Read Around the World

August 29, 2015August 29, 2015 / Anna / 12 Comments

As a Literature Graduate, I am obviously very passionate about books and reading. During my school years and my degree I was always reading some book or other, whether for pleasure or for educational purposes. At school I was fascinated by William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, whilst at college I loved studying Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. Then at University I particularly enjoyed Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and fell in love with the works of Charles Dickens, who is now my favourite author. I have every one of his books, as well as many texts on his life and works. I love how very descriptive his works are and how he creates these fantastic, often slightly mad characters. I also have always loved learning about the Victorian period, as I find it a particularly interesting era. Dickens’ Victorian England fascinates me.

Inside an old school house, now transformed into a quirky second hand book shop in Whistleton, Suffolk! I visited this week for a browse!

I graduated with a joint Literature and Italian degree and whilst studying, often opted for the literature modules in Italian too. We studied Dante’s Divine Comedy and on my Erasmus year in Italy I also completed an Italian Literature module. Furthermore, for my Literature dissertation I combined my love for Charles Dickens and my passion for Italy, by writing about his relationship with the country and support for the Italian Unification.

Unfortunately, since leaving University and moving to Milan, the amount of time I spend reading has definitely declined and it shamefully took me over a year to read Dickens’ Martin Chuzzlewit! However…through work I have read countless children’s books – The Gruffalo anyone?! But this year I am determined to start reading more again and have already made my way through quite a few books!

I tend to read a lot of Classics, but my Dad has just given me My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Ferrante is an Italian novelist (under pseudonym) who was born in Naples and is the author of The Neopolitan Novels. I hadn’t heard of her before, until recently when my Dad mentioned an article he had read in The Guardian newspaper, listing authors and novels from ‘Around The World’ and this idea that we can read our way around the world! Anything he reads about Italy he usually tends to pass on to me and unbeknown to me, he had ordered me her fist Neopolitan Novel, My Brilliant Friend.

With the arrival of the book, I decided to do a little research about this ‘Read Around the World’ idea and have found that it is quite a popular concept and some people even base their blogs around it!

So, I have decided to do my own version of reading around the world, starting with Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend, which is the story of two best friends growing up in 1950’s Naples. Where better to start my reading journey than Italy?? The book and author have received a lot of acclaim and I am excited to start reading it and then eventually to review it on here!

My question to you all then is, can you recommend any books to me, for any country in the world? They must be written by a native to that country, but apart from that I am open to any suggestions! Then I will make a list and hopefully over time make my way through it, reviewing and keeping you up-to-date on here!

Is anyone completing this challenge at the moment? Do you have any recommendations? What do you all like to read? I would love to hear!

Happy weekend to you all!

Anna

Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life: Expo 2015 Milan

August 21, 2015 / Anna / 3 Comments

Milan is currently playing host to Expo 2015, ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life‘. The very first Universal Exhibition took place in 1851 in London at the forefront of industrial growth and was titled ‘The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations‘ or ‘The Great Exhibition‘ – less of a tongue twister! This famous World Fair brings together countries and nations from all over the world, to showcase and discuss Culture and Industry. The development of the World Fair can be divided into three principle eras, starting with the era of Industrialisation, moving on to the the era of Cultural Exchange and now the era of Nation Branding.

The Great Exhibition 1851, Crystal Palace, London

The 1851 exhibition which took place in Victorian London was at the heart of Industrialisation and the fairs during this era, focused heavily on showcasing new and exciting developments in Science and Technology from around the world. The era of Cultural Exchange no longer focused on technology, but instead was based on cultural themes and upon exchanges of innovative ideas to help us move towards a better future for our society. The era of Nation Branding provided countries with a platform to improve their national image, by creating impressive pavilions.

Milan Expo 2015, is a combination of each of these eras. With over 140 countries taking part, they are able to each show the best their country has to offer in terms of new technologies, whilst also trying to provide answers to the question of how can we ensure that everyone the world over, has access to healthy, safe and sufficient food, while respecting the planet itself. Not an easy question, but one which is so very important, as even today there are still people suffering the world over from famine and poverty.

With thousands of events organised over the six months of the Exhibition, they hope to create the opportunity to exchange ideas and solutions for a more sustainable planet. Some people have questioned whether an event sponsored by corporate giants such as Coca-Cola and McDonald’s can really be taken seriously when discussing sustainability and healthy living and there has been a lot of people against Expo for various reasons, including corruption (this is Italy after all). There were even riots after the opening night of the fair, which I wrote about here.

However, surely the important thing is that we are made to consider and discuss these issues and that events like this create funds and awareness for the problems they are hoping to solve? Yes, maybe the money spent on building the pavilions and all the events organised could have gone directly towards aid and helping people who are suffering, but then it can be argued that each Expo leaves a lasting legacy, not only for the country it is held in, but for the issue it addresses. ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life‘ – will hopefully make us think about our relationship with the planet, the land and the food it provides us with. Essentially, if we don’t take care of our planet, we won’t have food or energy for the future and the Planet and its inhabitants will suffer.

When I started writing this post, I didn’t really intend for it to have such a serious tone to it, but I think it is an important theme and I had read quite a lot about this years Expo as well as its history. I think it is a great event and has amazing potential to influence many people. You can see that by the number of people who have visited already!

Unfortunately, I have only been once so far and that was on an evening ticket, which is so convenient and only 5 Euro. However I plan to visit in September and October a few more times and hopefully for a full day too!

If you are visiting prepare to walk, queue for individual pavilions and be utterly exhausted by the end of it! My friend and I had completely underestimated the sheer size of the place and for me this was one of the most exciting and impressive aspects. There is a main ‘walkway’ running through the middle with pavilions either side for each country. They vary greatly in size, some quite simple and understated, others elaborate and distinctive. There are, of course, as the theme is centred around food, endless opportunities to try all sorts of cuisine from all around the world. There are musical acts, fabulous costumes and I found the smells, sights and sounds so enticing!

The pavilion for Germany

The Chinese pavilion – which I haven’t yet been in, but admired from the outside!

We visited relatively few of the pavilions, which is why I must go back again, but we did make it to Korea, England, Germany, Qatar, Morocco and America. Each pavilion features information about things such as their farming methods, food production, culinary traditions and sustainability and technology within their country. Some provide lots of really interesting information, such as Qatar and Morocco, while others seemed a little vague, for example (and I feel bad saying this) England. The concept of England’s pavilion was lovely, you enter through a zig-zag meadow and see an amazing structure built to represent a bee hive, but there wasn’t much information and what information there was, wasn’t represented in the most interesting way.

England’s pavilion

Looking up at the dome of the English pavilion

We had some great food, sushi from the Korean pavilion and vegetable curry from Morocco, plus there was free water throughout the site (both still and sparkling) which was a great bonus.

Mock spice market stall outside the Qatar pavilion

Table of traditional food inside the Qatar pavilion

By far, however, my absolute favourite thing, was the Tree of Life! If you go, you must stay to see the light show in the evening, as it was stunning! I stood mesmerized watching the tree light up perfectly in time to the soundtrack, water sprouting up peacefully…it was as if the tree and the water were dancing to the music! It really was quite magical, I was completely fascinated by it – I will be making sure I see the show again next time I go!

Have you been to visit? What did you think/enjoy/dislike? What is your opinion about the event? I would love to know what you have to say…or if you have some advice for what to see next time!

Outside the Moroccan pavilion

Anna

Armani Silos: Sophisticated and Sleek

August 7, 2015 / Anna / 2 Comments

As I mentioned in my recent post on the wonderful Prada Foundation in Milan, the same weekend I also visited the Armani Silos. The building was originally used for food storage, hence the name ‘Silos’ and Giorgio Armani decided to maintain the name, as he explained that for him, fashion is as essential to life as food! The large space of 4500 square metres is spread out over four floors and the collection exhibits clothes from the 1980’s to today, as well as a digital archive on the top floor.

The clothes are organised in themes and you start with the Stars and Day-wear section on the first floor, moving upwards to Exoticism, Colour-Schemes and finish with Light and the Digital Archives on the fourth floor. What I really liked about this layout was that it meant you could see how Armani has been influenced by certain things again and again throughout his career. They had grouped together pieces, for example from the 80’s and 2000’s which featured similar exotic fabrics and colours, insects and intricate beading. It was interesting to see how fabrics, cuts and styles have come back into fashion or been updated years later.

Armani is such an iconic brand and for me is the epitome of style! His designs are so perfectly cut and flattering to the body, minimalist and understated but so chic and elaborate at the same time. The Stars section of the exhibition featured a video showing the numerous famous faces who have worn Armani throughout its’ history, from Diane Keaton accepting her Oscar for Annie Hall, to Sophia Loren, Richard Gere and Lady Gaga.

I have a somewhat special love for Armani, as whilst on my Erasmus year in Italy, I completed a six month internship at the company’s production offices in Modena. I was so excited when I was accepted and offered the opportunity, as I absolutely love fashion and it was an experience I will never forget. I learnt a lot and met some amazing people! (Sadly not the man himself!) The main design offices for Armani are of course in Milan and the city is definitely his city! Not only is there the Armani department store, featuring all their lines, as well as a florists, but next door is the Armani hotel! Armani Caffe is a great place too for a light lunch or coffee and cake – they once had an amazing melting chocolate pudding! It was divine! And I have always found the staff in both the Caffe and Department store very friendly and helpful, so don’t be put off by the slightly intimidating style of the place!

Love this dress! The colours are amazing, so vibrant and I love the delicate embroidery!

Back to the exhibition and luckily for myself and the two friends I went with, Sunday seemed to be a particularly quiet day, so after clearing airport style security, we enjoyed the space almost entirely to ourselves! There were endless members of perfectly groomed and very good looking staff on hand to help…for example when all three of us could not work out how to call the lift…it was too high tech for us! Haha! After we had spent a couple of hours exploring and appreciating all the beautiful clothes, we headed to the Navigli for a walk around the Darsena, before enjoying delicious cocktails at Ugo on Via Corsico.

Another perfect day in the city!

Anna

A stylish afternoon: Fondazione Prada

July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 / Anna / 2 Comments

I have always had a passion for fashion and have been reading Vogue since I was about fifteen and as you will have seen in my previous posts, I also love going to exhibitions and galleries. So you can imagine my excitement when I found out that two new exhibition spaces were opening in Milan, one the Fondazione Prada and the Armani Silos. Obviously we expect anything connected to these two iconic brands to be not only luxurious but elegant and stylish. So a couple of weekends ago, a friend and I decided we needed a weekend of culture and to finally visit both spaces. I will talk more about Armani in another post, but first we headed to the Fondazione Prada in the South of the city.

The Fondazione (foundation) currently doesn’t feature any fashion exhibitions, but it does have a selection of permanent and temporary exhibits. I was particularly interested in a film interview they were showing with director Roman Polanski, talking about his earliest inspirations and what shaped the future of his film making. The film was really interesting as it gave a great insight into the process of how Polanski works and how he has incorporated ideas from films, which inspired him as a young film student, into his own movies. Plus the cinema had the most amazing mustard yellow/greeny velour seats and were super comfy! All that was missing was the popcorn!

We then mooched around the other exhibits, including two floors of Greek and Roman art, which talked about the relationship between originality and imitation of artworks. There was also an exhibit we looked at which explored the link between everyday life and art, however it was slightly too modern for me and I struggled to understand the full meaning of it, despite my friend offering up some rather excellent on the spot interpretations for me! One piece was a burnt out car, covered in neat, uniform lines of cigarettes, which she claimed showed a link between death, smoking and driving! It kind of made sense and maybe she was correct…but there wasn’t enough information available to read so I am not sure!

If anyone can tell me what this represents? A tar covered car with carefully placed white feathers!?

This is the burnt out, cigarette covered car I mentioned! Any ideas?

However, my favourite thing about the whole Fondazione Prada was the architecture. It is on the site of an old distillery dating back to the 1910’s and during transformation of the site they kept some of the original buildings and added in three new spaces; an exhibition pavilion, a tower and a cinema. Each building is so different from the last and all built using different materials and colours. It was really quite fascinating and oddly beautiful. The juxtaposition of materials and architecture styles has created a space which you want to explore and I found myself touching all the walls and taking my time to appreciate each building from the floors to the ceilings.

I would really like to live in a gold tower!

Furthermore, there is a charming bar (with delicious panini and iced espresso!!) designed by the director Wes Anderson. It also is a slight mismatch of colours and textures and was designed in the style of a historic Milan Café with features evocative of the 1950’s and 1960’s. For me, it brought to mind a mixture between an old Parisian Café and an American diner (sorry Wes if that wasn’t your intention)!

I really love sitting in busy Café’s and listening in on lively conversation between friends, accompanied by the clink of cutlery and glasses and the smell of fresh coffee. There is something so intriguing about the sounds, smells and atmosphere it all creates and of course I love watching all the well dressed Italians coming to and fro for a quick espresso at the bar or a glass of prosecco! I read that Wes Anderson said about the bar, “While I do think it would make a pretty good movie set, I think it would be an even better place to write a movie.” I can see what he means…I intend to return more than once – even if just to sit and drink a coffee and indulge in some people watching!

Anna

Pietra e Preghiera

July 18, 2015July 18, 2015 / Anna / Leave a comment

A recurring feature of my posts, seems to be Milan’s Duomo. The Cathedral is very much the centre of the city and is used as a frequent backdrop for concerts and events. You may have read my post Music by Moonlight about the opening night of Expo here in Milan and the wonderful concert featuring Andrea Boccelli and pianist Lang Lang. Or perhaps the post A Roof with a View! showing some of the stunning views offered from the terraces of the Duomo.

Last week, once again it took to centre stage, this time for Pietra e Preghiera an evening of video-mapping on the façade of the Duomo. Using modern technology they projected lights and both still and moving images onto the building, accompanied by the beautiful music of Giuseppe Verdi.

It really was quite a magical and mesmerizing evening! Sometimes we stop noticing the things around us and we take for granted historic and amazing buildings. The Duomo is truly a fantastic piece of architecture and events like this make you stop and appreciate it once again!

Have a great weekend!

Anna

p.s. Check out my Instagram for a video of the night!

Sun, Sea and Sand!

July 14, 2015July 15, 2015 / Anna / 3 Comments

It’s that time of year again, when the majority of Italians head to the coast for weeks of relaxation and sun worshipping! Of course at the first sign of the sun they instantly transform into beautiful sun-kissed people with flawless tans! You rarely see an Italian with dodgy tan lines or streaky fake tan! For the rest of us mere mortals (i.e. English rose complexion) we have to put in some serious effort, so my best friend and I headed to the beach for a week of sun, sea and sand! It also marked the end of the school year and for both of us our first year in business – so the perfect excuse for a little break!

We headed to Viareggio in Northern Tuscany, a small but rather charming little town on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. We had little else on our agenda except for spending the day on the beach and going for long dinners in the evenings and walks on the beach (a perfect romantic week really – except with my best friend rather than a boy! haha!!)

We stayed in a lovely little hotel right on the beach front, with very friendly and helpful staff and managed to move rooms on the second night so we had a beach view! The beach mainly consists of private beaches, but it is worth paying for their facilities, as they have bathrooms, hot showers and some have swimming pools and bars! Plus you get an umbrella and sun loungers! Somehow we managed to convince them to give us two sun loungers whilst everyone else on our beach only had one (including families!) so we were feeling rather lucky and slightly smug! Taking turns to lie on one, would not have been fun!

There were lots of great restaurants in the town, serving of course fresh seafood, so every evening we had a feast of sword fish, crab, prawns, tuna and all sorts of delicious food!

The sea was beautiful to swim in and very refreshing, however, it was teeming with jelly fish and so we had to constantly be on jelly fish watch! Also there were numerous crabs on the seabed and on the last morning, one nipped me right on my big toe! I was not impressed!

We returned to Milan tanned (and a little sunburnt), relaxed and ready for the summer! However we are in a sort of heat wave in the city at the moment and I would do anything to be back at the beach, but alas work is calling me! Three more weeks though and I will be on holiday back in sunny (haha) England!

Anna

Lake Como

June 13, 2015July 14, 2015 / Anna / 4 Comments

Being a country girl at heart, I find that from time to time I long to escape the hustle and bustle of the city! To inhale long deep breaths of fresh, clean air. I dream of an English meadow, filled with wild flowers, or a quiet beach in the Essex countryside with my dog, an overgrown wood and spotting a sly fox on the path ahead, before it scurries away into the undergrowth. When I can’t make it home to England, luckily enough the Lakes are only a hop, skip and a jump from Milan!

I think my favourite of the Italian lakes is Garda, as I have such lovely memories of my first visit there, but Como and Maggiore are both absolutely charming! In the last few weeks I have been to Como (on Lake Como) a couple of times and whilst I used to find it a little too busy and not particularly relaxing, it has grown on me!

The first trip was with my two friends who were visiting from England. We decided that rather than take a boat trip on the lake, we would instead go on the Funicular Railway to see the spectacular views from the top of the mountains! The Funicular was opened on the 11th November 1894 and the slope is apparently 46%. It certainly feels very steep when you are going up and I wouldn’t suggest standing by the windows if you get a little vertigo!

The views from the top though are amazing and just a short walk from the station is a wonderful spot to take panoramas of the lake. Conveniently there is also a charming little bar where you can enjoy a refreshing glass of Prosecco and take in the views!

Cheeky little Guinness and Prosecco’s whilst enjoying the view!

Spotted this little guy relaxing in the sun!

If you are feeling energetic, further up the mountain is a lighthouse which you can walk to, I did so in October when a friend came to stay with me. The views are outstanding, but from my personal experience I would advise you to make sure you walk back down to the Funicular before sunset! The terrain in certain parts is a little steep and lose off foot, so in the dark can be quite dangerous – however you get some spectacular photo opportunities watching the sunset from the lighthouse!

My friend on the last stretch to the lighthouse

Watching the sunset from the lighthouse was absolutely stunning!

Only halfway back down and it was pitch black on the paths! A little spooky!

‘Love boats’ – look like Noddy’s car to me!!

The second time I visited recently with my two friends from Milan, we were feeling like a little adventure and exercise, so we rented a ‘Love Boat’ which is really just a fancy name for a pedalo and went out on the lake! Despite my friends doubting whether I was the best person to drive the boat, they did let me and if I do say so myself I did a really good job – we didn’t capsize or crash! It was hard work though cycling for an hour under the boiling sun – so a refreshing cocktail was greatly appreciated before heading back to Milan, tired but happy!

Look at those driving skills! Haha! Photo credit: Bri and Grace

Photo Credit: Grace

Have you ever been to any of the Italian lakes? Let me know where, and what you enjoyed most! I need new inspiration for the next trip as I am dreaming of a weekend at the lakes soon…..

Anna

Piano City 2015

June 6, 2015July 14, 2015 / Anna / 2 Comments

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you will know that a couple of weeks ago on another sunny Sunday afternoon, I went to the last day of Piano City Milano. This is a a three day event held every year with all types of piano concerts spread across the city! There are concerts held in parks, trams, houses, gardens, Piazza’s and museums to name just a few locations! There is something for everyone with everything from classical, jazz and pop music to baroque and electronic! Not only is the music fantastic and all concerts are free, it is a great way to explore the city and discover new places!

For example last year, my friend and I went to a concert in the beautiful gardens of Villa Reale, which is the heart of the event and known as Piano Giardino (Piano Garden). So naturally this year, I took my friends who were visiting there, to listen to some light Jazz and take a well needed break from all the walking we had been doing that weekend!

The beautiful Villa Reale

We listened to pianist Alberto Tafuri play homage to Neapolitan musician Pino Daniele. A large crowd had gathered (luckily we found space on the grass to sit!) and we spent an idyllic hour listening to him play some beautiful pieces! You can hear a short clip of one on my Instagram page.

There were lots of piano’s to have a little play on – all painted and decorated in funky ways!

I especially loved this one!

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Anna

A Roof with a View!

May 30, 2015July 14, 2015 / Anna / 3 Comments

Hello everyone! I haven’t given up on my little blog…despite not having written anything for a while! I have just been super busy and so musings took a back seat – but I am back!

Last weekend I had some of my dear friends from home come and visit me and so of course I showed them all around the city and we took a little trip to Lake Como (more on this in another post)! The best thing about having people come and stay is that I get to be a tourist and fall in love with Milan all over again! I am a little obsessed with taking pictures at the moment and I honestly think I took more than my friends, despite having seen everything before – but that just means that now I can share them with you!

So, one of my absolute favourite things to do in Milan, is to visit the terraces of the Duomo! Milan’s cathedral, the symbol of the city, lies in Piazza Duomo and is a pivotal and central point of interest for anyone visiting. The Cathedral, commissioned in 1386, is the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world and took almost 500 years to complete! It features more than 3,500 statues and is a labyrinth of flying buttresses, pinnacles, 96 gargoyles and 135 spires.

Since 1837 Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo has been responsible for the preservation and restoration of the Cathedral and thanks to its’ founder, Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the Cathedral even has its own quarry! All the marble used for building and restoration comes from The Candoglia Quarries and has done since 1387 when they were given quarrying and transport rights. Originally the marble was transported by the Naviglio Grande but the boatmen were exempt from paying the tolls, as they used a secret password ‘AUF’ – ‘Ad usum fabricae’, ‘for the use of the Fabbrica’.

La Madonnina – stood on the central spire of the Duomo and keeping watch over the city since 1774, the copper gilded “Little Madonna”

Inside the Cathedral there are some stunning stain-glass windows, but for me the best thing are the terraces! You can either take a lift or walk up to the top, but me being slightly lazy and not a fan of spiral church staircases (I get too dizzy!) I took the lift, (it does cost slightly more)! Once at the top you are free to walk around as you please, although I will say that since Expo has started there seems to be a lot more people up there than ever before!

A contemporary art exhibition: Tony Cragg, dialogue with the Duomo – running as part of EXPO

I have always been extremely lucky with the weather when I have been up to the terraces and on a very clear day you can see the Alps and Apennines! It is always nice to see things differently and being up high looking out over the city gives you a new perspective! You can see all the streets running off from Piazza Duomo and every time I visit, I always notice something different, either about the city or the Cathedral itself – usually a new gargoyle or statue!

Having fun in the sun on a roof with a view!

If you haven’t visited yet go now (or put it on your list if you ever visit Milan)…and if you have, what did you think?! I would love to hear!

Anna

After the riots…

May 2, 2015July 14, 2015 / Anna / 1 Comment

After the wonderful concert on Thursday evening in Piazza Duomo and a spectacular opening ceremony for Expo on Friday morning, Milan was filled with hope and happiness! There was definitely a sense of triumph and pride that finally Expo was here and a fun party atmosphere! However this was to be short lived, as Friday afternoon protesters took to the streets of Milan and whilst some were there as peaceful protesters, others were there to riot and quickly it turned into guerilla warfare.

The left-wing protesters, who came not only from Italy but other European countries too, included anti-globalization and environmentalist activists as well as students and anti-austerity campaigners. Many of whom see Expo as a symbol of corruption (there have been accusations of Mafia involvement) and waste.

It is unfortunate they cannot spell ‘system’!

Whilst I sympathise with some of their ideas, I cannot accept violence as a form of protest and yesterday evening the city was in a state of shock and the sense of hope had been replaced by anger and sadness. They set fire to cars, broke bank and shop windows and defaced many buildings throughout the city. To make matters worse, when interviewed some of these so called ‘protesters’, seemed unable to string a sentence together to defend or rationalise their actions, but instead stated it had been a great experience.

‘Against power, against the authorities’

I saw a few cars which had been damaged during the riot, but by the afternoon most of the debris had been cleared away.

But today, as the sun shone brightly there has been an immense clean-up effort and a new sense that Milan will not be defeated and the people of Milan will take back their city! In fact a ‘meeting’ in Piazza Cadorna (where a lot of the worst damage happened) has been arranged for Sunday afternoon with the hashtag #NessunotocchiMilano #NoonetouchesMilan. The people of Milan will gather to show support for the city and Expo and help in the cleaning up effort! The facebook group already has more than 9000 likes. There is definitely a sense of community here today and I feel proud and thankful for all the people who are working and volunteering to help revive the city!