ANZIO

On this sunny weekend we decided to experience the first sea of the year and went to Anzio. It was a long long time ago I used to go there with my mother as a child and I remember a neverending bus trip (or long hours of hitchhiking in those "rare" cases when the local transport companies didn't work so well) in which I ALWAYS threw up! But it was more than 15 years ago, now I'm cool and with the car it's an easy 20 minute ride from home.

I'm not really the beach type, I love a different kind of sea, the rocky one, where you can see the seafloor through the crystal clear water, small and savage islands, lost creeks with nobody there. Volleyballs, parasols, families of at least 50 members, lunchboxes, beachbars and so on do not really represent my sea ideal so I have to say, I don't really go often to the beach in the continental part of Italy.
But Anzio is potentially really beautiful, at least the part of the beach running parallel to the ancient roman Nero Villa, with the high rocks and the many little caves on the background... a place where nature and culture seam to coexist perfectly. Unfortunately people don't seem to care about the place they visit and it is really a shame to see the ancient roman caves full of waste and stuff. So my first advise is not to come in full season, because I can't even imagine how it could be then. If you also have totally crazy kids like ours, that don't mind taking a long bath in the ice cold water at the end of march, you will see it will be a great success all year around!

AROUND COLLEPARDO

This weekend we decided to make a little family tour to celebrate spring that finally seems to be here! We didn't plan anything but it turned out very well... as if we had planned everything carefully! We arrived in Collepardo but decided to visit the town after, to be sure not to miss the opening hours of the many attractions of the area! At first we visited the Collepardo's caves. Just one of the karstic caves is visitable and, according to the guide at the entrance, it has to be very very old. The stalactites and stalagmites create an incredible atmosphere, a little bit like alice's wonderland, so baroque and weird at the same time! There is a second smaller cave connected to this one but it was adopted as a residence by 5 different species of bats. They are still in hibernation, so we could see just one flying around. It probably decided to get up earlier (like those little annoying kids! ;)) In summer it should be all full of bats! 

FRIDA KAHLO - Bibliography

On occasion of the big exhibition of the mexican artist frida Kahlo in Rome (20-03-2014/ 25-08-2014) I thought to put togheter a little bibliografy about the artist, not only under the artistical and historical point of view to honor her multifaceted personality and also because... it's just more fun. There are plenty of biographies and catalogues you can find, so here's just some suggestion of what i find particularly inspiring.  Most of the books reported here are in italian or english but if you would like to know if there's something similar in your language, don't hesitate and ask me, I'll do my best to help you!

Hayden Herrera, "FRIDA KAHLO, THE PAINTINGS", Perennial, 1993
For an artistical and Historical overview of Frida's work, this is the book I would suggest. It goes quite deep without ever being boring and I think it is able to capture the attention of a very wide range of readers.  Anyway the exhibition in Rome will be curated by Helga Prignitz Poda, the catalogue is not yet on sale, but maybe that could be a good start point either.








Hayden Herrera, "FRIDA, a biography of Frida Kahlo", Perennial, 2002:
Ok this is really mainstream, it's the book used for the movie, but I have to say, I like both very much, success has a reason sometimes!!! The only thing I can't stand is the image of the actress instead of the real Frida on the cover...but success has his consequences, quite always! You can find this biography in almost every language except of.... italian!

VINI E CUCINA

Tipical osteria run by very nice sisters: The Bigis