#a proper panino

[helianskies]

After reading Bitter Teeth and knowing you speak Italian, are there scenarios and stories you'd still like to explore having Italy as your background? And what are you favorite Italian historical periods to play with?

holy moly, months later she's finally decided to give you some sort of answer to a very interesting ask! :'0

i'm sorry i'm on my knees i'm grovelling cake i'm so sorry

i'll be honest, i love italy, i love italian, i love italians, and i would love to use it as a setting more often if it suits a fic - in a heartbeat. having been to a fair few areas now (Puglia you're next on my list bby i promise) there are such beautiful places i would love to use as backdrops, even for short works. a little romantic trip to Verona, a wet weekend in Venice, a sea swim in the marina in Naples across the bay from Vesuvius...

i think it helps with writing when you've been somewhere and can weave in personal experiences or even memories. i'd like to do it more in general, though i find my mind is not programmed easily for fluffy encounters haha. but i have fond memories of italy and i'd love to use them more as inspiration.

(what i'm trying to say is i suffered climbing up Vesuvius after a morning spent walking Herculaneum and i want someone - toni, south italy, whoever! - to feel my pain!)

anywho. as for historical periods... i dunno. as a student i only ever studied Risorgimento onwards, and very politically-based. i think the Renascimento in Florence would be interesting. i really loved visiting Davide and Venere haha (my duomo experience on the other hand...). and i'd love to learn more of Venice as a kingdom. Roman Italy i guess is a must, though i've already dabbled. otherwise, i'm not too sure....

though, when in Rome... i could send toni to walk around the Colosseum and Roman Forum omgggg... let him walk around and have his thoughts... a lil' character study...

i am never getting over leaving the Colosseum and finding a public water dispenser with sparkling water.......

OH THE TEMPLES! there were temples in the Forum! there's the Tempio di Antonino (e Faustina, ahem) and the Tempio di Romolo just across the way! i remember my mind working overtime with that nugget. the romespa was stalking me tirelessly on that part of my trip. and i'm yet to be cured!

anyways i hope that has in some way answered your question(?). i've not put much thought into the italies as characters themselves - i don't feel the same kind of draw to them that i feel with toni - but it would be curious to. i'd love to do more research into Venice during the times of the Ottoman Empire, in its sort of golden era. i'm sure i've seen a documentary or two, and i may even have a book... hmmm...

so many little threads to follow and not enough hours in the day, sadly, to do so :')

thank you for sending in the ask, it gave me an excuse to look back on some much loved holiday pics haha (and sorry again for taking my sweet time responding!) :)

[lesfoteses]

Brasil dia 2: Rio i les caipirinhas

Dimarts 15 d'agost del 2023

Pel dia de la Mare de Déu Santa Maria estic ben borratxeta i ja he fet la primera -i espero que última- pota del viatge al pis de Río de Janeiro. Però no ens anticipem i comencem pel principi per saber com he acabat trallant aquí.

Ens hem llevat després de dormir plàcidament (menys la Joana que ha sentit avions i una pelea a l'habitació del costat) sota el cel de Sao Paulo, a 100 metres de l'aeroport de Congostinhas (o algo així). He pogut cagar i m'ha baixat la regla. L'Eli i la Joana estan més apurades amb el tema de la caca. La Laia i la Clara han dormit a l'altra habitació ben tranquil·les. Li hem deixat les claus a la Marcela sobre el taulell i hem anat a esmorzar a les 8 a l'aeroport. Hem certificat que tenim seriosos problemes per entendre aquest idioma, no sabíem ni dir "pernil" es veu que és "pressunto". Ja em diràs tu com se suposa que s'explica això. He esmorzar un panino de salami i formatge, com sempre, les meves amigues han tornat a demanar fruita. He tastat la papaia i he de dir que té gust de dentista, puto asco no crec que la torni a tastar més.

A l'avió cap a Rio (que ha durat una hora i ens ha semblat poquíssim) ens han tornat a donar menjar. No ens paren de donar jalar! Ens hem oblidat que al suc no ens hi posessin gel, per allò de l'aigua contaminada... Veurem en les properes hores si ens caguem a sobre.

Hem arribat a Rio a les 11, i dins d'un taxi ple de cristos i rosaris i amb les motxilles a sobre hem arribat a l'apartament on ens estarem tres nits. Allà ens hi esperaven la Beth i el seu presumpte marit. Dic presumpte perquè creiem que és gai. Ah, i ara que dic això: ells es pensen que som un grup de cinc lesbianes perquè ell en un moment ha volgut definir el barri on som i, molt excitat, ha dit "friendly" i ens ha somrigut. L'Eli diu que jo li he contestat rient i dibuixant un cor amb les mans. No ho recordo però ella diu que sí que ho he fet, de manera que ara la parella que regenta l'Airbnb aquest es creu que hem vingut a fer turisme sexual lèsbic. Eren molt macos tot i que ell molt intens, ens ha repetit com cinc cops que han desinfectat el terra durant una hora sencera. Molt desinfectat però la Joana que va descalça té els peus negres. 

Després d'acomiadar-nos dels caseros ens hem dutxat i tal i hem sortit a dinar a un buffet vegà (LOL). Gairebé no el trobem perquè estava amagat en un edifici. D'allà hem anat a la platja i volíem veure el Cristo però fotia un núvol que no es veia una puta merda, ni el Pao de Azucar. Esperem que demà vingui el bon temps. Després ens hem comprat cadascuna una SIM de prepago, per tant ara ja tenim un número brasileny i internet per tot arreu. Visca el primer món. Ah! I hem anat al súper a comprar jalo, era com un veritas gegant i de preus més popular.

A partir de llavors ja tot s'ha liat perquè hem acabat al bar on el Vinicius de Moraes va inspirar-se per escriure Garota d'Ipanema, un bar que es diu Garota i que està PLE de referències al cantant i la cançó.

Allà ens hem fet la primera caipirinha i ja ens hem mig emborratxat. Darrere nostre hi seien una mare i una filla valencianes que UAU quina il·lusió els ha fet trobar algú que parlés la seva llengua!! La mare es deia Anna i la filla, Helena. L'Anna ens ha caigut mazo bé, és una dona que està a Rio per una convenció (ens ha dit) sobre feminisme i dret. Quan han marxat l'hem buscat al LinkedIn i hem descobert que és una puta jefa catedràtica i no sé què. Llavors hem optat per continuar bevent en un altre bar més barat, però l'Eli i jo en comptes de fer una segona caipirinha ens hem liat amb la caipivodka. Spoiler: cagada.

Hem barrejat alcohols i això s'ha començat a torçar fins al punt que en teoria havíem de sopar amanida i hem acabat fent macarrons. Eren les 19h i ja anàvem com les cabres. L'Eli s'ha acabat la segona caipivodka que ens hem demanat. Un cop a casa he optat per la pota preventiva perquè anava borratxeta. Després hem sopat i ja ens hem posat al llitet, des d'on escric això ja millor.

[ladycibia]

Favorite type of bread?

milk rolls!!

[megmckinney]

WE LEFT - We flew home early! Final Week Rundown.

Today is Tuesday, Jan 12 and I am writing from San Diego. I am so sad. Here is a little recap of the one week we had in Sayulita with actual friends and events! In my final post, I’ll describe how we made it across the border without our proper identification. It was an eventful day to say the least :)

Thursday, Jan 7 - Matt took Summer on a hike in the hiking backpack so I decided I wanted to a nice breakfast. I texted Noralina who met me at Miscellaneous. It’s so rare for me to text a friend in the am and hear a YES response. That is what is so nice about a small town with a slower pace of living and less focus on the hustle. People are around, down to hang out, don’t have a schedule full of plans. So sweet to have a little lady time with NO kids. I ordered an activated charcoal late - no coffee, tasted like the sweetest warm almond milk deliciousness. To eat I got the Croque Monsieur which is basically the french style of biscuits & gravy haha.

Matt went to Don Bonito to do some work during Summer’s nap. When she woke up, we just walked around the neighborhood. All of the little local mexican girls were around and loving on Summer. Picking her up, stroking her cheek, giving her little mexican cheetos. Summer loves playing with the local girls. She goes up to them and starts saying, HI, and waving. She lifts her arms up to them so they can pick her up. When they have to leave, she follows them saying Hi, Olah, or adios. It is SO cute they way she speaks and everyone gets a kick out of her when she says something.

Friday, Jan 8 - Friday in Sayulita is the Farmer’s Market. I had heard about the market but kept forgetting to go so I was set on going this morning. I looked it up online open from 10 - 2. I had to kinda figure out how to manage it with Summer’s nap. Matt ended up taking Summer for a walk and putting her down for her nap so I could enjoy the market with mis amigas. I met Kristin across the street at the park, we headed over and met Noralina there. It was amazing. Since I knew this would be my only visit at the market i got us breakfast, lunch and dinner. Calzones, lasagna, fresh raspberries and figs, quiche. It was an adorable farmers market with tons of food, products, everything. I wish we could go back again. They also sell all the good kombucha, raw milk from Terrenal.

Friday afternoon after Summer’s nap, I put her in the wagon with Rowley and strolled them to the vet. Matt was working at the Library/Book Store across the street so he helped me get Rowley in. We bought our tickets to fly home. Summer and I played at the park until Matt was done working. Headed home. For dinner we had the lasagna and calzone and then headed to the beach to kill some time before bed.

We ran into our neighbors at the complex, Ibrahim & Johanna, and played some rounds of volley ball with them. Summer basically tried to follow the ball until she found a little belgium boy with a ball that she decided to steal. lol

Saturday, Jan 9 - Matt planned an all day surf trip with a friend John who we met last Sunday at Frente. Him and his wife and two boys moved to Sayulita indefinitely from Amsterdam. They are originally from the states, though. They have a car so Matt was stoked to get to drive around, find some good waves, and get a nice session in. They drove to a few spots, all was flat, and then ended at San Pancho in the San Francisco town. Kinda bummed I never got to check out this town. I heard many good things about it. It’s the town just next to Sayulita.

Summer had a super rough morning again. This last week was really hard with her and sleeping. She’s up so early at 5:30, wants to go outside, but the first light doesn’t start to come out until around 7:10am so I basically have to endure a tantrum. This morning I purchased the Big Little Feeling’s Winning the Toddler Years module because I want to feel confident that I am parenting properly. When Summer was born, I was completely unprepared for EVERYTHING. The only thing I prepared for was labor & delivery. Sleep, food, products, everything was just up in the air and I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to know what I am doing, how to handle situations, how to speak in an effective way, etc. I don’t want her to just be my guinea pig. I want to be informed and prepared to be the best mother I can be. So I have already been enjoying these modules and seeing them work.

After nap just her and i went to the beach for a little bit. Then we walked around town, checked out some art galleries, shops, etc. For dinner we went to Rustica and got the gnocchi. Tiny portion of maybe 10 gnocchis. Expensive. On the walk home we bought some chicken at our fav chicken stand and I put her to bed early.

Sunday, Jan 10 - LAST DAY + SUNDAY FUNDAY - Another tantrum in the morning but I felt more prepared after watching the first two modules of Big Little Feelings. We got breakfast quiches at Panino’s and ate them on the beach with Matt. Then headed to our last Beach Church. I was able to connect with Kevin about the crazy instagram loop that brought me to his page so that was cool. We said bye to everyone and headed home for nap.

On the way home we got Summer a second pair of juarachas, the amazing hand made leather sandals that I am obsessed with. These are one size bigger so she can grow into them.

After nap, Summer and I went to Terrenal to turn in all the glass jars for deposits, purchased our last Kombuchas, chocolate, and snacks and then got ready for Frente Al Punto!

Frente was fun. We were the first of our group there. Summer made some friends with some other people. Turns out they are the crossfit crew of Sayulita who have been there for over 10 years. One lady is a wedding planner: @sunset.soiree so that was fun getting to hear her story.

Then Kristin, Tyler, Stella arrived. Then Misty and her fam. Then some other beach church friends. We danced, stayed out until 7:20, got churros on the way home, and passed out!! An amazing final night with friends!!

Monday, Jan 11 - our travel day. Check the final post :)

[sdsuconcertchoiritaly]

Day 6: Venice, Part 2

This morning we’re singing for Mass at St. Mark’s Basilica. There’s only one bathroom in our 8-person room at the hostel, but I scoped out a few extra bathrooms in the hallway last night, so I don’t have to wait for anyone in the shower this morning. This is easily the nicest hostel I’ve stayed in, but it’s still very different than a hotel and not my preferred way to travel.

Breakfast is understandably less extravagant than our hotel in Florence, so I have some yogurt, juice, and a ham and cheese sandwich on a crumbly roll. We’re all wearing our blue fleece quarter-zips this morning so we match for our performance at St. Mark’s Basilica. I don’t really like wearing it, but it keeps me warm under my parka on the cold boat ride across the canal from Giudecca to Venice proper.

St. Mark’s looks even more brilliant and curious in the daytime. Its architectural style is all over the place but seems somewhere close to Byzantine. There are mosaics on the facade over the doors; these are characteristic of the region, which is known for its glass-making. The line to get inside the basilica is already stretching quite a ways, but we get to take a private entrance into the back of the church since we’re singing for Mass. We stand a while in a hallway that looks pretty similar to any church basement I’ve been in. We leave our coats and belongings down here, and after some waiting, we walk upstairs to stand in our formation next to one of the side chapels where daily Mass will be held this morning. We sing Angele Dei before Mass starts, and I hear the priest reference some of the words of the song in Italian during his greeting.

Though we’re not truly participating in the Mass and I can barely understand any of the priest’s Italian, I’m able to follow along well enough and respond at the right times. This is something that I really appreciate about Catholicism: the universality of it. Every Mass in any language anywhere in the world has the same format, which makes it easy to participate wherever one finds themself. There seems to be a bit of Latin woven into some of the prayers, and some from our group who are better Catholics than me are able to say these from memory. We sing during communion and after Mass and the assembled crowd applauds.

We’ve been facing into the corner toward the chapel for the duration of Mass, but I take a brief look around at the rest of the basilica’s interior on the way out. The whole place seems to be covered in gold, with mosaics on the upper walls and ceilings. Like the outside, every column inside seems to be made from a different type of marble and has a unique capital. Mauro told us last night when we first saw St. Mark’s that this is because most of the pieces of the basilica were stolen from other places and brought here to be incorporated in the building. Nothing truly belongs here, which gives the whole building a haphazard, puzzle-piece look. There are so many colors and different types of stone; it’s a strange kind of beauty.

Outside in the open plaza beside the basilica, a man who heard us sing has bought us trays of sandwiches and pitchers of hot chocolate (which is so thick it’s like drinking warm pudding, but that’s just the style here). His name is Matthias, he is from Germany or Switzerland, and he is evidently friends with Warren Buffet. He speaks to us for a bit, encouraging us to let our lights shine. We sing an impromptu song to thank him for his unexpected generosity. Others seem deeply moved by his gesture, perhaps rightly so, but I find it rather puzzling and I can’t get a handle on what this guy is all about. In any case, the sandwich is good and the crowd in the plaza enjoys our song.

We’re free now for the rest of the day, so our group rallies and makes a plan. Miranda, Cari, and Andrea are going to see the rest of the basilica and its attached museum, which we later learn houses relics from the crucifixion in addition to St. Mark’s body. I go with the rest of our group back to the hostel to change clothes and drop off my choir folder.

We take the vaporetto (the Italian name for the boat that is part of the public transportation system here in Venice) to San Giorgio, a tiny island right next to Giudecca (the island where we’re staying), to explore the church and see the views of Venice from the top of the bell tower. The church is beautiful and minimalistic compared to St. Mark’s. It’s white and gray inside, with large oil paintings adorning the walls along the nave and above altars in the side chapels. There are intricately carved wooden stalls for the choir behind the main altar. We use our student IDs to get a discount on the tickets for the bell tower, and shortly we’re taking the lift up to the top. I’m not sure how tall the tower is, but the views are truly stunning, as Mauro promised. While we’re at the top, I FaceTime my sister to show her the view. It’s just after 5:00am at home, so it takes a couple tries to wake her up, but I hope the view is worth it. I’ve been exchanging a couple texts with my family each day of the trip, but it’s nice to see Laura’s face and show her this view in real time.

After the bell tower at San Giorgio, we take the vaporetto to the main island to walk around Venice a bit. We’re in pursuit of a quick lunch but enjoy wandering the streets seeing what the shops have to offer. We come across a few small squares (each is called a campo, since the only piazza in Venice is Piazza San Marco) and poke around a couple small churches. We’ve unintentionally made a loop from Piazza San Marco back to the San Zaccaria vaporetto stop where we got off the boat; it’s been a nice meandering walk. We finally grab a panino from a small shop just off the piazza and keep browsing a few more shops on our way to Rialto. We find the Rialto Bridge and take a few photos, then head back toward the piazza to meet back up with Miranda, Cari, and Andrea. We’re going to the Palazza Docale (Doge’s Palace) and prisons for the rest of the afternoon.

The Palazza Docale was pretty much the single governmental center of Venice for a few hundred years beginning in the fourteenth century. Inside, we find galleries filled with art that once adorned the palace, an armory of old weapons used by the Venetian army and navy, and dozens of intricately decorated rooms where various councils met and conducted their duties. Each room has dark wooden panels on the lower part of the wall with stalls or benches for sitting, massive full-length frescoes on the upper half of the walls, and golden wood carvings and more frescoes on the ceilings. They are some of the most beautiful rooms I can remember seeing in all my travels. The full council chamber is, in fact, one of the largest rooms in all of Europe at about 50 meters long and 30 meters wide.

From the palace, we cross the famous Bridge of Sighs (so named because of the grievous expressions prisoners would utter while crossing it) to the prison. We walk through several floors of narrow stone hallways and small rooms with heavy doors where prisoners were kept. There aren’t any placards or signs to indicate features of the rooms or explanations of what life was like for prisoners, but we find some graffiti that seems to date back quite a long time. It’s a sufficiently spooky adventure. Soon, we’re crossing the Bridge of Sighs once more and are marveling at how quickly the sun has set back in the palace courtyard. We unanimously agree that the palace and prison were well worth the ticket price of 13 euro. If ever you find yourself in Venice, don’t miss this one.

Our group heads back to Giudecca so a few folks can change and freshen up for supper and the Vivaldi performance we’ll be attending later tonight. I don’t need to change or rest, so I overpay for a cocktail at the hostel bar and chat with a few others who are hanging out there. There are very few restaurants on Giudecca, so we take the vaporetto back to the main island, this time stopping at the Grand Canal and crossing the Ponte dell’Academia on foot to find supper near the church of San Vidal where the concert will happen later tonight.

The nine of us have supper together in a small room at a restaurant whose name I don’t remember—it hardly matters, since most restaurants are pretty much the same and offer largely the same dishes. I have a glass of Chardonnay and an entree of linguini with mixed seafood. Miranda and Ted have the same thing, but Miranda freaks out at the sight of a small octopus in her pasta, so I get to eat a few extra tentacles. The meal is delicious, if a little overpriced.

We’re only about a block away from the concert, so we enter and sit in our reserved section. An eight-piece string ensemble (with occasional harpsichord) performs a suite Vivaldi wrote for each of the seasons along with a couple other concertos. I can feel the day wearing on me and our meal settling in my stomach, so I struggle to stay awake during the first couple numbers. Then I notice one or two of the players are particularly good-looking and are playing very passionately and that keeps me alert for the rest of the concert. It’s a fantastic performance; the precision and energy of the ensemble is remarkable and the music itself is quite exciting. The audience loves it, to the point that the ensemble performs two or three encores before exiting for the last time. It’s a great way to end the night, especially for our group of music nerds.

We board the vaporetto one final time back to Giudecca to settle down for the night as our time in Venice is coming to a close. I pack up my things as best I can before falling asleep, thankful for the day and sad to be leaving this gorgeous city.

[englishitaliantranslations]

Ingredients

Italian has three ways to express the presence of an ingredient in the name of a dish:

Dish di ingredient: the ingredient is the main or only component of the dish, e.g. "succo di limone" (lemon juice). In this case the article is never used before the ingredient.

Dish con ingredient: the ingredient is a visible component of the dish or used as garnish, e.g. "fragole con panna" (strawberries with cream). In this case a definite article can be used before the ingredient.

Dish a ingredient: the dish has been flavored with the ingredient, or tastes like the ingredient, e.g. "gelato al cioccolato" (chocolate ice cream). In this case the definite article is mandatory before the ingredient, forming an articulated preposition with a.

When there is no room for confusion the three can occasionally be mixed up,  e.g. "panino al salame" is as common as "panino con salame"; however, in many cases using one instead of the other can give hints on the dish's composition.

Questions

In this section you'll meet the first proper questions. In Italian word order doesn't change in a question, meaning that the question mark at the end and the raising tone of voice are usually the only differences between a question and a statement.

Tips

It's important to keep in mind that the English idiom of "having food" being synonymous with "eating food" doesn't apply to Italian, where "avere cibo" simply means owning food.

[tripstations]

Tourist Alert! 10 Things NOT To Do When in Rome

Tutte le strade portano a Roma — All roads lead to Rome.

This is an ancient Italian saying, and if it is true, then you’ll be visiting Rome sooner or later!

Roman people are quite used to tourists, who are looked upon as if they are almost a different typology of human beings altogether. Well, isn’t it true that we all change a bit when on vacation in a different country, after all?

Romans are generally welcoming, but it is wise to pay attention to some things that they find it hard to accept. The basic idea is “Don’t do what the Romans don’t.” This is because some tourist habits are somewhat funny, while others are just plain offensive.

  Let’s see some suggestions:

1. Do not throw coins into every fountain you see. Coins go into the Fontana di Trevi only.

Living in Rome, it’s so easy to spot coins in almost all the fountains. This always makes people smile, because every Roman knows that the only one in which you should actually throw a coin and make a wish is the Trevi Fountain, and the Trevi Fountain only!

  2. Don’t get a lot of single-fare public transport tickets. Get a 3-day, 7-day, 30-day pass instead.

Public transport tickets cost around 1€ (but the prices are most probably going to go up starting from June) and allow you one single metro trip or a 75 minutes trip by bus. If you’re going to use public transport a lot, you’d better get a pass that allows you to use buses, metro and trams as much as you want.

BTI ticket costs 11€ and lasts 3 days; CIS pass costs 16€ and lasts 7 days; a monthly pass costs 30€ and is valid for the calendar month. You must validate the pass on the first use using one of the small yellow machines at the entrance of the metro stations or in the buses, and keep it with you at all times, in order to be able to show it to the ticket inspector if needed.

  3. Cling to your stuff. Do not keep your money in the most accessible pocket of your backpack.

If this is your habit, Roman pickpockets will just love you. This is a basic rule! Be travel-savvy and keep your documents and money in separate purses and check on them every now and then. Do not put valuables in an external pocket. Do not leave anything unattended even for a few minutes. I-phones and MP3 players are now the most targeted and stolen items, so take good care of them.

  4. Fountains are not for washing your feet, and no, you can’t dip them in “just for a minute.”

Rome is so hot in the summer, and your feet will be tired of walking on the hot sanpietrini, the typical Roman cobblestones. So it is just normal to desire to dip your feet in fresh water, but even if you really want to, resist the urge to sit on the border of a fountain and dip your tired feet, as it is forbidden and locals find it disrespectful.

You can use one of those small public drinking fountains called nasoni (big noses) instead. It’s very easy to find one and nobody will blame you.

  5. Avoid tourist menus as much as you can and get some proper food.

This looks like an easy one, even if there are many tourist-trap menus in the center of Rome, so many that it isn’t really easy to avoid them, especially when you don’t know where to go. If you prefer a quick snack, it’s also nice to get a look in a supermarket or in an open air market, where you can get fresh ingredients for a panino and some fruit, just like a local.

Also, it is a good idea to try avoiding what you can get at home; you’re in Italy after all! Be curious!

  6. Don’t divert your attention!

Always beware of pickpockets, especially when travelling on buses, metros and public transport, but also when in line for something and when shopping in crowded places.

Some bus lines are especially famous for the high number of robberies that happen there every day. For example, the 64 line is one of them. Thieves do not always look seedy—they actually look pretty normal and friendly—but they’re expert scammers. You may get bumped or approached by someone when walking on the street or pushed when in line or while you’re window-shopping. An old trick that usually works is to cling to your bag. For example, get your backpack or bag on your belly and hug it with nonchalance. Even Romans do it, so it’s definitely all right.

  7. Avoid entering a church, a place of culture or a museum in a very summery (as in, skimpy) dress.

It is a good idea to keep a big scarf or spare clothes in your backpack, so you can quickly wrap them around your shoulders or legs when visiting some buildings. There is a dress code for many of them, and sometimes the janitors just don’t let you in if you are not covered enough.

So check your tops, short pants and skirts; if they show too much skin, there are chances that somebody will stop you from entering. This applies to both men and women. 

  8. Do not leave your trash on the streets, in somebody’s bike basket or on the steps of a building.

If you can’t find a bin near you, then keep that rubbish in a plastic bag or in your pockets until you find one.

Rome is such a beautiful city, but just too often visitors don’t care enough about keeping it clean. Many places are littered with rubbish such as food leftovers, cans, wrapping paper, and broken umbrellas.  Romans always wonder bitterly if tourists do it in their home cities as well…!

  9. You don’t have to pay for everything you’re going to visit. There are so many free places!

While it is true that some museums and palaces are worth the ticket, it is a pity to limit your visit to those places. Gather some useful info before going to Rome! For example, the Pantheon is free, and the Vatican Museums are free on the last Sunday of every month.

Besides, it is nice to visit some not-so-touristy places…You will have a taste of “real” Rome. What about wandering through the small streets, or taking a walk in the most beautiful quarters of Rome, like Trastevere, Testaccio or Coppedé?

Moreover, Basilicas are usually free to visit and contain so many works of art. The big city parks (usually called “Villa-something,” like Villa Pamphili, Villa Borghese, Villa Ada or Villa Torlonia) are free too. You might also like to visit the Appia Antica Park, both walking and biking.

  10. Do not accept flowers, toys or anything else from strangers. Refuse firmly and keep walking.

You will definitely meet people who will try to scam you, putting stuff like roses, small toys, bracelets or even little holy pictures in your hands, offering it to you as if it were a gift, or for “good luck in Italy” or because they “need help,” or because “you’re beautiful.” They will then ask for money and give you trouble if you refuse or give them just a few coins. This is when it can help to learn to speak Italian before you travel so you can provide a quick response.

So a firm No grazie (no, thanks) is in this case the best answer. If they approach you while you’re walking, just keep going and pay attention to your belongings in the meantime. Sometimes one person will approach you, while a partner takes away your stuff while you’re distracted. Never let your guard down!

  Looking for a place to stay? Check out our Rome Accommodation Guide for a few options.

  EXTRA: Do not forget a good travel insurance before you go.

I highly recommend to get a good travel insurance as most likely your standard health insurance won’t work abroad. We at Travel Dudes recommend the awarded Travel Insurance by WorldNomads which you can easily purchase online for the exact time needed.

The post Tourist Alert! 10 Things NOT To Do When in Rome appeared first on Tripstations.

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[bharatiyamedia-blog]

Why This Traditional Israeli Sandwich Ought to Be on Your Foodie To-Do Checklist

http://tinyurl.com/y2ottgsp What’s a sandwich? Outlined by The Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “two or extra slices of bread or a break up roll having a filling in between,” the sandwich takes on totally different varieties throughout nations. In Italy, a panino is often made with focaccia or ciabatta bread, a well-known model of it crammed with contemporary mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. In Japan, even comfort shops promote the katsu sando sandwich, a deep-fried panko-crumbed pork cutlet served between shokupan, a pillowy Japanese milk bread. The U.Okay.’s “chip butty” is made with a roll that’s drenched in butter and filled with french fries. Within the U.S., the basic bacon, egg, and cheese is discovered just about anyplace and could be made on a bagel, English muffin, or arduous roll. At its core, whatever the components featured in it, a sandwich is a culinary show of a tradition, a mix of methods and flavors so endemic to an space it appears to embody greater than a area’s gastronomical preferences: A sandwich is a illustration of historical past and perception methods that, when perfected, can discover an viewers effectively past the preestablished markers of a rustic. There may be one sandwich that appears to have transcended its deep historic ties to its nation of origin, Israel: The sabich is now popping up on menus removed from the Center Japanese area, surfacing in North America, Europe, and past. Conventional sabich components embody hummus, Israeli salad, potatoes, tahini, pickles, and falafel, and are sometimes served on pita bread. At its purest, the sabich is made with fried eggplant, brown eggs cooked in a single day, and amba sauce—a tangy mango chutney—served in a laffa, a flatbread widespread among the many Iraqi Jews who introduced the deal with to Israel after they moved to Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan neighborhood within the 1940s and 1950s. Given the prohibition to prepare dinner on the Sabbath, Iraqi Jews would pre-fry eggplants and go away the eggs cooking in a single day to then eat in a sandwich for breakfast on Saturday mornings. Though the identify sabich is related to the founding father of the first-ever sabich stand in Israel, Sabich Tsvi Halabi, some imagine that the time period truly capabilities as an acronym for the meals’s components—salat (salad), beitzah (egg), and hazilim (eggplant)—whereas others but declare the foundation letters of the phrase—S, B, and H—truly spell “morning” in Arabic, the time of day throughout which the sandwich was historically consumed. Both approach, the sabich was launched to the bigger Israeli group within the 1970s and has since barely mutated in type to function further components (hummus, Israeli salad, potatoes, tahini, pickles, and falafel, for instance) and is usually served on pita bread (though Iraqi Jews nonetheless follow the normal laffa). At Taïm in Manhattan, the sabich is ready in a pita with hummus, fried eggplant, sliced hard-boiled eggs, a little bit of Israeli salad and cabbage salad, tahini, and amba sauce. Within the U.S., the place the sabich has discovered a stable fan base made up of Israeli expatriates and People of all backgrounds, essentially the most well-known model of the meals is served at Taïm (which interprets to “tasty” in Hebrew). With 5 areas in New York and a sixth one in Washington, D.C., the Einat Admony–helmed eatery first landed in New York’s West Village in 2005, serving basic Israeli fare to a public that had but to familiarize itself with the robust flavors and components that outline Center Japanese menus. “I bear in mind just a few individuals got here and requested me if they might serve the sabich—that they had falafel joints or Israeli shawarma locations,” recollects Admony. “I mentioned, ‘I didn’t invent it! You may serve no matter!’” At Taïm (the place, in line with Admony, the deal with was a favourite amongst Japanese and Indian prospects particularly), the sabich is ready in a pita with hummus, fried eggplant, sliced hard-boiled eggs, a little bit of Israeli salad and cabbage salad, tahini, and amba sauce. A childhood favourite of the chef—she grew up a couple of minutes away from Sabich Oved in Giv’atayim, a well-liked vacation spot for the sandwich in Israel—Admony consists of the sabich in numerous varieties on menus throughout her different New York eating places. At Kish-Kash, which simply opened close by in Manhattan, it comes on a gluten-free bread. At Admony’s acclaimed Balaboosta, it’s extra of a salad: Romaine lettuce serves as a mattress for charred potatoes, seven-minute eggs, a extra delicate kind of amba sauce, and chickpeas. What’s it concerning the sabich that so appeals to Admony and has garnered a passionate following so removed from Israel’s borders? What makes it the sandwich par excellence for individuals after they style it simply as soon as? “I believe it’s so much about the best way we eat,” says the chef of Israeli meals basically. “It’s the melting pot of Jews who got here from all around the world [to Israel and brought their cuisines]. It’s the flavour, the substance, some approach to how [we] prepare dinner issues.” Natalie Ashoory, a 30-year-old of Israeli origins who calls New York residence, echoes Admony’s sentiments: “To me, the sabich is the epitome of Israeli delicacies,” she says. “You’ve got deep earthy flavors from the eggplant, the richness of the egg, and naturally, the freshness of chopped salad all enclosed in a pillowy, completely warmed-up pita.” Chef Einat Admony’s crowd-pleasing Balaboosta serves its sabich with romaine, charred potatoes, seven-minute eggs, a fragile amba sauce, and chickpeas. The attract might, maybe, relaxation on the familiarity of the components. Apart from the amba sauce, the combination of eggs, eggplant, and salad is well accessible the world over. Whereas the falafel, one other Israeli staple that enjoys a loyal culinary coterie, requires a extra intricate cooking approach and boasts quite a lot of herbs and spices that not everybody could possibly purchase, the sabich might doubtlessly be ready by nearly anybody with entry to a mean grocery retailer. Earlier than attempting your hand at a do-it-yourself sabich, take into account Admony’s ideas on a basic criticism related to one of many sandwich’s key components: “Lots of people say they don’t like eggplant,” she notes. “And it’s as a result of they don’t know the best way to prepare dinner it. More often than not, it’s not all-the-way cooked, and it’s simply not nice. Eggplant must be fried, a pleasant fry, golden-brown, not half-fry.” Admony continues: “There ought to be no resistance on the eggplant whenever you prepare dinner it, any a part of it must really feel tremendous tender, and that’s the one approach you’ll begin liking eggplant: whenever you prepare dinner it effectively.” Extra must-read tales from Fortune: —Big Gay Ice Cream cofounder on rising a small enterprise from coast to coast —Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski on Netflix, social media, and opening a restaurant —Why Charleston’s food scene is stronger than ever proper now —Certainly one of Mexico Metropolis’s hottest restaurant teams fuzes Mexican and Japanese influences —Take heed to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily Follow Fortune on Flipboard to remain up-to-date on the newest information and evaluation. Source link

[drink-n-watch]

Here we are, the penultimate episode, and I’m already a little sad. As much as I’m going to miss this surprisingly loveable little show, I think I might miss our after reviewing tradition even more. OK maybe not more, it really is a very sweet show, but just as much!

It’s been great! I hope you’ve felt as creatively free as I have!

Crow (crowsworldofanime.com) and I have been pretty united in out praise of Zombieland Saga so far but this was an odd episode. Let’s see if the trend can stay true to the end. Not that I’m teaching you guys anything but Crow is bold man.

Well, bold-ish…

this is meta, why is Zombieland showing me watching the show?

Straight off the bat, this episode was a bit of a gamble for Zombieland. Not that it’s unusual to have the before last episode take a tonal turn, it’s actually fairly common. However, this week’s Zombieland wasn’t only uncharacteristically sober, it reframed the main character into something that may not be as likable to the core audience. Effectively throwing out a lot of character clichés and even robbing Sakura of any real redemption arc. Any feelings about the narrative shuffle?

You’ve honed in on exactly the part of the episode that left me feeling uneasy — at least, emotionally jolted. Sakura’s despair and self-reproach are almost too familiar! And at the same time, those apparent failures in her life, and her reaction to them, robbed her of the ability to understand something important: That she really helped those old ladies. That she really had friends who rooted for her. The insight changed how we have to interpret the entire Sakura arc, and it also raises an important psychological “what if…” But let’s leave that for later.

sort of…

As soon as the episode started I got excited. Last week’s cliffhanger was one of the best I’ve seen in a while and I couldn’t wait to see how they were going to resolve it with so little time left. I never expected them to play it straight. Although, I’m not sure what I expected at all.

You and me both! The show’s conditioned me to expect subtle irreverence at every turn, but this time, they plowed straight ahead.

Sakura has lost her memories of being a zombie but remembers her life. Which turns out to be frustrating and unsatisfying. Moreover, her traumatic death is just the last straw in what she considers an utter failure of a life. Completely demoralized, Sakura more or less shuts down, and pushes everyone and everything else away.

she’s pretty much always like this

The opening scenes, with Sakura freaking out over the zombies, were a nice way to call back to episode 1 and bookend the series though. Even the visuals were parallel.

And, of course, she just had to meet Tae first! And Tae has such a gentle way of saying “Good morning!”

Saki looked so worried about Sakura and it was adorable!

All of their reactions were just heartbreaking!

agreed

I must say, that was an impressively down to earth portrayal of depression. It was a bit obvious, although I’m not sure they could have done otherwise considering the time constraints, but it was also unflinching. There was something weirdly admirable about Zombieland’s resolve to not just let Sakura magically snap out of it.

That’s another aspect that left me feeling so unsettled — and I don’t mean that in a bad way. It was too spot on. But given who Sakura is, and given what this show’s presented so far, I can think of only a handful of other shows that could trigger this kind of reaction.

this framing is brilliant

Equally laudable, in my opinion, was the grim repercussions on Saki, Junko and Lily who attempted to help.These situations don’t just affect one person, they affect everyone around as well. And they affected them all in different ways. This was far from a flattering depiction of Sakura but sometimes, when you fall far enough, you just don’t have the strength to empathise anymore.

I couldn’t believe how bad I felt for the others as they tried to help her! Especially Saki and poor Lily! For Lily to go from “Before you said you thought that star and my smile were cute!” to sobbing uncontrollably into her pillow drove home a critical point: That until now, these zombie idols have supported each other; and now that one of those pillars of support is crumbling, all of them are in turmoil.

and the repetition makes it truly special

Once again, Zombieland Saga is tackling a fairly serious and not at all funny subject openly and resisting the urge to turn it into farce. I really didn’t expect any of this when I started the show!

I remember the old M*A*S*H series. Great comedy for its time, but because of the comedic expectations, it had an opportunity to make powerfully dramatic points — as long as they didn’t do it too often. I get that vibe from this show!

You know what, I see it now. I loved M*A*S*H (use to watch reruns with my folks). That cutting sensibility is very much like Zombieland!

most of us feel this way

After having hurt the people closest to her (and having them retreat helpless, not knowing what to do), Sakura just aimlessly wanders the night ending up in a park.

Here we see the return of the creepy police officer. He didn’t really have much to do other than once again instill the feeling of déjà vue. But just like everything else this week, the familiar scene played out completely differently. The downtrodden and hurt Sakura was almost pleading to be shot. A sort of balm to her intangible pain. The entire thing was extremely unsettling and yet, oddly pretty.

I remember thinking it was tragically beautiful.

this scene was delicae, poignant and solemnly meaningful…

I should have realized it sooner of course. Sakura has always been a bit helpless after all. I should have seen that she was being set up as a damsel in distress. Still, such an unusual distress for anime.

In the end though, Sakura at her worst, brought our Kotarou at his best. Manager made his glorious entrance in the nick of time. Knocking out the cop (that poor guy has to have some long term brain damage by now) and swooping in to save the day.

Maybe that’s why he’s so creepy? One (or ten) too many blows to the head?

he’s had a few shocks

Manager has never been that great with words. It’s part of the gag. And although Zombieland played the scene seriously, he still wasn’t exactly inspiring. Sakura was more confused than motivated. This said, there was enough feeling, care and passion behind his words to at least give her something to latch onto!

May favourite line of dialogue was manager exclaiming “It doesn’t matter if you don’t have it, because I do!” The I’m good enough to make you good pep talk is not what we usually hear and I loved it. Would have worked on me! How about you?

It would have been so unexpected that it’d have a good chance at loosening my defenses. And did you catch how the show played with the trope of the voice of reason (the manager, in this case) storming off to let the main character wallow in a miserable soliloquy? Just as Sakura is descending into a self-loathing speech, Koutarou startles her with “Yeah, you thought I was done, huh?” Loved it. This show knows how to teeter right on the edge of melodrama!

surprisingly, that might be true

One of the few straight up jokes in this episode, was Yuguri dressing up in full geisha get up, and looking mightily impressive I might add, just to realize Sakura’s already left. I really would have loved to see Yuuri in that outfit longer. Any thoughts?

My first thought was the typical male response. I mean, Good Lord, she looked amazing! But then I had this sudden chill and realized that Yuguri had slapped before, and she could slap again! I was in fear for Sakura’s face!

I’m not thinking about anyone else’s face

This episode brought up a fascinating question: Just how profound an impact do our life experiences have on our hopes? In Sakura’s case, she weathered a seriously frustrating series of events. From an operant conditioning perspective alone, I can understand her reaction! But to be running out of the house, all excited to be back on track, and get killed? Jeesh!

But in her case, and apparently in her case alone, her amnesia was a complete blessing.

I still can’t get the image if Lily sobbing into her pillow out of my head. All of them are standing on such thin ice…

Saki is all of us

For me it was Saki. Frustrated, lost and a little scared Saki. First time we are seeing hr shaken up. If Saki can’t just make it all better and shrug it off, what are we going to do?

Seeing her check her thumb nail was such a perfect way to show her pain.

[ Did you want to mention anything about Koutarou’s conversation in the bar? In the comments on the ZLS 11 review on Random Curiosity, https://randomc.net/2018/12/13/zombieland-saga-11/, users Nene and Panino Manino had some really interesting theories…

This was a difficult episode to watch — and to review! Thanks for setting up the frame! ]

risk it, it’s worth it

Guys, this little bracketed text is in fact just meant for me. I’m leaving it in. I like seeing behind the curtain stuff on posts so I think you guys might enjoy it too. I also really like that Crow pays attention to his fellow bloggers and readers. He often points out comments or posts I have missed and I am very much richer for it.

You should go read Nene and Panino’s theories.I unfortunately don’t know enough to add anything interesting.

This said, manager’s bar scene was very intriguing. I didn’t originally comment on it in the post proper because I had so many things to get to, I didn’t want to overcrowd it but you know what – clarity has never been my brand.

flashback scene without warning or context!

There’s a reason your blog’s so popular! (dawwww)

These are my random takeaways from that scene. The village of Saga itself is responsible for the zombie phenomenon in some way, and Koutarou is not the only one who knows. He also plans to make it public at some point.

Koutarou himself has been around for a while. Since it’s very reasonable to think that he’s also not quite human, he could be hundreds of years old for all we know. This may be one of dozens of attempts to save Saga.

Maybe that’s why Saga’s still there at all?

this took a turn

The bartender seemed to have a very close personal relationship with Yuguri. Considering the family theme so far, I’m tempted to say he’s her dad.

Yuguri is a courtesan, which implies a lot of things. Although she is certainly charming and imposing, she has so far avoided being openly seductive or sexual. This could simply be because of the tone of the series but it may also have something to do with her life. Did she leave someone important behind?

I’m still wondering about the scar around her neck!

what do you mean just one episode left?

There cannot just be one episode left. We have so very much to explore still!

I’ll second that. It seems like this season has just given us a brief glimpse into a zombie world that’s coexisted with the human world — apparently for hundreds of years! Are there other zombies out and about? It seems they’ve kept themselves private, but I think you’re right when you say Koutarou wants to make it public — why else do something as obvious as an idol group?

And I’m just not ready to say goodbye to Franchouchou!

Despite using do many in the post, I actually still have a few screencaps left. I hope you enjoy them. This week was great for caps.

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Irina and Crow in Zombieland (Saga) ep11: It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn Here we are, the penultimate episode, and I’m already a little sad. As much as I’m going to miss this surprisingly loveable little show, I think I might miss our after reviewing tradition even more.

[sthbluesthblack]

And I also tried another gelato panino (last time was the chocolate one), this time was the Mocha Crunchy, not sure if they've adjusted the sweetness or this originally has a lower sweetness, gotta say the sweetness of the gelato was proper this time!👍🏻 (Personally prefer a more pronounced, richer flavour of mocha gelato though😝) #gelato #gelatopanino #CaffeDiemme #dessert (at Caffé Diemme Hong Kong)

[yu0903]

Diplomatico---Tartufo The proper sandwich 👍🏻 (at Panino Giusto)

[orolupo]

Host Country Report

Ciao, since my early childhood I have always been intrigued by Italy, I have often romanticized the idea of living there at some point of my life. Italy is the 11th largest country in Europe and has the 14th largest population density. Located East of France south of Switzerland and west of Slovenia; Italy has a long Mediterranean coast. Culturally Italy shares its romantic niche, religious values & cultural lineage with France and Spain. The capital of Italy and the most well known city in Italy is Rome. Romans actually gave the world something that we all make use of usually on a daily basis-indoor plumbing.

 The primary language of Italy is Italiano (Italian) followed by Inglese (English), Francese (French), Spagnolo (Spanish) and Tedesco (German).  Italy is a country with a large Christian influence and history, massive evidence is shown in the architecture of the country. Italy has more cathedrals than you can count and over five hundred basilicas. These places of worship aren’t your American variety of super church they are grand land monuments and architectural masterpieces, which in there own existence fabricate culture and encapsulate the art renaissance.

Italy is a family based culture where tradition is woven into the seams and double stitched. Families tend to live in close proximity, woman tend to be homemakers while men usually work outside the home. As a result wives are praised, admired and spoiled. Although this is the traditional norm this is not an absolute practice. Many women in Italy are well educated and do contribute to the workforce as much as men do. Like women in America, the women of Italy are typically more successful than their male counterparts in educational conquest. In fact I have taken two semesters of Italian, which was taught by a wonderful Italian woman who married a man who was serving the military.

The most popular television show in Italy is “Gomorrah”. Which is the Italian equivalent of HBOs “The Wire”. It is a crime drama series set in Naples that follows organized crime and the lives it effects. Italian culture has much greater influence on the word as whole in comparison to its modern television influence. The cuisine that fills the restaurants and homes of Italy are prepared far beyond Italy’s borders and into the dishes of many around the world. Italy is most known for pizza and pasta based dishes the most popular being spaghetti.  However Italy given us much more than our favorite dinner dishes, the panino is a popular item at Panera bread is an Italian style sandwich.  Fun fact: panini is actually an improperly advertised item, panini in Italian means sandwiches, the proper term is actually panino, which is the proper singular conjugation of the term. 

Italians have similar eating schedule to Americans breakfast is usually between 7-11am, lunch 12-2pm, a snack around 4pm and dinner between 8-10 pm. Eating especially dinner is something that is cherished amongst family and friends. Italy values are structured around the family community so many of the daily provocations of an Italian celebrate those values intrinsically in nature. There are several ways in which people in Italy may greet one another the most common are “Ciao” (informal hi), “Boun giorno” (formal hi), “Arrivederci” (informal goodbye) and “Arrivederla”(formal goodbye). Italy also like most European countries uses the Euro as currency. 

Me personally I fell in love with Italy through digital media. As a child cartoons, video games, movies and occasionally history classes drove my interest into Italian culture. My earliest influences were the teenaged mutant ninja turtles; the four main characters that were named after Italian renaissance artist planted a time bomb in my subconscious. As I aged I more frequently saw images of different Italian cathedrals and different landscapes. The one place in Italy that I have always wanted to see first hand is the Colosseum. 

As a child I wanted to be an architect so the Colosseum was to me one of the coolest thing I could ever see. Child hood fantasies aside, I began to try to absorb as much Italian culture as I reasonably could without distracting myself from my own personal development in my home.  I would pick up little things that I could inject into my own life to make myself more comfortable with the culture. I took two semesters of Italian early in college to begin learning the language rather than trying to have a crash course with Rosetta Stone on my flight. I can say that over time my experience my fears of making my trip have subsided with the knowledge I have acquired in this course. 

The main thing I learned was to prepare. Recently I have started reusing an application on my phone that lets me chat with people that live in Italy. On the app I help them with English and they help me with Italian so it is a mutually beneficial experience. I have found first hand that many of these people who live in Italy are very friendly and willing to help. I cannot say if it is because they are seeking to further their knowledge or if it is the general nature of most people in Italy, however they too are making me more comfortable with the idea of making the trip out of the country.

One thing I learned from my professor and the people that I chat with in Italy is how important communication is and how it is very expressive in Italian. When speaking in Italian it is very important to never be monotone. Italians are much more in my opinion personable people. They require much less personal space and to me that seem more human than what are expected of one in America. If there was any advice I could give anyone who is planning to do what I am planning to do, I would say plan well ahead. Make sure you take the time to truly get a good sense of the culture and the environment you are going to implant yourself in. Don’t go on this journey alone, go with a like-minded friend and watch each others backs the entire time. Above all else don’t be afraid to let anyone else be themselves, don’t challenge what you don’t understand, go with the flow and be as safe as possible.

[allaboutd2]

Passion and love and sex and money 

Violence, religion, injustice and death […]

Armani, Armani, ah-ah-Armani

Versace, cinque

Pet shop boys “Paninaro” (1986)

Milanese Paninari in the 80’s

The 80’s

I remember the first time I spotted a pair of Timberland wheat 6 inch boots. It was in the Forum des Halles in Paris, around 1987-1988. Not used to that type of colour and volume, I thought they were desperately ugly. They soon became huge…and I even ended up owning a pair, albeit in black. What nobody knew back then (pre-internet days you have to keep in mind) was that they had been “discovered”on this side of the Atlantic by a group of young Milanese boys and girls who became known as the Paninari (singular Paninaro).

After the nihilism of the Punk revolution, where “no future” had become a goal more than a critique of the system, many broke with this un-appealing prospect, while also breaking off with their parents old-fashioned values: aspiration to the high-life, desire for the finer things offered by the new consumerist society was becoming the new ideal.

There might also have been a social class element, most Metallari (sort of “metal-heads”, a popular urban sub-culture in the Italy of the 70’s-80’s) coming from disadvantaged suburbs, while the Paninari came from historic centres and affluent areas.

It started in Milan, piazza Liberty at the “Al Panino” café (Panino means Sandwich in Italian) in the Via Agnello district. Soon after they would move to “Burghy” of the piazza San Babilo, a metro station forever since associated with this particular youth culture. You have to realise that fast-food was then totally new to Europeans. Italians have an extremely rich and elaborate culinary culture; food is an art and eating is a ritual. This is why hanging out where you could eat burgers and drink Coke was in its own way quite revolutionary.

This attitude was riding the wave of consumerist culture proper to the 1980’s. This is the era of MTV, Berlusconi-owned media, TV advertising, fast-food, celebrity aerobics videotapes…

The trend gathered momentum, first within Italy (different names were used for the equivalent in Rome, Naples and other big cities), and later even made incursions abroad, partly thanks to the Pet shop boys who would release a song titled Paninaro in 1986. In retrospect I remember some guys in my school who wore what I now know to be part of the Paninaro attire (I had myself little interest in anything that was not Doc Martens, braces or bomber jackets back then).

The movement was an all encompassing lifestyle: speaking of music, the unofficial anthem of the movement was Duran-Duran The Wild boys. Not hard to see why. Partying and fast living was an essential aspect of the Paninaro lifestyle. Top gun and Return to the future were been the films of choice (as a cinephile I am not sure I could have made a great Paninaro!). The Zündapp 125 was the ultimate bike. Paninari even developped their own vocabulary and expressions.

Beside the aforementionned Timberland boots, the tanned-all-year-round, well-off youths wore the following brands (while not all from across the Atlantic, many have an American feel to them):

Footwear: Sebago deck shoes, Vans sneakers, Frye or Durango western boots…

Trousers: Levi’s 501, Americanino, Rifle corduroys, later Armani jeans, Stone Island (C.P. Company), Closed (who had a little grey logo tab…on the fly. Rings a bell?)…All worn ankle high.

Jackets: Moncler or Ciesse Piumini down jackets, Henry Lloyd consort jacket, MA1 bomber jackets, Avirex or Schott flight jackets…

Tops: Marina Yatching, By American, Lacoste, Best Company…often sported American preppy-style, with just the sleeves rolled around the neck.

Accessories: El Charro belts with “Western style” buckles, Burlington socks, suede Ocean Star gloves, Naj-oleari handbags for the girls, Invicta rucksacks, Vuarnet “Wayfarer” or Ray-ban aviator sunglasses…

The present time

Former Paninari have maintained the flame alive through social media, and even gatherings of what they call Paninari 2.0 piazza San Babilla. Their Facebook page can be found here Paninari Facebook

Below is Bircide, a prominent revivalist, who sent us this photo.

If the style as a distinct youth sub-culture in Italy and further afield was to fade away towards the end of the 80’s, many of the aforementionned clothes have become a staple of modern fashionable individuals’ wardrobes.

To this day, many high-end brands, and then by imitation, high-street brands, produce their own version of items that were typical of well-off Milanese youths over three decades ago. 

Dsquared2 is no exception, and I would add, may be even to a higher degree than some other  brands. First of all because Dean and Dan really met the fashion world at that very time. Secondly because they moved to Milan in 1991, when the Paninaro shockwaves could still be felt. Thirdly because they worked at Versace, named in the Pet shop boys song for good reason. Fourthly, the Italians had in fact adopted many American brands, or at least inspired by America, and even Canada in the case of Timberland, and finally because the Paninari were all about flashy, Logos, and colours…and so are our twins.

By wearing together one item in each clothing category from the below slideshow, all Dsquared2, you will be in full regalia for enjoying your cheeseburger. Don’t forget to turn on Duran-Duran or Bronski Beat, full blast.

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Dsquared2 and the Paninaro legacy Passion and love and sex and money Violence, religion, injustice and death [...] Armani, Armani, ah-ah-Armani…