St Stephen's day

We celebrated this day making tagliatelle, a kind of pasta. Tomorrow I'll tell you how they are. Hope good... Do you like my look? :-)

Merry xmas 2008!

Merry xmas everyone! As usual me and my friends met each other to celebrate xmas drinking an hot chocolate with cream.
Merry xmas!!!

Renzo Arbore and the Italian orchestra!

Yesterday a really great live concert in Bologna! Renzo Arbore and the Italian orchestra, 15 really talented musicians. Between the songs Renzo talked us a lot of anecdotes about his songs and about the orchestra and he made me laugh a lot! They sang "napoletan songs". Just imagine that I know by hearth some lyrics even if I don't know the meaning of that, and I understood them because before singing he translated them in English... Crazy! Special guest of this evening was a great friend: Bictoni! ... Renzo... Renzo... Reginella! :-) Later a beer for him and a classic banana split for me (as usual)...
Wonderful!

First ERTMS high speed train Milan Bologna

On Sunday 14 the first high speed train of a new generation (ERTMS technology) from Milan to Bologna started its ride! 66 minutes, even if a little trouble with radio communications system happened! At the end of the ride the train was 2 minutes in late. Since Sunday 50 rides per day, at the moment without problems... :-)
And immediately later in Bologna railway station a new countdown started! The new Bologna Firenze in half an hour! Alstom is involved in both plans!
Here you can see some pics of the Technology Site in Bologna, where all the information are constantly kept under control.
Is it the future?
Do you remember the final act of Garfield the movie? :-) Hope not! :-)

Tutto esaurito in Bologna!

Yesterday my heroes came in my city for a live show! It was so weird and amazing! I mean... they are real! Who are they? Mitch e Squalo, Cicciopuzzo, Pizza and our Captain, the voice, Marco Galli!!! Thanks for coming in Bologna! I'm "tutto esaurito" too! So... A COLAZIOOONE!

Montegrotto thermal baths

Relaxing day yesterday in an hotel with thermal baths in Montegrotto near Padua. I went there with Pillo, Simo and Elena... Too funny! Hot thermal baths surrended by a freezing natural environment. In the evening with the darkness many candles outside and too vapour. It was quite impossible to recognize each other! This morning I just woke up too relaxed! So amazing!

Barack Obama, the new president!

I was in Times Square when it happened! I've never lived an evening like that! It was like being in the centre of this planet while the biggest happiness of this world blows out! I've never saw an enthusiasm and an involvement like that! So amazing! Everyone was so proud of their choice and I was so glad to meet the people from New York! I can tell I was there and don't forget the most important "Yes we can"!





... coming soon ...

Back to NY

And finally back to NY! This city is so enchanting! This time we also walked on the Brooklyn bridge going to Manhattan during the sunset! Me and my sweetheart were so excited!
NY is so wonderful and amazing!

Halloween in Miami

We had a great evening in Lincoln Road! It was so crowded of people! Walking was so difficult! I didn't see 2 equals masked! My favorite one was the mammography mask! "Touch here with your tits for your mammography!"... Ingenious! :-)

Miami

Welcome to Miami, benvenido a Miami! Do you remember a famous song by Will Smith? He was definitely right! Welcome to this incredible city! We had 3 days in Miami. We saw I think a lot, or at least every famous area: Coconut Groove, Little Havana, Coral Gables and the Ocean Drive. Thanks to a visit tour by bus and then by boat we could appreciate the different architectures of these different districts. They are just cities inside a big city! We could also see a little island inside Miami where all rich people have an home, but the most spectacular home is where Scarface (the movie) was shot! Ocean Drive is a spectacular street... and the sand in Miami beach is so white! Benvenido!!!

Fort Lauderdale

On the 31 of October, Halloween, we had the lunch in Fort Lauderdale, in a restaurant next to the seaport. So we had the opportunity to visit the cost of this rich city. As you can see, we meet some guys who were surfing masked. They were really crazy! Very nice!

Cape Canaveral

I drove for 8 hours and half, from Key West directly to Cape Canaveral. Yes, driving in US is much easier than in Italy, but it was a long trip. Anyway we reached Cape Canaveral in the evening and, the day after, we went to the Kennedy Space Center. It's too amazing! All my kid dreams became true! I saw the launch tower of the space shuttle in person and all the other tower for all the Apollo! I touched a real piece of the moon carried there from an astronaut! I tried a special realistic game which simulates "how to be launch in the space". Pure adrenalin!
There are also alligators and dolphins in the water and we saw both of them! So real!

Key West

I have no words to describe this place. It's like a dream, it's so wonderful, I've never expected that such place was real! But before speaking about it, I have to tell you something about the bridge which connects Key Largo with Key West. It's a long bridge made of several bridges for 96 miles! The most famous one is the 7 miles bridge. It's seem to float on the Ocean! 2 hours driving and not realizing it! Amazing! Then we reached Key West! Here there is the southern most point in US! It's just 90 miles far from Cuba! This island is so beautiful, the ocean, the beach, I've never been in such place. And then we rented a canoe to explore by ourselves the water-life: some jellyfishes, sea stars, sea urchins and the most beautiful trees called Mangroves! So wonderful, peaceful, relaxing place! The best of the best!

Key Largo and Marathon

After the Everglades we drove till Key Largo. We spent the night in a beautiful motel next to the Bay. We had a really good evening between the restaurant and the hammock next to the Bay. The day after we drove again till Key West, but before we stopped in Marathon in a really good restaurant. They gave us a local dish... It was a sandwich with a kind of fish! It was so delicious! I've never ate such delicious sandwich, so much that I had to get another one! ... and with the street pilot driving was so easy!

Everglades

Just arrived in Florida and we rented a car. A red dodge caliber!
We spent the night in a huge hotel not far from the airport. The day after we reached the National Park of Everglades. Unbelievable, we saw some alligators and crocodiles, just 1 step far from us! Do you know the difference between them? The crocodiles are green the alligators black, but both of them like eating... We took an airboat tour to explore better this big park!
So scared! :-)

All over Florida and back to NY

Here we are! We're back from 2 weeks of vacation in US! So cool!
Me and my girlfriend, my sweet Stelli were 10 days in Florida, we had a big self-made tour, all over this country and then for 4 days back to NY. So... We spent Halloween in Miami and then the election of the new president of the United States in Times Square, NY.
Check our trip in Florida! We rented a car and we drove a lot, more than 800 miles, but driving in US is so easy!! So amazing!
Then back to NY! Obama-mia!
Now keep the order and ... come with us!!!

Let's go!!!

Here we are! We're ready! Tomorrow morning we'll have the fly!!! Let's go! Amazing!!!

Pizza at Menno's home

Tonight Menno and his wife Fede invited us to eat a Pizza in their new home! Really nice home! Menno well done... and really wonderful slippers, I want Homer Simpson too! Crazy!!!

Pyramid climbing!

Unbelievable, funny and crazy afternoon next to my home in Bologna! I climbed a pyramid made of wire rope! Equilibrium, coordination, technique, strength and a little bit of madness! So crazy and amazing!

Cooking course, Ciak 2... Action!

Please make some noise for the best chefs... My colleagues!
In fact yesterday we met each other to see if we were able to make tagliatelle again after the official course! Delicious, but not only the tagliatelle, also "tortelloni burro e salvia" made by Daniela and grilled sausages with two sweets made by Stefania and Maria Antonietta, also called Manto! :-)
And many thanks to everyone for this laughing evening! So laughing!

Cooking course "La mestola e il ramino"

Funny evening yesterday with some Alstom colleagues... Just having something different we attended a cooking course of how to make "la sfoglina" to create the pasta! Be careful and remember: for every 100 grams of flour one egg, and if you add something for example green grass the quantity could be changed. In fact it has to be not too dry and not too wet. Everyone of us made it with different color adding a particular ingredient, even with chocolate! And when the "sfoglia" was ready we made nearly every kind of pasta: pappardelle, tagliatelle, strichetti (also called farfalle), mal tagliati and quadretti. And finally we ate them! Delicious! We enjoyed so much like kids! Enjoy the meal! In German good appetit! In italian buon appetito! Wonderful evening! Amazing!

Good luck Fausto!

Yesterday great party with Fausto and with our colleagues. Really funny evening enjoying dinner all together. After 2 years working together it was a real pleasure for me working with him... (not only working of course!)
bye bye Fausto!
Good luck!

My new haircut...

Am I younger? :-)
Crazy!

Bratislava

Compare to Wien it's really a poor city, but it's also a characteristic and amusing town! What do you think about the meaning of the big women statue in the city center? :-) Do I look like a koala? :-)

Wien

Wien is a gigantic emperor city! I've never seen such big and strong palaces, everyone next to each other and everywhere in the city!!! Thanks to my sweety and our vacation mates we had so much fun all around this city. Great music from the Figaro Hall by Mozart and Strauss, with a funny ballet!!! We tasted the original Sacher Torte by Sacher Hotel, so expensive, but so good! We also appreciated so much the Klimt painting, in particular "The Kiss" as you can easily see from the guardian face (shooting pics was strictly prohibited!) I also tasted the most delicious meat in Grinzing, a local district a little bit outside the city! I've never ate cutlets cooked so well! Delicious!.
SO AMAZING!!!

My summer vacation!

Me, Katia (my sweety StelliStò), Pillo and Fabiola (two close friends of mine), spent 5 wonderful days on vacation between Wien (Austria) and Bratislava(Slovakia), which are connected to each other by the second longest river (Danube). In particular we went trough it with a really fast hydrofoil...
So exciting!
Click here to see our trip in Wien and here in Bratislava!

Dinner with Lisa and friends...

Pizza with Lisa and some friends. Tomorrow at 5 am she's gonna fly at her home in California. The picture of Bictoni, while he's eating the pizza, is up to the 2008 Pulitzer Prize!
Bye bye Lisa... I'm gonna miss you!

Funny dinner with some Alstom colleagues

Yesterday evening funny dinner with some colleagues of mine from Alstom Transport.
Good pizza and too many mosquitos, but as always I was not pinched...
Funny!

Maggiore Lake, Arona and Stresa Mountains

On Sunday I went to the Maggiore Lake to meet the first half of my heart, my sweety StelliSto!
In the morning lying next to the lake, eating in front of the lake a delicious tasted dish and then through the funicular we reached the mountain next to the lake, about 1km and half over the sea level. Finally we made a good tracking walk through the stones in the forest...
More than amazing... More than a wonderful week end... More than... Only one word: LIFE!

Sleeping in Tito's home in Milan

Saturday night I arrived in Milan with 1 hour late, about 1 am! I reached the Tito's home and I came in with the keys... Instead he came back 1 hour and half after from the R.E.M. concert, while I just fall asleep... so I woke up, we chatted each other for I think more then 1 hour. The morning after at 7.30 am bye bye Tito!!! I slept only 3 hours... but I woke up already rested (I know it's quite unbelievable), and an advice for Tito: an ergonomic pillow is completely another world!

Ilaria and Paolo wedding featuring Iacopo!

... and finally a special friend found his twin soul and he fulfilled the sweetest dream! I'm so happy for him, for their kid, Jacopo and for their new family!!! In fact on Saturday in Pontedera (FI) they got married... Ilaria... I know... it's going to be hard supporting such a block head man like Paolo... For me 5 days in hospital together were enough (I'm kidding of course!) and I'm also sure this sweetheart will give you the wonderful gift: the happiness...
The sweetest emotion!

1000 km in less than 48 hours...

WAO...
I reached 1000 km in less than 48 hours!
...click here to see my trip...
Travelling is so cool...!
I left my city (Bologna) Saturday afternoon at 2 pm and I came back Sunday (yesterday) at 1am!
Now I'm going to explain you why I wanted to reach all these locations...!
I definitely love travelling!
AMAZING!

Antonia (from NJ) and Lisa (from CA)

Do you remember Antonia from NJ? The first time we met her at the wedding day of Lisa and Gianluca in US with her sister Annamaria! She was visiting my city (Bologna), so Friday night we went out all together and we had great fun around the city! She was improving her italian and thanks to my advices now her italian... is worst!!! I mean... I taught her some special words like "Stufoso" and one that I recently coined "Gnagnagna"! And she's 20 now... As you know in US drinking alcohool before than 21 is stricly prohibited, so we taught her what she can drink, I mean... as every friend of mine knows, I've gived up drinking, but we know what to drink... :-)
Happy birthday!
And also Lisa from CA was here, because she decided to spend some other time in Italy before joining his husband Gianluca, who came back to work there...!
Funny American Friday!

Wedding day of Lisa and Gianluca (in Italy)

Hi everyone,
it's a real pleasure to tell you that Lisa and Gianluca married each other again, but this time in Italy!
Following everyone enjoyed this moment in a really characteristic country home!
Dancing all evening with a real cool live band from Bologna... Please welcome Kilowatt !!!
At the end of that evening 2 wonderful jokes!
D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y LOVE!

Together again!

Really cool evening! Together again! I think last time all together was at the celebration of our degrees in 2003. We are almost all 30, but we're always the same. Everyone of us has different experiences, but it's been so wonderful to share them! Always foolish, always fighting, always smiling!

And also Carlo is 30!

We just came back home! And now also Carlo is 30...! We celebrated this occasion all together in a famous disco club next to the sea! I danced all night long till the 4.30 am! What emotion and what a wonderful night! Dancing is so cool! Amazing!

Barbecue at Vipe's home

Hot day today at Vipe's home! We were about 30 people enjoying porc meat! :-)
Delicious!

Italy Vs France 2 - 0

Yes!!!
Great match!
Italy goes to quarterfinal vs Spain!
Too noise in my home!!! You can easily imagine it!
Go Italy... Go!

Italy Vs Romania

Sad match, at least for Italy. Now ranking at the first two positions is quite impossible. By the way, it was a good evening spent with friends...
Let's see what will happen tonight to France and Nederland!
And now it's time for a good pizza!

My father an eroe!

That's my dad guys!
Like Renegade he saved a women from a snatcher...
I love him!
A man blocked a snatcher and saved a woman (ita)

Anna and Davide's marriage...

Beautiful weather for this great event!
At the beginning Davide was a little bit nervous but then the Anna's love won everything!
...and at the end the priest said: "Now nobody has to split what God joined together!"
Wonderful love!

MotoGP at Mugello 2008

Yesterday I went to Mugello to watch the motoGP race!
We parked our car 1 hour and half far from the circuit though the Scarperia hills... So hard!!!
Sunny and hot weather for 144 thousand people supporting Valentino Rossi and the other italian riders.
At the end three italian riders won the three challenges: Corsi (125) , Simoncelli (250) and the great Valentino Rossi for the motoGP! He is really really really the best!
I was quite disappointed that Brad Pitt didn't call me to meet me, but you know... he was just scared of Cobra!
Unbelievable!

I'm 30 today!

I feel really fine! I'm 30 and I'm so fine! Great party this evening with all my friends! We enjoyed so much laughing together. Later I went with Eleonora (the Boss) and his boyfriend (Mario) to listen a live concert near by my home!

More than amazing!
And now it's time to play!

Fede and Menno 's marriage

Federica and Menno are married now! Congratulations from all of us!
PS: the lunch was even the dinner, it lasted more than 4 hours! :-)
AMAZING!

Happy birthday Boss...

Happy birthday my dear friend Ele! Congratulation with all of my heart!

Menno's bachelor party!

Sunny day in Marina di Ravenna!
A lot of friends to celebrate the Menno's bachelor party!
We spent the Saturday night there and we had the opportunity to enjoy a lot all together!
After the wedding day, I'll publish all the rest of pictures, trust me... you have to see them! :-)
So... Good luck Menno and Fede!
Amazing!
PS (for Fede): don't worry! Menno is real good!

Dublin

Past week I needed to detach myself from the ordinary days, so during these free days (holiday in Italy) I went to Dublin: three days and three nights.
Well... I was interested to know the Irish culture even if I decided that city because I definitely love the Guiness beer and a lot of people in Italy told me that in Ireland it's even better! They were right!
Frankly speaking I didn't expect such a little city! It's not a real city it's more or less a town and the people from there are awesome! They are really friendly! I was really surprised! I thought to live in a Truman Show, every where I went, people suggested me what to visit without I asked them anything! They were really nice! Temple Bar, the place I had the hotel, is quite similar to Covent Garden in London! Every where Italian restaurant and no Italian people inside! :-) I've also tasted a local dishes from there: a lot of meat and one evening I ate the meat cooked in the Guiness sauce!
For Gianluca: the Guiness shirt with green and black stripes is yours! :-)
The Liffey River is so romantic and I was really lucky because it didn't rain.
Really lovely town!

V2DAY!

And now stop us if you can!!!
How many people in this square? Dedicated to all the people who gave their lifes for this country! Freedom!
Click here!

Giacobazzi and Pizzocchi show!

What a laughing evening tonight! I watched them show at theater! Two brillant comedians! They talked about everything with an accent really funny, from the town I'm from. We were me, my brother, Carlo, Elisa, Lorenzo and Danila! ... lot of laughing ...

Stresa, Arona and Maggiore Lake

I spent Easter with my little StelliStò in Arona, near Maggiore Lake!
Even if the forecast in Italy was frightening I went there! I like risks... :-) Frankly speaking I hoped it was sunny but I didn't expect such a wounderful time! In the evening we ate some special food from Sardegna, an italian island... Could you imagine? I went near Maggiore Lake to eat something from Sardegna! Funny! Then the day later we arrived at Stresa, always over the lake but even near the mountains... Wonderful landscape!
Amazing Easter!

And the life goes on...

The secret of life in its beautiful magnitude is ready!
Last working day for my dear colleague Sakira!
Congratulation with you and with the future daddy from all of us...!
Gloriously real!

Brasilian restaurant

Cool dinner at the Brasilian Restaurant. We ate 10 kind of meat, an hot ananas and a sweet. We were surrounded by Brasilian music and brasilian girls, I mean... Frankly speaking I just don't know! For a moment I thought to be in the famous italian movie "l'allenatore nel pallone", do you remember the dancing scene...?
I enjoyed really a lot! Thanks to my friends!
Unbelievable!

Parco dei Cigni Bologna

I've just finished reading "Getting thinks done", written by David Allen, a gift from Gianluca and Lisa! Thanks guys!
A great book which explains how to manage, think, plan and design your life!
Before reading this book I've already applied some of the ideas (and some tips) here described and after I learned much more!
In this days I've started reading a new book:
"Con le donne ho chiuso" in italian and more or less it means: "I broke up any relationship with women"...
Don't worry... it's a joke! In fact, as you can see, a little bag is closed to me, and it was not mine! :-)
The owner is really a special person who I'm sure is gonna read this post! Thanks StelliStò! And I'd like to thank you even because you gave me a big help to clean my dirty home... See u tonight...! :-) Thanks again to sustain me!

Lunch with my cousins

Me, my aunt, uncle and cousins visited my family at their home. Delicious lunch, cooked by my dad!
Luca and Andrea are too funny!

Visiting Milan with Katia

Today I went to Milan to meet Katia! We met each other there because it's halfway for us! Definitely freezing day! But I enjoyed a lot! Wounderful day!
PS: Thanks to sustain me!

Pilates

From 3 weeks I've been attending Pilates training! A friend of mine told me: "Oh... don't worry, it's the physical training for pregnat women"... He was D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-L-Y wrong! It's really hard!
The keys of such training are: breathing, centering, concentration, control and precision. And immediately later you feel so fine! Thanks to Ele who convinced me to follow her! GO ELE, GOOO!

One day at Lake Maggiore

Yesterday I was at Lake Maggiore. It rained a lot but the sun was inside me, thanks to my sweet Stellistò! :-)
THE SWEETEST EMOTION!

Portugal

The best New Year's Day...!

I left my city on the 27th of Dicember and I was back on the 3rd of January 2008. I visited the Portugal! Me and my girlfriend, StelliStò her nickname, landed off in Lisbon and immediately later we rented a car. Our first stop was in Cascais in a wonderful hotel. Our room had a spectacular view on the Atlantic ocean! We saw on the ocean the dask and the dawn! Unbelievable sensation!. The day after in the afternoon we drove till Cabo da Roca. It's really famous town because it's situated in the more west point of the Europe... and later a little stop to admire the coast, we drove again till Sintra, a characteristic town... and then again in our car till a town in the fog between Alcobaca and Nazarè. We spent there 2 nights! Near the ocean again! We lied on the beach and run on the ocean! The water was defenitly freezing even if the sun was really big! The fourth day we spent the night in Coimbra, an old city in the middle of Portugal, really nice. And the day later on the 31st of Dicember we drove till Fatima, religious city, and then again till Lisbon! The best New Year's Day! And even if my sweet StelliStò felt not so good that days I really enjoyed this time with her!
This is a short movie shot in Nazarè, while I run on the freezing Atlantic Ocean! What can I tell you more? Maybe only one word: AMAZING!