THOMAS O’MALLEY AND DUCHESS IN VIGEVANO

THOMAS O’MALLEY AND DUCHESS IN VIGEVANO

Feb 16, 2025 | WHO CARES, WHO CARES

From 14 to 16 February, Vigevano welcomes lovers who want to spend romantic moments in our Piazza Ducale, and everywhere in general.

Vigevano in love.

I particularly appreciate two things of this event :

– one of the slogans that invites the people of Vigevano to fall in love with their city, something that is urgently needed, given the sudden decline to which we are subjected

– the ‘testimonials’, namely Thomas O’Malley and Duchess from The Aristocats, whom I obviously love.

 

In addition, representing the romance of their crossed tails above the rooftops, Thomas O’Malley and Duchess in Vigevano also introduce International Cat Day, the 17th because Vigevano is also ‘The City of Cats’ along with Rome and Milan.

 

The protagonists of ‘The city of Cats’ are the Disney cats.

Do you remember all their names?

I will write their initials at the end, but I am sure you will have already guessed them before reading.

Did you celebrate Valentine’s Day and/or Cat  Day?

A colleague of mine brought some Baci Perugina to the office to sweeten an uphill Friday and discovered that the cards inside no longer bear the famous quotes. 

In their place is a QR code and the quote is viewable via mobile phone.

I know, I’m about to admit something apparently tragic: I’ve grown old, I’ll pass.

CATS

Alice in Wonderland = C.
Cinderella = L.
Mickey Mouse = P.
Donald Duck = T.
Pinocchio = F.
101 Dalmatians = T.

Who’s missing?

Yours is missing. What’s his name?

THE BARD AND THE QUEEN

THE BARD AND THE QUEEN

Oct 5, 2024 | BOOKS, BOOKS

The Bard and the Queen is the book I received as a gift from my aunt and uncle, written by Paola Zannoner, known for writing many books for children, and published by DeA Planeta.

Paola Zannoner has a WordPress blog and the first thing she says about herself is that she lives in Florence.

I imagine that living in cities of art can confer the privilege of having an immense source of inspiration.

And it is the subject of inspiration that I would like to put to you, starting with this book.

I would say that there is no need to explain what a story entitled The Bard and the Queen could possibly be about.

I don’t know about you, but I have a particular fondness for Shakespeare.

I started reading the bilingual books, remember them? Every page had the text in the language opposite.

Il Bardo e la Regina

Back in the glorious days, which as you know I often quote, finding ways to learn languages was not a click away, and these books offered the possibility of having the translation available simultaneously, a bit like today’s online translators, and I point out ‘just a bit’ 🙂

Given that it is certainly not easy to choose, do you have a favourite work among all that Shakespeare has left us?

The book The Bard and the Queen mentions some of them in the course of our William’s life, explaining how they came about, that is, from the events that one day after another make up what is a person’s journey.

Do you think this is necessarily so?

I mean: can one write well about something one does not know?

Did Shakespeare live in the shoes of his characters?

Reading this book I visualised all the time the faces of the performers in the film Shakespeare in love.

But while my imagination did not particularly run to the faces, this book has in my opinion the merit of being sensory.

Smell.

The writer’s meticulous research focused my attention on the olfactory sense, succeeding in describing the atmosphere of a London that is not usually considered in this respect.

Have you ever read a book that was able to materialise one of the five senses?

CITIES THAT READ THE MOST

CITIES THAT READ THE MOST

Aug 24, 2024 | BOOKCROSSING, BOOKCROSSING, BOOKS, BOOKS

Which cities read the most? 

A ranking compiled annually by Amazon. 

Milan is in first place, but I am very proud that Pavia is in second place!

Second place but three books: between one coffee and another, it’s been a long time since I did any bookcrossing. 

In case you missed it, I’ll post the description here:
I hope that it could be a good idea for you as well: if you can be interested in the book you find in the category, all you have to do is to let me know where to deliver it. I don’t ask anything in return for me, but I would suggest using the concept shown in the movie “Pay it forward”: I would like you to pass a favor on to someone else. Thanks.

First book:

UN GIORNO SOLO by Felicia Yap Piemme Editions.

A Day Alone is all about the protagonist born from Felicia Yap’s pen, considered the publishing case of the year and praised by many leading international publications.

Second book:

STRONZE SI NASCE by Felicia Kingsley, Newton Compton Publishers.

Yes: same name. Felicia Kingsley however in this case is a pseudonym, the author’s real name is Serena Artioli. Her first novel, initially self-published, was so successful that it led her to this caustically titled novel.

Third book:

FESTA DI FAMIGLIA by Sveva Casati Modignani Edizioni Sperling & Kupfer.

The author doesn’t need to be introduced, but I will say of Family Feast that it is set in Milan.
The first chapter begins like this: It was the beginning of December.

In case you would like to read one of these books, you can send me an email or a private message on the social networking site of your choice.

Books are in Italian language.

Which cities read the most and then pay it forward?
We will find out together.

Enjoy your reading and THANK YOU in advance.

Archives

Pin It on Pinterest