{quotable thursdays-postcards from Milan}

{taken in 2007}

Ciao da Milano!
I arrived late last night and am already immersed in the beauty of the city! So a little something from Henry James on my adopted city for the next week:

Milan, at any rate, if not bristling with the
aesthetic impulse, opens to us frankly enough the thick volume of
her past. Of that volume the Cathedral is the fairest and fullest
page--a structure not supremely interesting, not logical, not
even, to some minds, commandingly beautiful, but grandly curious
and superbly rich. I hope, for my own part, never to grow too
particular to admire it. If it had no other distinction it would
still have that of impressive, immeasurable achievement. As I
strolled beside its vast indented base one evening, and felt it,
above me, rear its grey mysteries into the starlight while the
restless human tide on which I floated rose no higher than the
first few layers of street-soiled marble, I was tempted to
believe that beauty in great architecture is almost a secondary
merit, and that the main point is mass--such mass as may make it
a supreme embodiment of vigorous effort. Viewed in this way a
great building is the greatest conceivable work of art. More than
any other it represents difficulties mastered, resources
combined, labour, courage and patience. 

-Henry James, Italian Hours

When I was a PhD student, many moons ago (actually exactly 10 years ago!), I lived here for a few months. It's an exciting city to be in with all its fashion and style and of course its fascinating history. I'm back again for archival research--here for a week and then off to Genoa next week.

stay tuned for pics etc... and you can keep up to date over on instagram!

baci, 

L

{postcards from italy--picture perfect procida}

Well it has been just over a month since I got back from my three weeks in Naples, and I've only just found a little window today to start posting pictures from my trip!
I thought I'd start with picture perfect Procida. An island not too far from Naples, but I would say one of the best kept secrets (shhhhh....) It's delightfully colourful; you can walk around the island in one day, making it a perfect day trip from Naples. In contrast to well-known and tourist-filled Capri, it has less glitz and more real, everyday charm.
A quick walk from the main marina where the hydrofoils come in, you'll find Marina Corricella. Climb down windy staircases leading to the charming harbour, where fishermen mend their nets, while cats sleep dreaming of the catch of the day, local boys fish with rods, and the odd rowboat manned by a single soul, scours the sea floor for his dinner....
the place is simply magical.

{arrival into marina grande, Procida}

{the stunning streets}

{a lovely little chapel behind those curtains, revealing a stunning interior dedicated to the lives of fishermen lost to the sea}

 and then down tiny, winding steps to Marina Corricella:

 

{mending the nets}

{dreaming of the day's catch}

{boys fishing}

{searching for fish}

{steps that feel like you're walking through people's homes}

{stunning view of the island}

 A short walk from the marina, pass the old prison:

& on to the stunning monastery of Saint Michael Archangel:

{with amazing views from the monastery}

{the monastery from the other side of the island}

Simply a lovely place to spend the day, with such magnificent colours, chapels and shrines around every corner and a few beaches to go for a swim, if the heat gets too much!

xo, 

L

{Rainy Sunday in Naples}

{the views from Villa Floridiana}

Hello blogland!
It's a very very rainy thundershowery Sunday in Naples. This morning I climbed the 1000s of steps to Villa Floridiana, a beautiful villa with breathtaking views which also houses the ceramics museum.

{walk up to Villa Floridiana}

On the way down I got caught in a torrential downpour! Now I'm holed up in the flat getting caught up on a bit of work and listening to the thunder and rain outside!
So I thought I'd share a few of my favourite pictures from the last few weeks. On Wednesday I fly home and then have a very busy end of the week/weekend with meetings, chairing debriefings and exam board related stuff...

{miniature presepi sold on a bicycle!}

{shoeshine on via Toledo}

{lovely Procida}

{charming marina on Procida}

{views of Vesuvius}

{stunning library at Museo Filangieri}

{Museo Filangieri}

{the museum of medecine}

so many more photos to come though!
ciao,
L