My Trolley Fucsia: agosto 2014

30 ago 2014

Two-day roadtrip in Toscana: amazing shots of a typical Italian landscape

When a foreigner thinks about Italy, I realised that most of the times the first picture that comes to his mind is the typical Tuscany landscape: cypresses, haycocks, sunflowers, vineyards, and golden fields.

I usually go to Tuscany many times in the year because with my family we go to the beach at Argentario, which is a sort of little peninsula in the south-western area of Tuscany called Maremma Toscana.

But being Argentario a sea-side place, of course it is not fully representative of the whole region Tuscany, although beautiful. Last year, therefore, despite the over 40°celsius during summertime, I decided to go for a short roadtrip to discover the real Tuscany. I had already visited most of those places with my family over the years (except for Pisa, Siena and Lucca), but I really wanted to travel through all these bucolic Italian landscapes again after having travelled all around the world, because the more I travel and the more I realise that Italy and Europe are just gorgeous. We don't have to travel so far to find beautiful places!

So, going back to my roadtrip, the itinerary was focused on one main idea: not to reach some destinations but enjoying the fields, therefore I came out of the highway as soon as possible and wandered around the little curvy roads, stopping by little towns and then bigger cities such as Florence and Siena.

Departure from Argentario, highway to Grosseto and Siena, and at the height of Paganico exit direction Montalcino. A tour along the campagna senese (country fields around Siena), then Siena, Florence, Pisa, Lucca. I stopped by other little town whose name I don't remember anymore, I am sorry!!

I would have loved to be by motorbike by I found comfort on my parents' cabrio! ;)

Enjoy these amazing shots of La Bella Toscana..

Vineyards in the fields around Siena

Montalcino

Abbazia di Monte Uliveto

Sunflower field

Campagna Senese

Siena

Firenze

Piazza del Duomo, Firenze

Pisa, il Campo dei Miracoli

Torre di Pisa

Lucca

Hidden garden in Lucca, the city of the 100 Towers

Lucca

21 ago 2014

Portaits of Paris: my personal perspective

"If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.”, Ernest Hemingway said in "A movable feast", an autobiography where he wrote about his years as a young expatriate writer in Paris in the 1920s.

To be honest, I have never read this book, but my chère amie Enrica did, and taught me this sentence which I have never forgotten because it is absolutely true: Paris is a feast (la Fête), and it literally stays with you.

Visiting a city as a tourist has nothing to do with LIVING in the city, when you discover new places and then create your own routines with your groups of friends. This is especially true if this city is Paris.

Besides the several trips to Paris I had done as a visitor, I had the chance to live in Paris as a young (wo)man not only once, but twice, and in 2 different moments of my life:
1. One semester as a student, during my first exchange period at university
2. One semester as an intern / thesis writer, during my last months of the master (3 years after the first time)

..and they have been two of the most incredible experiences I've ever had! The first time, it was Erasmus, what else can I say ?!! I got to know Paris really well for the first time and met incredible people. The second time, it was even better if possible...Although I had internship+killing thesis, I had the best time ever with the best people ever, and have been travelling quite a lot around France.

This post doesn't intend to tell you the "things-to-do" in Paris or stuff like that -you all know that!- but instead to show you a little bit Paris as I lived it in my personal perspective. Hopefully, maybe the photos will fascinate you a little bit exactly how I used to get fascinated, every single morning, while I walked surrounded by that beautiful architecture - yes, even when going to work!! What a beautiful place, what a delicious food (the simpler, the better: du pain, du vin et du fromage). Quelle joie de vivre, in Paris!

Since I am in love with this city and France in general, I will make other posts in the future where I will talk about day trips out of the city and nice weekends in lovely French regions.

For now, profitez des photos!

Parisian roofs