Tag Archives: italy

#OOTD in italy

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My recent travels have taken me to a half dozen countries and countless cities. People watching is inevitable (and enjoyable), and I can’t help but observe the unique style of each city. For the next few posts titled, “#OOTD” I’ll be presenting you all with my idea for the fashion in a particular country or city. While it’s impossible to capture the style diversity of every city I visit, I’ll do my best to distill what I’ve observed as the general style in one photograph.

So here you have it! In the photograph below, I have distilled what I’ve seen of Italian street fashion into a single outfit. What do you think? Does it capture the “sprezzatura” of the country?

Capturing Italian style in one outfit. #OOTD Italian Style #100daysofmiaprima

Ciao!

Sarah

This post is #67 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima

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old torino fiat factory + museo nazionale dell’automobile

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Turin, Italy is often described as having a rich industrial history. A visit to the 1920s Fiat Factory (with a test track on the roof!) and the National Automobile Museum proves that description true twice over.

Surprisingly, details on where to find and access both the old Fiat Factory as well its impressive rooftop track were fairly elusive. But a couple conversations in broken Italian and lots of hand signals later, my sister and I rode the Il Lingotto elevator up to the fourth floor to experience Fiat’s (free and tourist-free) rooftop test track.

If you’re planning a trip to Turin and have stumbled upon this post, here’s some quick advice on visiting (and finding) the track: take a taxi to Il Lingotto on Via Nizza. Enter through the escalators into what is now a mall– but once was considered one of the most avant-garde factories for its time. Take the elevators up to the fourth floor where you find a the Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli art gallery as well as free access to the rooftop track. The gallery bookstore also sells postcards with images of the old factory in use.

The Museo Nazionale Dell’Automobile is about a fifteen minute leisurely walk from Il Lingotto and is impressive in its own right. The large museum, which boasts an unbelievably expansive collection of classic and modern cars, is absolutely worth a visit for car enthusiasts and lovers of Italian design.

A presto!

Sarah

This post is #45 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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Torino, Italia

Genova, Italia

When in Italy…

genova, italia

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Day three of our Memorial Day travels included a train ride from Torino to Genova– a charming seaside port town that boasts rich economic history, the absolute best pesto, and the most Italian palazzi (palaces) I’ve ever seen in one place.

When we were initially planning the trip, my sister wanted to visit Cinqueterre, but it was logistically too difficult to manage with a visit to Torino already confirmed. Instead, we visited the seaside village of Boccedasse, just outside of Genova. As in Cinqueterre, the colorful houses of Boccedasse hug a blue Ligurian shore and pesto foccaccia is in no short supply (and an absolute must).

The stay was a quick one, as we set off for Pisa to catch our flight back to Holland just the following morning. But we departed with no rejects on how much pesto we consumed and a desire to visit Genova again– maybe next time for a longer stay with a seaside view.

Fino a prossima volta, Genova!

Sarah

This post is #44 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

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torino, italia

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First stop on our Memorial Day (or actually “Whit Monday” here in Europe) long weekend was the Italian city of Torino. Thanks to a five month-long study abroad stint, I’ve already visited most Italian cities you can think of: Firenze, Roma, Venezia, Sorrento, Capri, Palermo, Cefalu, Amalfi, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Lucca, Milano, Siena, Arezzo, Assisi… But on at least three occasions, I’ve been asked by Italians if I had yet to visit Torino. Until this weekend the answer was the negative, but now I am happy to say I’ve experience the beautiful northern city.
Turin, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrima Turin, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrima Turin, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrima Turin, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrimaTurin, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrima
Torino is unlike any Italian city I’ve visited; tourist are few (the Holy Shroud exhibition being the exception) and many residents don’t speak English (which makes an excellent opportunity for practicing your Italian). Cafes range from the traditional old-school counters so common in Firenze to chic modern establishments like those seen in Milano. Shopping is a plenty as are gelaterias, street vendors, and pastry shops.
Turin, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrima
Turin, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrimaTurin, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrimaTurin, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrima
Gorgeous views atop the Mole, the cathedral bell tower, and  Monte dei Cappucini reveal an ancient city surrounded by the even more venerable Alps.
A più tarde, Torino!
Sarah
This post is #43 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.
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when in italy…

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DO…

Italian Style Picnic #100DaysofMiaPrima

drink wine in the park

Virgin Mary Torino, Italia #100DaysofMiaPrima

remember who’s boss

Fiat in Torino, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrima

admire the cars <<this one is the first Fiat ever made!>>

Garbage Genova, Italy #100DaysofMiaPrima

notice the beauty in everything (even trash)

Genova, Italy #!00DaysofMiaPrima

stop to smell the sea

DON’T…

Stone Lion Genova, Italian #100DaysofMiaPrima

feed the animals

Gelato in Torino Italia #100DaysofMiaPrima

put a limit on how much gelato you can eat

Genova, Italy #!00DaysofMiaPrima

worry about getting lost (it usually ends well)

AND DEFINITELY DON’T…

Italy #100DaysofMiaPrima

ever take it for granted.

A presto!

Sarah

This post is #42 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

ciao, italia!

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Selfie in Torino, Italia

Selfie in Torino, Italia

More to come. 🙂

A presto!

Sarah

This post is #41 of the #The100DayProject. For more updates on my progress, be sure to follow me on Instagram and look for the hashtage, #100DaysofMiaPrima.

Sprezzatura

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Almost half a year in Europe and my sister‘s fashion sense is starting to look like a cross between Madewell and Florentine street-style (apparently, she was once confused for a true Italian) . I recently visited her at her new home just outside of Amsterdam; these are my favorite shots of her new style.

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage

p.s. sprezzatura: a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.

Images and Musings from Siena, Italy

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Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my adventures in Italy. I think it’s probably because I sort of feel like I’m on a new adventure now (though Wisconsin isn’t quite as romantic). For about ten minutes prior to this post being written, I was frantically searching for my first journal from my time in Italy, whichI was sure had gotten lost in my move a couple months ago. Thankfully, the journal was safe, and I can share with you a bit about the first town in Italy I lived, Siena.

This morning, the valley below the hotel was foggy. The view was unbelievable.

Today I realized that so many buildings are adorned with Madonna paintings or sculptures. I tried photographing as many as I saw, but the pictures doesn’t do them justice. (This picture is actually from the neighboring town of Arezzo. Shh!)

Siena reached it prosperity peak right before the Black Plague epidemic in the 1300s (some parts of the connecting building are unfinished, and pillars without walls are testament to the tragedy of the plague).

There used to be 72 towers when the city was a medieval fortress town.

Siena, like Rome, adopted the Romulus and Remus image (to represent Siena’s power as a “second Rome”).  

The city is divided into 17 districts, or contradas.

Ciao per adesso!

Sarah

Inspiration from a Weekend in Venice

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It was over a year ago, but I can’t stop thinking about my experiences in Italy (I lived and studied there for 4 months). Back then, I wasn’t blogging, so you can imagine that I have a lot of catching up to do. Below are some of my favorite images from a weekend I spent in tranquil Venice.

Straight from my Italian journal (because I couldn’t have said it better than when I was there):

We also took a night gondola. It was a pretty amazing experience. There were very few boats on the canals at that hour, the moon was bright and full, and the tide was high. Our gondolier was a middle-aged man who was very nice. He talked to us about his job (you can get your gondola license at 18, it’s a family business, and there are only ever 398 gondoliers in the city at a given time) and living in Venice (60,000 residents in the city and another 60,000 on the islands).

The price was 20% higher for the night ride, but I think it was worth it for the relaxing, beautiful trip. The night in Venice was peaceful and quite. There was no sound of cars or mopeds and the water was so peaceful. I feel very lucky for the amazing weather the opportunity to see such a beautiful place.

Lace shop on the island of Burano

Mosaics in San Marco

Ciao!

Sarah

Inspired by…Venice, Italy

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I spent four months living in Italy and visited Venice on a couple occasions. I put together a collection inspired by Venice’s architecture and culture…from the handmade lace on Burano to the glass on Murano to the charming buildings and canals.

Inspired by...Venice, Italy

What place inspires you the most?

Ciao!

Sarah