaching their arts and crafts to visitors. Very interesting!)

9. Learning how to make an origami (here with my teacher!)

10. A jazz show. We loved it!

Merry merry Christmas everybody!!!

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Buon Natale a tutti!!!

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Froehliche Weihnachten!!!

This is the time...

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...to decorate the house for Christmas. This year - because of our kitty Rufy - we have decided to buy a new artificial Christmas tree and new not-breakable decorations (made of metal, wood, plastic or fabric). The result is a new romantic Christmas tree, pretty old style.

We love it.

...to eat Christmas sweets with a hot tea in the evening. This is a fantastic mandarin cake we found at the local Christmas Market. YUMMY!!!

More Christmas things to come! ;) And Rufy is just expecting something fun to play with! :)

Meeeoooowwww!