The Aeolian islands

Last week my friend from Austria came to visit me in Calabria and we embarked on a short trip to the Aeolian islands. The Aeolian islands, or isole Eolie, as we Italians know them, are a group of volcanic islands just off of Sicily and they are considered a top, VIP holiday destination for us.

Well we basically had a phenomenal time; we were on a small boat the entire day and took a tour of the islands. Lipari, the island where we stayed, smelled of flowers and rosemary. Panarea, the most VIP one of all, looked so much like Santorini and was literally breathtaking. The water was so heavenly, see-through, warm and tropical that there were jellyfish everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. There were even points where, because of the volcano, the water was literally boiling! Why travel all the way to Greece when Italy looks this beautiful?! Finally we saw Stromboli, home to the volcano with the longest ongoing activity in recorded history. After witnessing one of the most astonishing sunsets I have ever seen, our boat stopped by the sciara del fuoco and we saw the volcano erupt three times, taking a shot of malvasia at every eruption. Try and beat this drinking game!

Let us not forget the food. This was actually my first time in Sicily and I nearly lost my head. Mulberry and almond granitas, blood oranges, pistachio and ragu arancini, pasta with cocoa, pistachios, cherry tomatoes and pesce spada, and don't even get me started on the fish... The myths of unbeatable Sicilian food are indeed all true. I made friends with a lot of old ladies and they shared some of their secret recipes with me. Fantastic. However, we did commit the sin of leaving without having tried a single cannolo. My grandpa would be furious.

Shots of malvasia at every eruption!

On top of the Isola di Dino in Calabria

One of the many many granitas

At the Stretto di Messina, between Calabria and Sicily

Homemade arancini in Panarea

Boiling sea water!

Summer rules.

C x

Morockin'

Though it snowed so hard it looked like Christmas, the day before yesterday I spent a really beautiful day with my girl friends in London - we shopped at Liberty, Topshop and Other Stories and had a scrumptious feast at Ottolenghi. Yesterday I flew home to Rome, and I'm here for about 10 days for Easter holidays. Everytime I come back home I rummage through old photos, and the nostalgia strikes back.

I decided to make a post about Morocco, as it was a huge part of my life and I can't believe I haven't posted about it yet. As you may not know I lived in Morocco from 2003 to 2007, from the age of 10 to 14. When I first moved there, I had never left Italy before and I could not speak any language but Italian, so as I was thrown into another world, a completely different culture, and an American school, and it felt terrifying. But no matter how tough the first year was, it charmed me over from the first moment I landed (even though I was proposed to and 'sold' for 20 camels in the first half hour, honest!). I now feel so blessed for having gotten to spend those unforgettable years there, during which I did the most incredible, unthinkable things that at the time I gave for granted.
My mum and I often went on weekends all over the country, always seeing new places and immerging ourselves into new aspects of the culture. My school was a dream, it was proper fun and open, and I made some of the best friendships I will hopefully cherish forever. Every year we had a week long trip, where the school actually did an excellent job at making sure we were thrown right in there to experience culture, places and people right up close.
I have gotten to spend days riding on donkeys on top of the Atlas mountains in the middle of nowhere, stay in the smallest villages you can ever imagine and make rose water with the locals, paint a school for kids in the middle of nowhere in southern Morocco, camp in the Sahara, learn to surf and so so so much more, all with my best friends and classmates; we were like a small family. Everything about Morocco is so enchanting; I find their culture to be very similar to that of southern Italy, from food to customs. Morocco's is the most welcoming population I have ever come across. The amount of breathtaking places I have seen there is unbeatable.
I think my years in Morocco were my happiest and most carefree. Many now ask me how it was to live in such a culture which is so different in every way, but honestly looking back at the memories, people and places it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. It opened my eyes to the world, and it shaped me to be the open person that I am today, and that makes me forever grateful. I grew up in Morocco, physically and mentally, and it will always have a special place in my heart.
Here's a few photos from my years there.

Fez 2004

Tangier 2004

Fez 2003

Hotel we had all to ourselves on our class trip, Mirleft 2007

Rabat 2007

Camping in the Sahara, 2007

Marrakech 2011

Chefchaouen 2003

Guess what? This is actually happening, I've begun apartment hunting in Paris! Is a view of the Eiffel tower too much of an unrealistic expectation?
Anyway, expect photos from this Easter break. Have a good one and indulge in Easter eggs,
C x

Reunion in Scotland

This weekend I practically crossed the country by train; I spent a weekend in Scotland to reunite with five of my closest friends from high school.
I had the best time, it felt just like the old times, we all cooked dinner together, hung out on the beach, made cake, had brunch at a farm, strolled in a cemetery at night, and probably ingested 16,000 calories each. We like to believe fat during a weekend with friends doesn't count.
St. Andrews was super tiny but really quite charming, and it was surprisingly much sunnier and warmer than down south.

The second set of photos is from a day out in London I went on by myself last weekend (I visited the National Gallery, Buckingham Palace and checked out a few Fashion Week events) + the Promenade magazine launch in Brighton, for which I am the street style editor (check out the magazine here).

Where Kate and Prince William met

Breakfast at King's Cross

Super busy these weeks! Though I just got back, I'm flying to Rome at 4 am on Saturday. So excited to be home! Been really homesick lately (mostly for food). 

Expect updates,

C x