Dark sky, rain and umbrellas

Moka Bialetti

Every italian home has at least one moka. This is the iconic Moka Bialetti for the best coffee at home. It's brand new, I bought it just a few days ago because the old one, for mysterious reasons, didn't work well any more.

You know that I love coffee, and coffee making is a little daily rite. I keep the ground coffee in an Illy tin box on the shelf. I put tap water (no higher than the valve - you can see that bolt on the left of the moka base) and a few teaspoons of coffee powder in the filter, until it's topped and then close the machine very tightly. Fire should not be too strong and the flame should never be bigger than the base of the moka. The photo shows the coffee coming out: just a few seconds before I turn off the fire and the foam comes up. 

Do you have a moka at home?

 

A bit tired!

I am a bit tired today... I feel all the weight on my shoulders..!

School trips

Verona is a popular school trip destination, for both italian and foreign pupils. Here the students are gathered at the Scavi of Porta Leoni while their teacher is giving them hystorical notions about the roman site. Their next steps will probably be the Arena and the Teatro Romano.

Osteria Reboano

It's not a page from Elle Decor but one of my favourite bars near home! A friendly chat is an important ingredient for an enjoyable midmorning coffee and the friendly staff here make my coffee taste even nicer!

I like the black-red-white colour palette, it gives a lot of character to the eclectic ensemble of furniture and decoration. The glass door leads to a super tiny garden where in the spring-summer months you can sip a refreshing drink under a white canvas umbrella.

Monumental Cemetery

This morning I visited the Monumental Cemetery. The structure was designed in 1828 by Giuseppe Barbieri in Neo-Doric style. It has a square shape, divided by two paths which split into four sections. 

It was sunny and quiet and I slowly walked among the graves. The magnificent colonnades host the tombs of the wealthy and noble families. Some of them are real pieces of art. Many of the older sepulchres were a bit gloomy but the statues were simply beautiful...

Under the arch

A few steps away from the green door (see post yesterday) there is a little portico, a very ancient one: it is, in fact, the back of the Domus Mercatorum. The little red bricks, the wooden beams and the variety of faded paintings make this place absolutely stunning. 

So far, the portico is used as a ... parking for motorbikes. Whoa!