Helen’s good friend Diana has decided to enter the London Marathon next year and Essential Italy are delighted to support her in her ‘Pazzia’. She is running for the charity Children with Leukaemia and needs all the support she can get. You can follow her fundraising here.
Hugo Boss was recently in Sardinia. Well one of his racing yachts was. Essential Italy are delighted to have assisted the Hugo Boss crew with their accommodation at Capriccioli while their team is competing in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2010.
Sarah caught sight of the Hugo Boss yacht speeding along close to the Costa Serena last week and she just managed to get her camera out in time.
Helen writes: on Saturday I took part in a sponsored walk in aid of the Gurkha Welfare Trust and Oxfam, walking 100km along the South Downs from Petersfield in Hampshire to Brighton in just under 25 hours.
So no Italian connection with this post other than the fact that many of our regular clients sponsored me. And the consumption of a bottle of Chianti was the initial reason I agreed to this ordeal! I now understand that many such events are embarked upon after a bottle or two of wine, so beware.
Huge thanks go to my fellow team members: Craig, Marcos and Tim. Without their good humour, determination and organisational skills, I certainly could not have completed it. In total we raised in excess of £2,500 thanks to your generosity. Now to put my aching feet up for a bit...
Christmas in Sardinia is a great time of year, as many of the small villages inland celebrate with artisans opening up their houses to show off their home-made goods. These can vary from delicious pastries and fresh pastas to spectacular furniture made out of beautiful, perfumed juniper wood. The trick, I have learned over the years, is to go to the ‘Cortes Apertes’ with no time limits as in every house that you enter, you get given a glass of local wine, a piece of salami, or perhaps a special festive sweet made out of nuts and honey. It is considered rude not to accept so if you choose a village with a long main street, you can guarantee to come home with a car full of presents, stomach full of food, a bit of a headache, and a list of new friends as long as your arm.
On the coast and in the larger towns, lights and Christmas trees abound; often there are parties for the younger residents in the main squares with roast chestnuts, hot chocolate and Panettone . I have to admit to always being impressed by the organisation of festive parties here in Italy. I had a great time on Saturday night at Porto Cervo’s annual Christmas bash; a huge gathering of guests ranging from 6 months to 80+ years with a splendid buffet and lots of wine to sample. A special play-room for the little ones was set up with staff to oversee them, the majority of the teenagers giggled and hoped not to be asked to dance whilst the adults let their hair down and waltzed, tangoed and twisted the night away. I am proud to admit to having danced with a 17 year old, a 3 year old and a 78 year old.
Sadly after a fantastic November, the weather has turned and we are experiencing rather wet, chilly, grey days that are forecast to stretch to the end of December. It seems hard to believe that the sea will instantly turn back to that magnificent bluey green colour as soon as the sun peeps out again. For those of you looking forward to your holidays in the spring, I can strongly recommend Su Gologone in the heart of Nuoro and Hotel Cala Luna on the spectacular coastline at Cala Gonone; both places that are on my list of visiting next week to check out the artisans handicrafts, to say nothing of the wine and cakes.
Buon Natale a tutti!
Ian writes: this weekend saw Arezzo buzzing with jousting fever. Twice every year Arezzo transforms into a medieval throng as the traditional jousting event hits town. The four quarters battle it out for the coveted ‘Lancia D’Oro’.
This year I was in town on the Saturday afternoon and snapped some of the action prior to the main event in Piazza Grande. Whilst less famous than the Palio in Siena the Giostra del Saracino is equally spectacular and much more accessible; you can walk with the knights and flag throwers as they parade through town.
This year, the 117th running of the event saw Porta Crucifera take the honours. The winning ‘knight’ Alessandro Vannozzi claimed that his secret was a lunch of pasta with rabbit. The Saracino takes place the penultimate Saturday of June and the first weekend of September.
Sarah writes: Carnival time has once again drawn to an end in Sardinia. Street music, dancing, tasty hot doughnuts and lots of home made wine and beautiful processions have all been enjoyed with a huge amount of effort going in to the locally made floats.
Depending on which town you visit for this lively event, you may also catch traditional horse racing around the streets and beautiful costumes. Sardinia has had fantastic weather for the ten days of merry making. Everyone – from the tiniest of children to the older generation – made the most of dressing up and having fun. With the help of a lot of wine it has to be said; well for the adults anyway.
This annual event happens six weeks before Easter and finishes as Lent begins; which is a shame as I was just getting into the swing of wine at four o'clock in the afternoon – along with a quick tango with a passing witch.
Ian writes: Last weekend I was down in the Naples area. The main news in Campania is the rubbish collection crisis. On the outskirts of Naples there are mountains of rubbish piling up. The problem is that the government cannot decide where a new incinerator should be located. All three of the proposed sites are fighting to keep it away from their respective doorsteps. Another example of the Italian State’s inability to push through laws which are not popular – in fact the Naples crisis is one of the main reasons why Prodi fell from power.
On the day of arrival there were strong winds and the flying rubbish was like confetti in the air – quite romantic and spectacular until you realised it was plastic bottles and nappies flying past the car window!
Having said this there does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel – even while we were there we saw signs of the mess being cleared up. Also the main tourist sites are spotless. Positano was cleaner than my living room and the centre of Naples was immaculate.