August, 2004

• 22.08.04 Certosa di Pavia

  
  This beautiful monastery from 14th century, near Pavia (50km south of Milano), is perfectly well conserved. There is a inside tour with one of the priests as guide, where you can admire its original architecture and rich decoration, and feel how was the certosini (hermits priests) life inside the monastery.
  Certosa di Pavia official web site (only italian)
  Comune di Pavia - Certosa (with english texts)

• 17.08.04 Portofino

  We spent a nice Saturday at Portofino (30min by car from Genova), a trendy spot for Hollywood VIPs during the 50’s. It is a very small but charming port, with colored houses, contrast between small and traditional wood boats and big, modern and luxurious Yachts. We ate the traditional gnocchi “al pesto”, local pasta sauce made by olive oil, basil and pine nuts. There is a small and lovely castle up in the hill, from the British Lord Brown, that has an wonderful site-seeing.

  
  image from lorbus.

• 09.08.04 Weekend on Moscow

  

  Last weekend I went on a business trip to Moscow. The city is amazing with this socialist architectural background covered by a capitalist layer. Colorful outdoors; flashy signs; neons; squared, heavy, and gray residential buildings; all known fast-food franchises; huge and impressive monuments; wide streets; non friendly (and corrupt) police; tourists all over; Cyrillic alphabet (which is graphically very beautiful); big malls; matrioska; very rich or very poor people; Audi & Mercedes versus Lada.

  
  I had the opportunity to visit the Red Square, which was closed for the public, and after a 1 hour line I could visit Lenin’s mausoleum. It’s really worthwhile! The architecture is impressive, modern with black and red marble with strong personality and well defined lines; the ambient is dark, very lowlight compared with the outside, you can barely see when you enter; some non-smiling military officers guide you along a course and tell you to stay quiet; obviously no photos are allowed (in fact if you are carrying a camera or a mobile with camera you are not even allowed to enter!); and then here it is: Lenin’s body inside a glass box, perfectly preserved, with a very scenografic light only over his face and hands. To get the feeling you can take a virtual tour in Lenin’s Mausoleum website, which is really loyal to the real one.

  

  I stayed at the Ukraina Hotel, which is one of the 7 big towers Stalin constructed in the 50’s with a unique architecture know as Stalin Classicism.
  The hotel’s architecture and interior decoration is still perfectly preserved from its early years. It really gives you the feeling of the socialism period.

  

• 02.08.04 Olodum in Milano

  

  Yesterday we saw Olodum at the Portello parking area, nearby Milano’s Fair Complex.
  Except by the big sign “Fiera di Milano” visibly behind the stage it was a concert with real carnival flavor! Caipirinha included!