Italian popular gestures

When I met my husband back in China in a bar where I used to sing, he and some of his friends would make some hands gestures to us(my band). I think it was the only way to communicate that time cos you know, bars are sooo loud. So Davide would brush his shoulders with his hands or rub his chin with his hands and I would be like "what the heck are you doing?!" It was so funny! I wasn't aware that they are so popular in Italy and that there are hundreds of them.
Little did I know that after less than four years of living here in Italy..I would be unconsciously doing these Italian hand gestures myself! My father-in-law joked that in Naples they don't need to talk anymore, instead they just use their hands. Well, that was a joke but I heard that It's somehow true. No offense intended!
Oh and I have a lot of funny anecdotes about it but let's not go there..LOL!
here are JUST A FEW of them !

It's a must to learn a few! You'll fit right in! But be warned cos instead of gesturing 'let's go' ...I accidentally gestured 'f@#+ off!' !!! LMAO



by: Alfredo Cassano

pretty pearls

I bought some pearl necklaces this afternoon as an accessories for the party that I'm attending this weekend!
They are not real but i think they are just as beautiful as the real ones.
And did you know that fake pearls in Europe is more expensive tan the real ones in Asia?! yes it's true!

I come from the Philippines and my country is also known as "The pearl of the Orient". The Philippine pearls are greyish in color but are unbelievably beautiful. I don't own real pearls yet but they are surely on my wishlist. Hubby...please..! LOL!

Churches in Italy: Basilica di Superga, Turin

On a clear sunny day the Basilica di Superga is visible to almost every part of Turin. I can see it from my house. The church is one of the main tourist spots of the city.

The Basilica di Superga is a church built on the top of the Superga hills in the vicinity of Turin.

Facts:
1.became the final resting place of the Savoys
2.the dome has an expectacular view of the city
3.In 1949 a plane carrying the entire Turin football team crashed into the basilica in thick fog, killing all on board. Their tomb rests at the rear of the church.

Superga from afar

The winding staircase of 131 steps takes you up to the domes ballustrade,which offers an amazing view of the city

everything sweet

I'm a sucker for sweets :)

cheesecakes

macaroons

halo-halo,Filipino summer dessert

dunkin donuts (they don't exist in Italy..ufff)

goldilocks cake

Obviously,these aren't Italian desserts,but they're some of my favourites. The next post will be all about Italian sweets :)

Sunday @ Aquajoy

Last Sunday was one the hottest days of the year! 40 degrees in Rome and because Turin is in the northern part of Italy it's slightly lower by 3 degrees! LOL! Anyway, we spend the morning splashing at Aquajoy, local a waterpark. The owner are our personal friends and they were so sweet to invite us! It was so full! Nevertheless , Matty had so much fun and Davide got suntanned ( a lil bit ) while I got burnt ! lol!

cute bikinis

Bikinis are always in style. And in Italy there are tons of shops where you can buy only bikinis or swimwear! These shops are always packed as soon as the temperature rises! Here are some of the bikinis I collected over the years and some of the latest ones I've purchased!

mix and match,heartprint haltered triangle and the pink string bottom-OVS. printed white bikini-Goldenlady.

This is one of my favourite, i bought it in Isola d'Elba during our first holiday in Italy almost 5 years ago! blue riversible string bikini-XOXO

retroprint string bikini-SieLeiMare. black bandeau top and bottom,you can never go wrong with black bikinis!

I like mixing and matching, red string bikini top-Tex and red polkadot bottom-Calzedonia. embellished string top and black bikini bottom-crocetta market

striped string bikini-H&M

The trend this summer is the bandeau top! hotpink bandeau top - sisi aqua
and black bikini bottom

A girl can't have too many bikinis! So find the bikini that fits you ( rule no.1 try it on!) Goodluck with your bikini shopping!!

Buster's coffee in Torino

I have heard about the openning of an American coffee shop! Infact I've been planning to go there for like forever! Then one Saturday afternoon, my boo and I decided to get my belly button pierced (well, he DECIDED). And so we were looking for this tatto/piercing shop in Piazza Statuto, when I saw... guess what? Right next to the tattoo shop...? Yes, It was the talk of the town... BUSTERS COFFEE!
What a milestone for the Italian coffee culture! Well, as you know Italians are coffee drinkers, from espresso to cafe' machiato to thousands of coffee that i've never heard before! anyway, drinking coffee is one of the few things that I have adapted living here.I drink ginseng coffee, but every once in a while I would love me some cheesecake and an American coffee!

I had caramel coffee and a slice of cheesecake,hubby had vanilla coffee and a large white chocolate biscuit ! It was all yummmyyy!

only in Italy

I was just about to throw this pizza box when I noticed the image. I was laughing. Really?! Also in pizza boxes now?! The title was "pizza gustosa" ,(tasty pizza) which I thought has a double meaning! Well, if the image had been an Italian chef with a beard , it wouldn't have been naughty. But since it has a lady with big boobs which has potruding nipples drawn on it, I'm quite sure there was a sexual meaning intended. In Italy, the philosophy sex-sells is pretty much evident from this stupid cardboard pizza box to T.V. and billboards. Half-naked women are everywhere! Now I have nothing against naked women or nudity. It's nature! Duh! But what I can't stand is that it seems like they use half-naked models/women as sex objects or merely as decorations. No offense people but it's the hard truth!
Well, my husband, thank goodness isn't like that at all (yes, he is Italian!)! he is an Italian who hates football, doesn't care for pasta but he can't live without pizza obviously, hence this blog about the naughty pizza box! lol!

Churches in Italy: Santa Rita Church, Turin

When I was a younger I used to attend the Sunday mass with my family. And infact during highschool I was a member of our school choir. Even during my teenage rebel days I didn't forget to pass by our local town church every afternoon after my class. I don't know, i feel at peace when I'm inside a church. Italy is a Catholic country, there are thousands of cathedrals,churches and chapels and so I'd like to start a series in my blog which is dedicated to the churches in Italy.
Here is the first one! My favourite church in Turin is the Santa Rita Church in honor of Santa Rita of Cascia an Italian Augustinian Saint, The Patron Saint of the Impossible.

Santa Rita Church by night

when in Rome....

When in Rome do as the Romans do...it is the popular saying!! so what did they do back then? A lot actually ..Romes history dates back from two thousand and a half years ago! and was infact the dominant power of Western Europe. I always wanted to see this great city and i was lucky to have the chance to visit it with some friends.

what you shouldn't miss:
1.Colosseum (ofcourse!)
2.Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II
3.Trevi fountain
4.The Vatican
5.Piazza della Republica

The Colosseum

The glory that was Greece , the grandeur that was Rome

The Monument to Vittorio Emanuelle II

The Trevi fountain is the most beautiful fountain i've ever seen.Legend says that if you throw a coin into the Trevi means you'll return to Rome

The Vatican city

Some facts and trivia about Rome
1.Rome is the capital of Italy, and is also known as the Eternal city.
2.Rome was supposedly founded by the twins, Romulus and Remus. Legend has it that they were both raised by a she-wolf after being abandoned at birth. So much for brotherly love and shared experience, though – Romulus killed Remus after a dispute over which hill was best to build the city on.
3.There are about 26 thousand Filipinos living in Rome.
4.By 33 BC, there were 170 public baths in Rome. geeez the Romans did love to bath.
5.There are about 280 magnificent fountains all over the city.

the Sale Tale!!

july 2 is the official openning for the month long summer sale all over Italy!! There are two seasonal sales in Italy ,1.the winter sale which starts first week of January and lasts for a month 2.the summer sale which is usually on the first weekend of July and also lasts for a month or so. Ofcourse you don't wanna go crazy on the first day because it's always expected to be packed! It's always better to go on weekdays.But you'll get the real bargains on the last days ,they call it "ultimi giorni" , where you can buy zara t-shirts and blouses for 2 euros,h&m beachwears for 5 euros etc.etc.!I already have done my first batch of shopping today,haha!

hey boy, hey girl !

My first ever concert here in Italy!! It was AWESOME!!!
I used to go to rock concerts back home when i was younger also because its the kind of music that really touches and inpires me! And so when my friend told me that it's gonna be a dance concert, i was thinking like, "i can't dance without alcohol!" that's why the first thing that i asked her was "do they sell drinks inside?" lol!
So here it is the FLIPPAUT concert in Milan featuring The Chemical Brothers! Over 20,000 people jumping, fist pumping and dancing!! We had a blast that we got back home at 4 in the morning! the next day my feet were killing me! It didn't matter!

next stop, Venice!

Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water","City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals"! Venice, with its lagoon, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is indeed one of the most beautiful city I've ever seen.

facts about Venice:
117 islands formed by 150 canals in the lagoon on the Adriatic sea connected by 409 bridges
The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day
The word "ghetto" used in many languages is derived from the Venetian Ghetto an area where the jewish were compelled to live

must see:
The Rialto bridge
Piazza San Marco
Saint Mark's Basilica
The Grand Canal ..to name a few! but actually the city itself is a living museum!!