Street scene and a 500

By now you will have understood that I am really fond of old means of transport, first of all the iconic Fiat 500s...!  

I want to say THANK YOU for having left such nice words on my yesterday's post... 

YOU have inspired me with your blogs, your creativity and your comments.

Wishing you all the best for your summer holidays/work/life...

Ready for Carmen, tonight!

Tonight, Bizet's Carmen will open the 87th edition of the Opera Festival of the Arena.

Lots of "vips" will be seated in the first rows and the theatre will be complete with people from all over the world...   Read more!

I want to thank all of you, my dear blogger friends who have followed me. Some have been with me from the start, some have joined along the way, some are totally new and, oh, I thank you so so so much for your kind words. Your comments and your blogs have inspired me and pushed me to do my best. I learnt a lot over these months and felt part of a community with real friends, not just names on a page. Some of them have become part of my "daily life" and, honestly, I wouldn't have thought that this could ever happen through the web!

Summer is here (more than 30°C...uff....!) and today it is my daughter's last day at school. Lately I have been taking less photos and been quite busy. We're preparing to leave for summer holidays back in my hometown on the beautiful Tuscan sea of Monte Argentario. Initially we'll be away for a week from sunday. Eventually come back for about ten days and then off again until the end of august. From today I will be more or less on/off, until I will be totally "off" when I will be in Argentario, as I doubt I'll have an internet connection.

I count to be back on track with Verona Daily Photo at the beginning of September. 

I will "knock on your doors" to say I'm back! 

Wishing you all a great summer and wonderful holidays!

Valeria

xxx

CIAO!

Over the rooftops

I took this photo from the lovely terrace of a friend of mine. It was all so nice and perfect up there: flowers, dining table, deck chairs and umbrellas and a fantastic 360° view over the roofs of the historical centre. I could see at least four bell towers, including the top of the Torre de' Lamberti! I chose this one because I really like the shining chrome of this pipes, so striking with the rest of the view...

I came across this scene a few days ago and I couldn't resist to snap a photo! The two local police agents spot this ancient and rather pictoresque "Ape" Piaggio (among top five italian icons) and stop contemplating. There is an evident no-parking sign right on the corner but the agents seem to be considering that the funny tricycle bears the evidence of a well known antiques/junk shop located a few steps ahead, called "Mercatino dell'Antico Bra".

Eventually the lady agent begins to write down the fine, while her colleague looks almost 

guilty...

Any idea for a fitting title?

Dramatic sky

Castelvecchio Museum on the river Adige side.

Back to Malacarne

I am really fond of this eclectic café/bar/little trattoria/cultural association that is the Malacarne in the district of Veronetta. I like to come for a coffee and everytime I notice new interesting details...

Dejeuner sur l'herbe

Sirmione, Garda Lake. 

Tic-toc-tic-toc. A different Time profile

Reading the time on the Torre de' Lamberti from under the arches of the Domus Mercatorum.

Life under the umbrellas

Click fot details!

Busy life under the white umbrellas of Piazza Erbe. Fruits and vegetables, souvenirs, hats, sandwiches vs elegant cafés. I love to sit, have a coffee and look at the people. They choose, touch, ask, make comments...or simply pass by.

For more posts about Piazza Erbe, click here!

Roman road

Roman road, circa I AD. This bit of roman road lies under the Arco dei Gavi. You can touch this smooth dark pavement where the cart wheels left a deep mark, over the centuries (I have always wondered, though, if it was the continuous use that produced the mark or if, instead, it was purposedly carved to obtain a sort of rail. Anyone knows better?).

This few meters of black stones are nonetheless a tiny bit of the great Postumia Road...(read more)

End of school celebration

It began with three young boys and ended with a mass dive into the fountain of Piazza Bra.

I heard a wild scream and saw three boys running towards the fountain, jumping the fence and splashing in the water. I couldn't fish the camera in my bag in time and started regretting the loss of one very good shot. 

After a few minutes hundreds of students gathered around the fountain and splashed happily in the water... The scene became more and more hilarious and the happy mood was contagious. Two leading press photographers arrived (after me, I should say....!!) and snapped a huge quantity of photos. Many of the students run free and willing towards the water, while many were literally caught and thrown in; laughters, smiles, choirs echoed in the square.

There was an big amused audience behind me and all this lasted for a good twenty minutes until the police arrived on their scooters and the youngsters dispersed leaving puddles on the cobblestones and a big big smile on my face!

Mercatino fruits and vegs

This fruit and vegetables shop is a little bit under the street level and as I walked by I couldn't

resist: I just fished the camera in my bag and snapped this shot.

I spotted lovely fruits and a huge variety of vegetables: I think I'll come back...

Wind Music Awards

I could hear the boast of 14000 people cheering for the many italian pop stars on stage yesterday. I can hear them now: as I write this, the second and last show is on  and I can tell any time another star steps on the stage...

When I walked home hundreds of people were packed in the back of the Arena and tall black dressed security staff were keeping the crowd at bay. 

I must say that it's a tiny tiny bit disappointing to be here at home, my daughter sleeping, my husband at work and so much going on a couple of hundred steps away from me...

I'll have to see the show on tv next week!

Sun and clouds. Busy saturday!

Yesterday afternoon Piazza Bra was really choc-a-bloc! There was a huge event in the Arena last night and people were packed at the gates as early as five in the afternoon. Big italian pop singers (and international stars like Lenny Kravitz) were the guest stars and a red carpet was laid down in the middle of the square to have them walking up to the stage between two rows of crowd. The show will be aired on tv next week.

I took this photo as I was walking past the carpet and onto Via Mazzini, feeling a bit like a salmon swimming his way up the river flow....

Coffee and candies!

A pink Vespa with a view

I realize I have often posted about means of transport and today I couldn't miss this one, the loveliest pink Vespa!

"On 23 April 1946, at 12 o'clock in the central office for inventions, models and makes of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce in Florence, Piaggio e C. S.p.A. took out a patent for a "motorcycle of a rational complexity of organs and elements combined with a frame with mudguards and a casing covering the whole mechanical part"

"The first prototype was given the initials MP5 and baptized "Paperino," the Italian name for Donald Duck, a nick-name given to it by the workers because of the strange shape it had"

Wikipedia

It's so romantic... how can any other scooters compare with Vespa?

Sightseeing tour

Ghostly me

Summer evening at the Arena

Documents, please!