In The Square

I'm sitting here thinking about the afternoon in Milan? or was it Florence? (Milano or Firenze?)after we had come out of the gift shop after our brief visit with the da Vinci's Last Supper.

We were standing in the square, across from the church - just a plain looking church, nothing special on the outside - waiting for the next group to come out and then we would head to the bus up the street.

The fountain next to the building was pouring out cool water and some people came by with a baby in a stroller and the children washed in the water.

I didn't know it, but pigeons would do the same thing in Venice. Unless we were in Florence and the Venice bath had already happened.

Ah, yes. It was Milano.
'Last Supper' goes high-rez

Santa Maria delle Grazie Milan

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

COTTON SWABS IN ITALY

When they say 'do not put cotton swab in innner ear,' they really mean it!

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

Photos revised 9.2.07

CIAO AMORE! AMADO MIA

It's been said that ever since we got back from Italy, I've been stuck in a tranche of Italian music.

I admit finding myself saying "grazia" instead of merely "thank you," but I reconverted all my euros (except the coins) and have tipped my toe into the editing of more than 5GB of digital images.

And here I am. Listening to Italian love songs I don't understand.

Home sweet home – I see I have jumped the shark, amado mia, what shall we do now? Love me forever, it has already begun.



This band, Pink Martini, sings this ballad Amado Mia on Ciao Amore!
and the above video matches it with the old Glenn Ford - Rita Hayworth film, Gilda, with the same song.

You don't have to like that kind of music to get swept into it.

Anyway, it turns out Pink Martini will be performing at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on March 11, 2008. It would give you a chance to enjoy their eclectic sound.

Pink Martini
7:30 pm
Prudential Hall
The music of this 12-piece ensemble has been compared to a romantic Hollywood musical of the 1940s or 1950s – but with a global perspective that’s decidedly modern.

I first heard this song on a compilation CD I bought at Starbucks. I do recommend the disk, but be forewarned, there's a lot of music you will not be able to stop yourself from singing along with - whether you know what you're saying, or not.

Various Artists, Ciao Amore!

The tunes on Ciao Amore are for lovers, baby. Feel the smoke in your eyes. Hear the rhythm of your beating heart. Sense the Bella Notte weave its magic spell of enchantment around you on a long drifting note. Now come dance ... or call for another cappuccino. That's amore.


Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

LINKS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

VIA CON ME - PAOLO CONTE

Paolo Conte and this song - Via Con Me - of his are driving me crazy. I can't get it out of my head and I have no idea what it is he's singing except for the refrain: chips, chips.

When I looked up the lyrics and then fed them into the Google translator, here's what I got:

Author: Conte.Paolo
Title: Via_con_me
VIA WITH ME
Via, via, you come via from here,
nothing piu' you alloy to these places,
neanche these blue flowers…
neanche this time gray
full load of musics and men who you son piaciuti,
It's wonderfoul, it's wonderfoul, it's wonderfoul
good luck my babe, it's wonderfoul
it's wonderfoul, it's wonderfoul, the dream of you…
Chips, Chips, du-du-du-du-du
Via, via, you come via with me
it enters in this love buio, not to lose you to the world not at all…
via, via, not to lose you to the world not at all
the show of varied art of one in love of you,
it's wonderfoul, it's wonderfoul…
.......................................
Via, via, you come via with me,
it enters in this full love buio of men
via, via, it enters and taken a bath warm
there e' a blue bathrobe, outside piove a cold world,
it's wonderfoul, it's wonderfoul…

I'd sure appreciate if someone could give me a legitimate translation of what's being said instead of the Martian translation from Google.

This video makes me think he's some sort of Italian version of Leonard Cohen.

I first heard this song on a compilation CD I bought at Starbucks. I do recommend the disk, but be forewarned, there's a lot of music you will not be able to stop yourself from singing along with - whether you know what you're saying, or not.

Various Artists, Ciao Amore

The tunes on Ciao Amore are for lovers, baby. Feel the smoke in your eyes. Hear the rhythm of your beating heart. Sense the Bella Notte weave its magic spell of enchantment around you on a long drifting note. Now come dance...or call for another cappuccino. That's amore.

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

DINING IN THE CITY, SOMEWHERE IN ITALY

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

Trafalgar

LIDO WAR MEMORIAL

No one in my family is surprised that I found a war memorial nearly five thousand miles from home, on the island of Lido in Venice, Italy.

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

Trafalgar

ROMA CALLING!

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

Trafalgar

FUNNY SIGNS IN ITALY

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

Trafalgar

AUSTRALIAN FRIENDS in ITALY

It wasn't until we got to Maori on the Amalfi Coast of Italy that one of our Australian traveling companions broke out the jar of Vegemite.

She offered it to us Americans, and to the other Aussies along for the trip, and the two New Zealanders, too.

I spread it like peanut butter in a thick slab on a crispy slice of bread and bit into it. Don't worry I won't make that mistake again.

A fellow traveler followed, but instead spread it like you'd spread a light coat of butter on bread when you don't like butter. Now, that's the way you enjoy Vegemite.

Sure fooled me.

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission. Updated May 2008

Trafalgar Tours

GREETINGS FROM FLORENCE, ITALY

FIRENZE, ITALY - Yesterday we saw the statue of David. Today we saw the copy outside in the piazza.

We happened to catch a cool wave here in Florence, as it is usually much, much hotter than it has been.

I still can't get used to the keyboard. So, for now, take my word that we are having a great time in beautiful Italy.

It took so long to figure out the keyboard, I don't have time to upload any pictures.

Till the next Internet Caffe, see ya.

TONOOSE

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.

GREETINGS FROM VENICE, ITALY

VENICE, ITALY -- After three days of canal rides and walking the labyrinth of shops and food stands, we are finally getting to know this island quite well. We can find our way back to San Marco Square and our transportation back to Lido Island.

Of course, the food here is wonderful. The weather has been cooperative - especially the other night during our evening gondola ride  and afterward with our drink in San Marco Square while the orchestra played.

Our earlier adventure was to Como and Bellagio (not the casino) and Lugano, Switzerland were excellent. We used that to adjust to the six-hour-time difference. By the time we are fully adjusted we expect to be headed back home! We left the mountain region of the pre-Alps and headed across northern Italy passing corn fields and it reminded me of Pennsylvania ' except for the HUGE mountain in the background. A bit later, we moved through grape country and all you could see for miles were vineyards.

It was odd to ride our bus onto the ferry from the mainland, but we got a great view of the canals and the various islands of Venice.

Anyway, we found this Internet hotspot across from our hotel in Lido, the Bar Maleti is a great place to have a drink, a gelatto and also use the Internet.

The keyboard here in Italy is a bit skewered to what I'm used to. The captital key gives you < and the apostrophe is à, so itàs a kind of hunt and peck to type the hyphen is ' so when you see ' it likely should be a -, so forgive the typing.

All the best.
-- Anthony

http://www.Anthonysworld.com

---

corrected Sunday afternoon

Copyright © 2007 by Anthony Buccino, all rights reserved. Content may not be used for commercial purposes without written permission.