Can’t Forget Italy Project October 26, 2011

I’ve been following Haleigh for some time now on her blog Making Magique.  I enjoy looking at her style and her photographs, mostly taken in her new hometown, Paris!  Recently, she joined a group of fellow photographers and videographers as they took a trip to Southern Italy’s Basilicata region as part of theCan\’t Forget Italy Project. The project’s aim is to promote travel to this part of Italy.  Each of seven photographers made a promotional video of their experience there.  The promotional video of the project is here:

The videos all show the gorgeous scenery in this part of Italy – at times haunting and mesmerizing – as well as the endearing faces of those that live here.  I have never been here, but I think that after seeing these videos, I may like to take a trip there to experience first hand the beauty of this area.

Haleigh’s video is here, and she did a great job with her photographs as well as the accompanying music.  Good job, Haleigh – you’ve convinced me to take an adventure here!

My Style Watch! October 19, 2011

Whenever I go to Italy, I try to look at the store window displays to figure out what the upcoming fashion trend is.  As usual, the styles in Italy happen first and then they trickle to the USA (even though I’ve noticed that these trends do travel faster than they used to!).  During my last trip to Italy, I visited Milan where FASHION IS KING!  To my surprise, I noticed that the clothing styles were very similar between Italy and the U.S.  Belted tunics with leggings; skinny jeans; long cardigan sweaters – they were all in the windows.  But the two things that did stand out to me were the flat shoes and the large purses!  The trend seems to be getting away from high heels and into ballerina flats.  This does make for walking the cobblestoned streets a little easier.  But, frankly, I was a bit disappointed.  I always like a heel – I think it allows for elegance and grace – and plus, personally, I have a hard time wearing flats.  I don’t get enough arch support and really flat shoes tend to hurt my back.  Being, also, that I don’t have teeny tiny little skinny legs, heels tend to elongate my legs and make them look a little better.  But in Italy, a lot of the women are very tiny and so therefore flats look wonderful on them.  Anyway, the shoes were all adorable in every color and style.

As far as the purses were concerned, BIG purses are definitely in.  I ended up getting one in Milan which is gorgeous.  The leather and color are so beautiful that it is a real pleasure carrying it around.  It is a Carlo Pazolini – and I think it was reasonably priced for the high quality!

Window shopping in Milan is very educational…and very enjoyable.  I could definitely make a habit of it!

Enchanted April October 13, 2011

Thanks to my friend Vicky from Spirit of Italy Tours for telling me about this endearing movie about….what else…ITALY!  The story takes place during the 1920′s, when a group of four women from London decide to rent a villa (or castle, as they call it) along the Italian Riviera for a month.  The ladies do not know each other prior to their trip, but their differences become inconsequential after a few weeks together.  It is the story of Lottie – a kind- hearted woman who is always trying to please her husband without receiving any appreciation in return; Rose – the “disappointed madonna,” as her husband calls her; Caroline – the young, rich beauty that is tired of being the object of men’s attentions solely because she is wealthy and beautiful; and Mrs. Fisher – an older widow who lives in the past remembering her famous dead friends.

The story begins when Lottie finds an ad in the paper advertising a one month stay in an Italian castle and decides she needs to get away for awhile.  She, in turn, puts out an ad advertising for some travelling companions.  The four women meet each other in San Salvatore in a gorgeous villa overlooking the sea.  The place is so beautiful and this idyllic location inspires each of the women to look within to find themselves.  The end result is that each of the women finds her own happiness from their personal experience here.  The movie touches on several themes:  love, self esteem, and inner reflection.

This film is definitely a “chick flick”…but a charming one at that.  It has a wonderful moral:  Go to Italy and all your problems will be solved!!!  Perhaps the Italian Tourist bureau should use this film as a good form of propaganda for an Italian Holiday!

The House in Amalfi….A Book Review October 6, 2011

Elizabeth Adler shines again with this novel set on the beautiful Amalfi coast.  Her descriptions are always so vivid that you feel like you are experiencing it yourself.

This story follows Lamour, a 30-something landscape designer from Chicago, who, when her life begins to unravel, decides to return to the place where she last felt happy.  Her husband has recently been killed in a car accident, and while she is trying to deal with his death, she discovers that he had been having an affair and was about to leave her for this other woman.  Devastated, she decides to leave Chicago behind and run to the little house along the cliffs of the Amalfi coast where she lived with her father, Jon-Boy, when she was a little girl.  Life as a child wasn’t easy, either, because her father was a starving author who squandered every penny he made.  But, he made her feel like the love of his life, and their time in Amalfi were the happiest moments of Lamour’s life.  She had been a free child – living in a tattered red bathing suit, going barefoot, and swimming in the beautiful blue waters of the sea – without a care in the world.  Her idyllic childhood had been shattered, though, when her father mysteriously died in Italy while she had been sent back to the United States to have a “normal” childhood with some good family friends.

Lamour is determined to go back to the house in Amalfi and discover everything she can about her father’s death.  Once back, she meets people that she knew growing up and she begins to feel at home.  She begins to unravel the pieces of the mystery, all the while fixing up her little safe haven precariously perched along the cliffs.  She begins to feel happy again…even falling in love.

The descriptions of the places she visits and the food that she eats are mesmerizing.  The plot moves along very quickly, albeit being a bit predictable.  Nonetheless, it is an enjoyable easy read and a real pleasure.

This book was read as part of the Italy in Books Challenge 2011.

The Verdict is In…but Was Justice Served? October 5, 2011

Amanda Knox’ fate was decided earlier this week…and, luckily for her, she was found to be innocent!  She spent 4 years in an Italian prison, accused of killing her British roommate while they were both studying in Perugia, Italy.

This case has brought tons of media coverage, both in Italy and throughout the world.  The story has become sensationalized, and the media has loved covering it.  And why wouldn’t they?  A beautiful American girl accused of killing another beautiful girl in a sexual game gone wrong – this story had everything to  make it exciting!  It even involved a black man from the Ivory Coast to add to the mix!

Unfortunately, since the beginning, there were too many questions raised about the evidence and it’s unreliability. And, of course, Amanda’s lawyers ran with this.  They used this to base their defense…and it finally worked to Amanda’s benefit.

But the question still remains: Was Amanda involved with the death of her roommate?

I have an opinion on this – and whether it’s right or wrong, I cannot judge – but it’s just my gut feeling.  I’m sure there will be arguments on both sides, but this is my feeling:  I believe that Amanda was involved.  I don’t believe it was a pre-meditated act, but I feel that she was high on drugs at the time and got involved in a sexual game.  Perhaps they were all high on drugs and during the course of “play”, things got out of hand and poor Meredith became the victim.

I think it’s a shame that Meredith’s parents cannot get closure on their daughter’s senseless death.  I haven’t heard if the investigation into finding her killer will begin again, but I’m not sure how they will without any reliable evidence.  Perhaps they will turn their attention to the prisoner they already have behind bars and pin the entire murder conviction on him.

Meanwhile, Amanda is free and back home in Seattle.  It will be interesting to see how her life will progress from now on, but I’m hoping that if she is truly guilty, her conscience will prevail and she will confess. And,  if she is really innocent, then I hope that she has learned from her ordeal and will use it to benefit others.