Sunday, August 31, 2008

I Heart Vintage Etsy

Today is the best day to shop for all vintage items on Etsy. Sunday, Aug. 31st is the first Vintage Market Sale! Check out Etsy.com for great deals on vintage clothes, kitchen items, shoes, decor, etc. Over 60 shops are offering steals and deals! Click on my shop to see some new items I added special for the market event.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

This Weekend in the News...Me!

When it seems like everyone and their grandma has a blog, it's nice to be recognized by fellow bloggers. Twice this week little 'ol me was lucky enough to get "press" from some really cool people.
1. Sara Lombard writes a great blog called Lilly Queen where she showcases her handmade jewlery and her Etsy store. Catch her store here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=2251

She has been highlighting several other Etsy sellers and I was lucky enough to get a profile done on me! See it here: http://lillyqueenjewelry.blogspot.com/2008/08/etsy-user-italianpostcards.html

2. Thrilled By the Thought website at: http://www.thrilledbythethought.com/ added me to her blog when she chose me as the "Blog of the Week" of August 15th! How cool is that? She describes her blog as follows:

"This blog is about all things pretty (and occasionally ugly) that excite and dazzle me! Here you can find reviews, information, and fun stuff about art, music, culture, novels, and the likes."

She wrote a short description and posted a link from her page to my site.

Now in a cheep stunt to garner more press attention, a picture of my Amore,Pier pre haircut: Sexy!

Friday, August 29, 2008

Come and Knock on My Door

The area where I live, Piedmont, is famous for its tradition of wood carving. This is evident everywhere I look! I decided that I'm just going to start posting pictures of of examples of this work, like doors, because it is just such remarkable craftsmanship. Can you imagine if this was your front door? But here in Italy, it is someone's front door.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Today I Got a Private Concert (by accident)!

I'll explain: I drove into the Moncalieri city center for some general errands and I parked next to a very old and very large church. I have never been inside this church and I noticed after parking that the door was open and I could hear the faint sound of music. I decided to poke my head in and take a look around. As you might know, these mid evil churches are full of wonderful paintings and inspiring sculpture but today I received a different kind of artistic treat.

One person was inside the church and it happened to be the organ player practicing some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard. And I have just stumbled into it by accident. Let me try and paint the scene for you. I was sitting in a 600 year old Italian church, alone, being treated to a private classical music concert. Every time I got up to leave, another beautiful song would begin and I had to sit back down. It is not something I could really take a picture of but I did take a picture of the little staircase that leads up to the organ. You can get the idea. (Coundn't get a good picture but top image is the organ player sitting above the main doorway.)
I finally left the church, music still going, and I had a parking ticket on my car. I didn't care.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Italians On Vacation

What I learned about Italians on vacation at the sea side in Rapallo.

1. The tanner you are, the better vacation you had. When I say tan, I mean baked in the sun until you are the color of burnt toast. This includes all Italians of all ages even your nonna. The topic of how tan you are is the first thing mentioned when you meet up with your friends. It's almost a contest. Also, topless is the norm for all ages also. This includes up to 70 years of age, I'm not exaggerating. 2. You have to eat at the best restaurants in the evening. You must be sat outside so everybody can see you and you can see everyone. You should be wearing a dress that shows off how tan you are. Italian women must wear their high heels and never flip flops as they are taking their evening strolls or passeggiata. Men wear the preppy sweaters tied around their necks.
3. Nobody drives their cars at the sea. You must only get around by Vespa. I stuck out on a couple of these points as I am from Danish decent and I am whiter than white. I covered myself head to toe with sunblock at which Pier's family just laughed and laughed at. Also I did wear flip flops which I'm sure everyone in Rapallo just pointed and smiled and said, 'Look it's an American.' At least I didn't wear a fanny pack...

This was the AMAZING art inside the gazebo at Rapallo:

Friday, August 22, 2008

Adventures in Yachting

Leave it up to a girl to get to have to come up with entertainment for the boys but we had a ball and I just thought, 'Why not make a water basketball game?' I used the basket we put our shoes in and tied it to the side of the boat and game on!This is where we went swimming:
While swimming watch out for these:


They are jellyfish that in Italian are called Medusa. Appropriate name. Captain Emilio said that the sea is full of them. I saw three.
Tomorrow check back for Adventures in Sun Bathing...

Monday, August 18, 2008

Sarzana

We hit the markitini in Sarzana and we found the coolest stuff but it just dosen't fit in a suitcase...

















Saturday, August 16, 2008

She Sleeps With the Fishes Now! (but it was a good thing)

That was a Godfather joke. Actually it was more like we swam and lounged with the fishes. Let me explain; today we took the boat out to Paraggi Cove, a place where people park their boats and swim, have lunch etc. Pier and I decided to go for a snorkel. We jumped into the Mediterranean and no sooner had we put on our masks and looked down did we realize that we had landed right in the middle of a school of fishes. It seemed like thousands were surrounding us so thank goodness they were friendly. Also Pier and his brother Tommy decided to do some fancy dives off the boat like this:























It's the captain, Emilio, that takes us sailing and his son the first mate, Evio, that cooks all our meals. We have been eating well. Spaghetti with clams in red sauce, grilled fish and potatoes, mozzarella and tomato salad. Emilio and Umberto taking the boat out below:


Our view from the boat at night is lovely! Until tommorrow, a domani.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Boat People, Just Like Elton John!

Imagine a trailer park summer campsite. Everyone’s rig is parked in a row, lawn chairs out, cold beer in hand, BBQ going, kids running around, you get the picture. That is exactly what it's like here in Italy, accept the trailers are 20 meter yachts docked in a row, deck chairs out, wine in hand, the captain and his son serves us dinner, and the kids are running around on jet skis. Welcome to Rapallo! From now until this weekend we are boat people. (and Jolie is a boat dog). I read in the local paper yesterday that Elton John was docked right here on a yacht called "Hercules". I'm on the look out not just for Elton and David but also for Hercules because it sounds awesomely massive! Anyways, I went up to the top of the boat this morning to watch the sunrise and I saw the other boat people and captains wakening up to morning duties.
We have been docked for 2 days because the waters have been to stormy to go out into but today looks promising so I'm crossing my fingers that we actually get to leave the Italian trailer camp site and go out on the sea soon.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Camogli

I see this time and time again living here in Italy. A historic village with pretty pastel painted buildings dotting the sea side, good food, beaches, art galleries, castles to explore and thousand year old churches with flaking frescos, you get the picture. I found this in Camogli and I think to myself, 'How is this place not famous and flooded with tourists and cruise ships?' Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people there, but, all Italians. It's like they have these perfect paradise places that they keep secret and horde it for themselves not to let it get spoiled by outsiders. I mean just look at these pictures... Can we blame them?

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Book Review!

Seeing how many weeks this book has been on the best sellers list and considering how many millions of copies it has sold, you have probably already read Eat, Pray, Love, but I have just finished it. I review it here on my Italian blog because the author spends one third of the book examining herself by exploring Italy. The book is broken up into thirds and I found it like 3 totally different books just with the same main protagonist in each story. Therefore the whole book was good but choppy but it's the Italian part that I could read again and again. I kept reading the mouth-watering and artful description of Neapolitan pizza over and over and then aloud to Pier because it was so spot on.
Overall the 'travel by yourself and find who you' are' element of the book is what was the most attractive thrill for me. It's a chick lit instant classic. I guarantee we will see it moving to the big screens coming soon to a theatre near you and then it will become a chick flick instant classic.


Favorite quote: pg. 79 "So Sofie and I have come to Pizzeria da Michele, and these pies we have just ordered-one for each of us-are making us lose our minds. I love my pizza so much, in fact, that I have come to believe in my delirium that my pizza might actually love me, in return. I am having a relationship with this pizza, almost an affir. Meanwhile, Sofie is practically in tears over hers, she's having a metaphysical crisis about it, she's begging me, "wht do they even bother thrying to make pizza in Stockholm? Why do we even bother eating food at all in Stockholm?"

Monday, August 4, 2008

È i mio cento compleanno

This Right Here is My IOOth Post!!!

So Let's take a trip down memory lane...

My first blog was the day after I got my first real Italian car, a Fiat 600, powder blue with a racing stripe. I decided that I was going to start a blog about where I go and what I see around Italy in my new car.
I have asked Pier (my Italian other half) to pick his favorite post and he has chosen the day that we made our first homemade pizzas Blog #32 We made our first real Italian pizza!

My top 3 favorite posts for photography have been:





I started this blog to keep my friends and family informed on my new life in Italy and a chance to use it as a creative outlet for my photography. Since my first blog I have been to a blog party, started my Etsy store, learned some of Italian, made some new friends from all over the world, and became a bit more 21st century computer savvy. Who knows what will happen in the next 100 posts but you are invited to stop by and find out. Feel free to leave comments today, I would love to hear your opinions!!


Last note: Ever since I started this blog, my Mother-in-Love has asked me to do a post in Italian. Someday I will be fluent enough to do that but for now this is for her: Grazie per lla macchina più carina nel mondo.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

I'm Adopted!

It's not a secret, Italians are crazy drivers. Crazy, bad, suicidal, angry, its all the same to them. Therefore I prefer to take the road less traveled. Whenever I go into the city center I take the hilly back road. Less people, better view. Views like this cute house that has mural painting on the side of it. The first time you see it it looks so real. On another note, my ETSY store is off and running chalk full of my photography and vintage finds from all over Italy. Last week I was "adopted" by another shop. It's a way of helping each other out. Tina at Day Off Designs has kindly adopted me. Here is a link to her blog and shop, check it out. (She blogs too, it's the cool thing to do ya know.)
Tomorrow is my 100th blog!!! Stop by and celebrate with me!!!

Friday, August 1, 2008

People Watching From a Window

These are the characters that wonder the streets of Torino...