Il compleanno dello zio

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Il 18 di Agosto, era il compleanno dello zio Gianfranco. Tutta la famiglia si è incontrata per celebrare questo evento speciale. Tanti auguri zio!

On the 18th of August, it was zio Gianfranco's birthday. The whole family met to celebrate this special event. Happy birthday uncle!

Our trip to Genova

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For our first wedding anniversary, we decided to visit the beautiful city of Genova in the region of Liguria in Italy. After the relaxing train ride, we spent a few hours exploring the port (Porto Antico) and the winding, narrow streets of the city. We discovered a wonderful trattoria 'Trattoria da Maria' (Vico Testadoro) where we ate trenette (a type of pasta) with pesto alla genovese (basil pesto) - a local speciality - mmm! After lunch we checked into our hotel 'Hotel Continental', had an afternoon siesta, and then enjoyed an early evening stroll in another part of the city. The Museo Palazzo Rosso (Gallery of the Red Palace) and the Museo Palazzo Bianco (Gallery of the White Palace) are both incredible pieces of architecture, and the many squares (piazze) of the city were full of people drinking, eating ice-creams, and relaxing by fountains or on steps. On our walk back to the hotel, we discovered a gelateria called 'Gelateria Profuma' (Via dei Macelli) where we indulged in some of the most delicious ice-cream ever created! I chose two opposing flavours - mint and caramel, and Ale selected pistacchio and zabglione - yummy! The next day, after a big breakfast, we headed north to the largest outlet mall in Europe - Serravalle Oulet. We both picked up some great bargains in the summer sales. Ale dragged me away from the Furla outlet store in the late afternoon as we had to take the bus, then two trains to get back to Pisa.
Bella vita, eh?

Our trip to Ghent

In May, we visited un bel' posto in the north of Belgium - Ghent. Ghent is not as touristic as its neighbour, Bruges, which makes it much easier to explore and enjoy. As a university city, it is full of reasonably priced places to eat, and it offers a range of interesting cultural activities, too. We enjoyed walking along the canals, admiring the architecture of the buildings which line the Graslei and Korenlei Rivers, and soaking up the sunshine while watching a brass band play hits by Queen and other great musicians. We also visited the Museum of Fine Arts (http://www.mskgent.be/) and saw artworks by Hieronymus Bosch and Peter Paul Rubens.

The photo below is of Ale in front of one of the many amazing buildings in Ghent. Click on the photo to see more beautiful views of Ghent.

Long weekend in Den Haag

At the beginning of May, we went to Den Haag for a long weekend. Travelling there by train was a breeze, and getting around the city on public transport was so easy. We stayed at The Mercure Hotel, very close to the centre, and next to the National Library of The Netherlands - what an incredible structure - with lots of fantastic magazines and newspapers, too! We enjoyed our few days there wandering around the city, admiring the architecture and the tree-lined canals, as well as the understated elegance of this former capital and home of the royal family. One afternoon, we took the tram to Scheveningen Beach and enjoyed a bare-footed stroll along the cool sand, daring one another to put a toe into the very cold (for May!) water. We also spent half a day in Delft, a charming village not far from Den Haag, famous for its blue and white porcelain. The highlight of this long weekend (even more so than the poffertjes!) was our visit to "Escher in het Palais" - Escher in the Palace  - a museum dedicated to the work of Dutch graphic artist Maurits Cornelis Escher. We spent many hours there, enchanted by the brilliance of his work. Alessandro was especially impressed by his earlier, less well-known works, which were inspired by his time spent in Italy. What a wonderful weekend away! Click on the photo below to view our photos from the trip.

Beautiful Bruges

Last weekend, we visited Bruges, which lies in the north-west of Belgium, just 10km from the North Sea. The historic town centre is stunning, and has preserved it's medieval nature due to the fact that it was not damaged very much during both World Wars (unlike many other parts of Belgium). We explored the narrow, cobbled lanes and magnificent squares, and enjoyed strolling alongside the meandering canals. Our hotel "Hotel Biskajer" was wonderful - the decor was of aubergine, grey-wood panelling, and black marble tiles. The breakfast (most important meal of the day) was delicious, too. The shopping in Bruges is great - we especially enjoyed a gorgeous homeware store and the TinTin shop! We attended mass in the "Basilica of the Holy Blood" - a moving experience. This church holds one of the holiest relics in Europe - a phial containing some drops of blood and water washed from the body of Christ. After the mass, many people lined up to look at and touch the phial. On a completely different note, I do believe that during our time there we tasted the best hot chocolate known to humankind! "The Old Chocolate House" served us two large bowls of steaming hot milk, into which we placed a chocolate cup full of chocolate buds (Ale also had cream!) - the chocolate cups sank, the chocolate melted... and we indulged ourselves completely! We also shared a plate of various chocolates - white, dark, milk, each one filled with mint and strawberry and orange cremes... words cannot describe such taste sensations! OK, enough about chocolate... and I'm not even that big a fan of chocolate! We will definitely return to Bruges before we leave Belgium... of that we are certain :)

Candalla

A few weeks ago, we went to visit "Candalla", the wonderful osteria which Giulio and Massimo will be opening in May. They have been working on a total renovation of the building (a former mill) for many months now, and they are getting closer to the target each day! After eating a delicious lunch (prepared by Giulio), we explored the building and the nature surrounding the structure - the river is so clear, and there are frogs everywhere!

Easter Holidays with Jenny!

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Jenny joined us for the Easter break this year! We had a great time catching up and touring around Tuscany and Liguria. Over the 10 days, Jenny had the experience of dining with 'the locals' - our family, on many occassions, as well as eating out and enjoying specialities such as cecina (chickpea pancake - delicious!), paste (many different kinds of pastries), different flavours of gelato (Italian ice-cream - simply divine!), caffe e cappuccino (Italian coffee), insalate con aceto balsamico e olio d'oliva (salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil), and of course different types of pane (Italian bread) and pasta. We explored various places - Pisa, Lucca, Viareggio, Marina di Pisa, Cinque Terre and Firenze. We also had a few fabulous nights (until very late in the evening/morning) playing Australian MONOPOLY! (yes, no more wild nights on hard liquor!). This wedding gift from the Wray-Browns is wonderful and playing games such as this really brings out a different side to people... sharks everywhere! It was so wonderful to spend quality time with such a good friend - thanks for visiting Jen - we miss you!

P. S. Jen - if I left anything out, let me know :)