July 2011 so far

Florence

Florence

Padova

Paris, Cafe Delaville


Birthday celebration 30th birthday, Rome

The Florentine wedding bliss

Ceremony at Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, held by the Florentine mayor. Rice throwing and cheering in Piazza della Signoria. Reception dinner and party in the Tuscan countryside. A six-course rustic dinner and locally produced wine while looking over the green hills, then on for dancing until the sun rose again.

Fantastic.

Sunday lazy

Lazy Sundays. You either love them or hate them. I usually don't like them, they make me anxious of the coming week and instead of being all chill about it I stress.

So today I thought I'd do differently.

After listening to crazy smoking lady cleaning her house and smelling the fried garlic my Chinese neighbour family was having for breakfast I decided to escape the house. Put on my new fancy jacket from Zara (love Klein blue, just discovered it's my colour!), took computer under the arm and headed out in to the sunshine. Went to my fave bar on the corner of Piazza San Giovanni in Laterano, just a stone's throw from my house, and had caffé latte and a small croissant for breakfast.

I also wrote a few emails and tapped away on my MacJournal (like a diary program). Got a few looks from passerbys (is that how you write it or did I just make that word up?), I think it looked funny hawking over my computer screen in sunlight in the middle of the street. Whatever. Or, I looked extremely handsome in my new jacket!
Woop!

I eventually had to switch sides of the table as you can see, I was almost getting sunburnt on one side only. The difficulties of everyday life, haha. Soon I'm off to lunch with my friend Melina. We have found this nice little trattoria down the street from my house, basically 20 meters from the Colosseum. I always throught it was a classic tourist trap but passing by it one evening I realized it was almost only Italian people eating there! So, we tried it and we really liked it. Classic rustic Italian food and friendly service and cheap prices. How great!

Last week I was out and about for most of the days. After an extremely nice weekend by the sea I was well rested and super motivated.

BBQ at a friend's roof terrace, watching a game of soccer of course

The beach in Maccarese, the Roman coast

Lunch in Maccarese, spaghetti alle vongole and a glass of white wine with a couple of friends

Lunch in Fregene, always the spaghetti alle vongole and a crips glass of white wine

The summer campaign is in all stores now and bikinis are flying out quicker than we can get them in. It's so nice to be a part of all this! Bikinis for the people! We popped over to lovely Torino, in the north west. Such a nice little city, super lovely and very pretty. It also had a Swedish calm to it, in the evening the streets were empty and silent. It was lovely for a change but I think I'd go crazy after a week.

My colleague took me to a Sicilian restaurant (he promised me the Torinese food was more winterish and rustic and not ideal for the warm spring evening we had) and we had great seafood and even greater wine. The waitor had to explain the whole menu for us since it was written in Sicilian accent. It was a fun experience though, and a little bit of practice for when I have to go there!

The day after we were visiting shops in the area and then we spent the evening in Milano. Oh Milano, how I adore you. We found a small bar, from the outside it looked like a student bar but inside they had a small garden where we had great aperitivo with a huge buffet of nibbles and pasta and cheese to eat. How nice. Then dinner at The Kitchen, a legendary Italian restaurant run by Chinese people. It was super good and apparently very popular since the terrace was full!

The spring is finally here now and the days are long, warm and lovely. I'm getting more into Rome mode and I am actually beginning to like this town. Slowly slowly.


What have you been up to lately?Is it springtime yet, wherever you are?

Wedding season

My friend recevied the funniest invitation ever. Ordinary white paper. Two stickers on the front page. Drawing by hand (yes, by a grown up, not a kid as I first suspected) with a gold pen. And a request that asks guests to show up half an hour early so the wedding can start on time.

Me, on the other hand, received a very delightful and classic invitation. Thick cream paper, dark navy font. A separate RSVP card. Silk bow.




So strange how different people do things in different ways.

Photos from Florence

Flying over the Italian Alps. Always so beautiful, I love taking photos when I'm flying!

Finally arrived in Florence. Outside Natalia's house.
Travelled quite light, did my best to pack but I did in the middle of the night so I had no clue really what I put in that little suitcase.

In PIazza Signoria, in the heart of Firenze.
Was so delighted to be back, we had lunch at La Posta, my favourite hang-out!

The evening after we were invited to a dinner in San Casciano in the countryside.
Here is Natalia with her friend Hana.

All the good food we could eat. Salumi, risotto, pasta bolognese, salad..! Lots of wine.

Nati and me by the huge fireplace.

Natalia and Andrea did their best to get me drunk so I would come out with them after the dinner!

Before leaving the house to go to Colle Bereto.
Myself, Andrea, Natalia and Hana!

Hana, Melina and myself.
Both girls are great, Melina is wild and lots of fun, we hit it off straight away!

With Jennifer and Nicola at Colle Bereto. Jennifer is Natalia's friend, and Nicola is Jennifer's boyfriend.
Great great people, lots of fun.
I made many new great friends this trip!

Natalia, Gerardo and myself.
Gerardo is crazy, he has the confidence of a male supermodel.
Funny but not so nice if you catch his attention, he's hard to shake off (you face)!

This guy the girls call "the little Lord", he's half Brittish and half Italian, such a gentleman!
I really fancied him although in reality he's a little short.
At first sight it struck me how similar he is to Chris O'Donnell.
I like Chris O'Donnell!

Natalia and myself in Nicola's car.
I love this photo, we had the best time in the back seat!
On our way to the night club Full Up.

We went for aperitivo Tuesday evening, at OÈ, a Japanese style restaurant.
Ok food but the best part was the downstairs smoking lounge.

Wednesday I met Victoria for a coffee at my old University café at Via Alfani.
Then we biked off to her place for lunch, spaghetti with tuna tomato sauce, really good!

In the evening Vicky came over to our place to go out.
Here we are posing the kitchen, next to Audrey on the cover of Vogue!

On our way to Open Bar, Karin and myself are posing next to the glow-in-the-dark-policemen at Ponte Vecchio.



The vodka at Slowly.
It was by Roberto Cavalli but I'm not sure it tasted greater than any other I have tasted?
The display was really pretty though!

Next to Ponte Santa Trinità with Ponte Vecchio in the back, going for a drink at Nove to hear my old Gucci colleague Gianni spin records.
We met up with my other Gucci friends Alessandro and Pedro.
Nice wine but no food.

After Nove we met up with Alexandra at Colle Bereto (again).
Had more drinks and then went upstairs quickly.
Alex had just been to the hairdresser to get highlights, so we had to show her new hair off!

The night of the big party at Casa Sweden!
Here, Sofia and myself are preparing dinner in the kitchen!

Here Natalia and I are posing.
She had planned the party very precisely, I might hire her services the next time I need to throw a big-ass party! Kudos for all the Italian men showing up, haha!

Karin and Sofia enjoying the food (pasta with ricotta tomato sauce) and wine!

Natalia posing with Hanna!
So nice to meet up with long-lost friends from the past!

Cuddling with Vicky, one of my closest friends in Florence.
I miss her so much but at least I had the time to see her, her new apartment and her boyfriend (fiancé!).

Getting cosy with Hanna!

Toasting with prosecco brought to us by a girl from that precise area of Italy!
It was sooo good!

Alexandra and Natalia enjoying the prosecco in the kitchen!

I found Jennifer in the big crowd.
Thanked her and Nicola for last week at Colle and Full Up, I had such a great time.

After that I don't remember that much of the evening. When the others left to go clubbing, myself, Natalia and Alexandra stayed in to clean up the mess. When Karin and Sofia returned home at 5 a.m. the house was so clean they said it was like it never happened. Haha!

With Karin at La Posta before leaving for the airport.
I had a tuna salad the size of my head, didn't want to risk a tummy ache with some bresaola (like Karin had) even though I love it.