A Wonderful Weekend In The Lake Of Como And Lugano

Good afternoon my lovely folks and Happy Friday!!!

Even the weather is glad that the week is over...the sun is shining bright, the sky is cloudless and Spring seems to be just around the corner.

Unfortunately I can't take advantage of this glorious day because I'm housebound with a bad flu and an annoying cold. Yesterday was awful, I practically slept all day long, waking up only for drinking a cup of tea and cuddling Cloe, who spent the entire day in my sickbed, as the most caring nurse.

Luckily today I feel much better, so I thought it was the right time to share with you some of the lovely memories I have of the weekend I spent in the Lake of Como and Lugano. 

I went there with my closest friends Giulia and Marzia, because this trip was her amazing gift for our graduation..she couldn't have chosen something more perfect and exactly right for us!

We left home on Saturday morning and, after a yummy breakfast, we took the motorway towards the Lake of Como. We reached the city just in time for lunch so, after leaving the luggages in the cosy room of our hotel, we went straight to the "Mystic Burger"; it's a restaurant with modern and casual chic interiors, contemporary design and rustic details, where I ate one of the best hamburger of my life ( I have to admit that I'm a beginner in the matter of hamburgers..I've eaten my first one less than 10 years ago!!It's shocking, I know, I know...).

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the streets of Como and, the morning after, we reached the shores of the lake, which is one of the most stunning place in the north of Italy. The day was absolutely gorgeous, the waters shone in the sun and we could capture the scenery in all its beauty.

Being very close to Switzerland, we took the opportunity to visit Lugano, a lovely little city, very tidy and peaceful, where we spent the time strolling here and there.

I absolutely love being with these two,they are the best friends you can desire and I feel so lucky that life has brought us together!!! 

Love

xxx

Martina

Just A Minute In January...

Goodevening my lovelies!!!

Is there anyone still around here? I’m so sorry for the never ending absence from this precious little place of mine and I’m so glad that I’m finally back!!!

The reason why I 've decided to break this period of silence with this “ just a minute” post is that this short time seems to be the only one I can take during this period of craziness.

The new job is absolutely satisfying and captivating, but sometimes I feel like I’ve got on a running train that is not going to stop!!! 

So this evening, after more than a month, I’m curled up in my bed, under a fluffy blanket, with a boiling cup of hot chocolate and a hot water bottle on my feet, enjoying the simple pleasure of being alone with my lovely memories.

The big resolution I made for this brand new year was to try to find the genuine happiness in myself but also the strength I needed to break free of a relationship that, instead of giving me serenity, was stealing my joy of life and was filling myself with insecurities and sadness. 

So, January hasn’t started in an easy way, but, unexpectedly, it has also brought some beautiful emotions!!!

Unfortunately I didn’t do anything particularly exciting in the past couple of weeks, but I want to show you some of the pictures I took on Sunday morning when I went exploring the frosty woods near home with Cloe, mum and dad! 

It has been amazing to walk in the chilly air, among the crunching leaves, listening to the chirping of the birds and the lapping of the creek.

For a couple of hours I felt literally carried  through the pages of the wonderful book I'm reading, “The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady” by Edith Holden, a diary which starts in the month of January 1906, and  includes the favourite poems, the personal thoughts and the observations on the wildlife surrounding the village of the writer in the Warwickshire

Sometimes the contact with nature and its enchanting beauty it’s all that we need to feel alive again, regenerated in body and soul.

Love

Martina

Sweet Memories Of Dublin...

Being at home from two months I've decided it was the right time to share with you some of the pictures I took when my best friend Giulia came to visit me in Dublin in early September.

We spent a week together, sharing the little bedroom I was living in and trying to get the most of the time we had in Dublin, visiting the city and its surroundings.

I can't explain the happiness I felt when I saw her at the airport, we were so excited that we couldn't stop smiling and laughing like foolish!

We spent the following days visiting Dublin, starting from the Trinity College, with its breathtaking library and the famous sphere of Arnaldo Pomodoro, and continuing with St. Stephen's Green, Merrion Square, the National Gallery, Phoenix Park, St. Patrick Cathedral , but also the lovely village of Howth and its amazing 10 km of coastal path!

We tasted the best food ever, especially all the vegan cakes, scones and muffins we shared in front of the biggest cups of chai tea latte!
 It was amazing to be with her in a city I loved so much and I really wanted that our mini holiday could last forever!!!

Love
xxx
Martina

Because Fall Rhymes With Pumpkin...

One of the reasons why I love the fall season, with its magic atmosphere, the feeling of peace that is brought by its colours, the rustle of the fallen leaves and even, perhaps, the first sprinkles, is the pumpkin! Plain and simple! 

So, to celebrate my passion for this orange gift of nature I've decided to share with you one of my favourite recipes: 

Pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips

...a little treat, delicious and satisfying.

INGREDIENTS

250 gr. of steamed pumpkin flesh | 250 gr. of flour | 150 gr. of brown sugar | 150 gr. of margarine | cinnamon, cloves, and ginger powder | 1 egg | 1 teaspoon of baking powder | 1 pinch of salt | 100 gr. of chocolate chips

PROCEDURE

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, add the cold melted butter, the pumpkin (mashed with a fork) and the spices.

Mix well and add the sifted flour with the baking powder and a pinch of salt.

Add the chocolate chips (dusted with flour) and pour the mixture into the muffins molds.

Bake in preheated oven at 180 ° C for about 30-35 minutes. 

Sprinkle with icing sugar to taste.

The last time I prepared these muffins I was still in Dublin, in the tiny but cozy flat in the south of the city, so they will always bring with them all of the sweetest irish memories...one for each bite!

Lots of love

xxx

Martina

House is made of bricks and stones, Home is made of Love alone

After a couple of crazy weeks, spent as much as I could with friends and family, enjoying the warm waters of a spa in the little city of Merano, some lovely dinners made of hugs, comfort food and little talks, the amazing autumnal colors of the mountains during a nice pic-nic, that ended up with a hot chocolate and many many laughs in the cozy house of a friend near a very picturesque lake, surrounded by woods, I’ve finally found some time for myself to stop and dedicate my thoughts to this little place of mine.

Leaving Dublin the first day of October, after three months full of discoveries, emotions and challenges, hasn't been as hard as I had expected! I mean, even if I really really love the city and I have been feeling welcomed and at ease there from the very first moment, during this period away from home, from the people I love, I  have realized that I can’t live separate from all of them, from the verdant, peaceful, tidy and comfortable little village where I live since when I was a child and where all my roots are.

The first days at home I've felt grateful even for the smallest things like enjoying breakfast with my mummy, the morning cuddles with Cloe, going to the farmer market to fill my bags with delicious vegetables and seasonal fruits and wandering in the little streets of Venice in a bright and sunny afternoon.

Living abroad is not easy and, in spite of the excitement of a new life that you can built from scratch, sometimes you feel lonely and miserable, and all you want to do is to fetch the first plane to go home! I must say I have been really lucky to have my dear friend Annalisa (who I met more than 6 years ago in the beautiful city of the lagoon) and her lovely boyfriend who have taken care of me and made me feel at home, and my new japanese friend Chikako, who I can't wait to meet again in a couple of months!Friendship knows no boundaries and, if it’s deep and genuine, it can last for years and years despite the distance!

Therefore, what I have learnt from this amazing irish experience is that every person, even the strongest and the most independent one, really need to have something or someone that can give sense to the life away, that can fill it with happiness, satisfaction, dreams, and that can give his/her help, day by day, to build a new "nest" there, where you can feel at home again and you can start to weave your own web of relationships which are the secret of a joyful life.

Love

Martina