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Mini Cars in Italy

November 20, 2011 in Italy, Travel by somethingboutrenes | No comments

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There are many mini cars in Italy and it is not just cars, they have mini buses, vans and trucks too! I can understand why they miniaturize every form of vehicles! Their roads are mostly narrow and single lane, and their parking areas are limited and at the roadsides! Unlike in Singapore where most of our roads are at least two lanes and multistory parking spaces are in abundance. Italians have to navigate the narrow roads between old buildings on cobblestone and share the roads with with pedestrians and cyclists. I just find it amusing whenever I see large man in a mini car! Haha.

Cornetto/Brioche: Croissant’s Cousin in Italy

November 20, 2011 in Food, Italy, Travel by somethingboutrenes | 2 comments

Another random post about Italy! I have so many random posts at the back of my head, it’s going to take months to clear! Haha.

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My personal favorite! We found this bakery in Milan!

This Italian pastry named “cornetto” in the Center and South of Italy and “brioche” in the North is a cousin of French Croissant! Unlike the French version which is crispy and buttery, Cornetto / Brioche is softer and comes with fillings! They dolled them up with fruits, nuts, cream, sugar and jam and filled them with puree, cream and chocolate! We have them at every breakfast in the hotels we stayed, you see them in cafes and bakeries and it’s everywhere! Yums!

Painting from Rome got Stretched.

November 20, 2011 in All Things Pretty, Italy, Travel by somethingboutrenes | 2 comments

Sino Trading & Frame Works

450 Clementi Ave 3 #01-281 Singapore 120450
Tel: 67771188

Remember I put up a post about a painting we bought at Piazza Navona in Rome? We finally got it stretched! Instead of going to JB which we thought is a hassle to save $20 – $30, I brought it to Sino Trading & Frame Works at Clementi! It costs $73 (after asking for a discount from $75) to stretch the canvas which was 24 inches by 34 inches! Not a bad deal I say. Skillful old masters do the framing and stretching at the store instead of sending them to a factory. They are also helpful and attentive to our requests. The material they used looks strong and of good quality! Total cost of this painting $243!

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Awaiting to hang on the wall

And about our painting, I love the red poppies in the foreground,the little house on the hill and the great blue sky! It is a view of Tuscany in Summer / Spring and it is beautiful! Different from most of the paintings found at Piazza Navona, it is less of a country style. Instead, it looks modern with the use of vibrant and striking colors! Most importantly this painting makes me happy while looking at it! I once went to an art exhibition and an art collector gave a talk on how collectors should buy a painting because they love looking at it, instead of its “collectible value” which makes them think “ah, what an ugly painting but I can surely make some money out of it in a few years” and I totally agree with him.

Duomo, Florence

November 20, 2011 in Italy, Travel by somethingboutrenes | No comments

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When we first saw Duomo – Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore – in Florence, we were awed. It was as though we have walked into a picture, it was magical! The magic soon disipate once we saw the queue to the church! The entrance to Duomo is free but to climb the dome, you will have to buy a ticket.

The Gothic style cathedral was constructed between 1296 – 1436 and the unique design was created using polychrome marble in shades of green and pink on its exterior. This basilica is one of Italy’s largest churches and it still remains the largest brick dome ever constructed. It is a must see in Florence!

Prada Space Outlet, Florence

November 12, 2011 in Italy, Shopping, Travel by somethingboutrenes | 20 comments

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There are two popular outlet stores in Florence outskirt and we chose to visit Prada Space Outlet. It looks different from what I have imagined! I thought it will be chaotic but really it looks like a nice Prada store with a lot of Asians (coming from Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Japan and Korea). HAHA. It is really easy to get there, take a train from Florence Termini Station to Montevarchi Station which takes about 35 mins (express train) or 45 mins to an hour (normal train). From Montevarchi, catch a cab at the station. Prada Space Outlet is the only tourist attraction at Montevarchi and it seems like the entire town survives on their tourist spendings. The cab drivers told us there are probably only 4 cabs in this town and they run to and fro the train station to Space outlet daily!

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We were told by the sales staff that they have limited pieces each day for sale and if you go on a weekend afternoon, most of the shelves will be empty already! So huge tip, visit in the morning! We went on a Saturday morning and were number 100+ patrons! They had a limit of 200 patrons per session (not sure how long is the session) but when we were there, it was busy but there wasn’t a queue to get in! So lucky us! We spent less than an hour there because we were very focused on what we wanted to get. Haha.

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Our loots! Ok mine, mine loots! Haha

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A leather bag for mummy! This is a classic design and it is made of full cow leather. It costs less than 400 euros!

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This is for me! A small one for special events! Similarly full cow leather and costs less than 500 euros!

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A wallet for me! I wanted a nice pretty wallet for the longest time! Similarly, leather and costs 189 euros

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My sister wanted a long black wallet and I thought this is a classic design. Haha. Leather and costs 189 euros too.

So you roughly have a sense of what kind of things they have and their prices! All these prices were before VAT tax refund of around 11 – 13% (I can’t remember)?

Nespresso, Florence

November 12, 2011 in Italy, Shopping, Travel by somethingboutrenes | 2 comments

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He bought our Nespresso machine from Europe and all our capsules are from Europe too! You may wonder, why do we lugged them all the way back home? For one simple reason, it is far cheaper than if you bought it in Singapore. We didn’t come across any Nespresso counters in Italy and thought there didn’t enter the Italy market. But we were determined so our best friend Goggle pointed us to a Nespresso boutique in Coin, a departmental store in Florence on Via dei Calzaiuoli. So yay to that! Here’s for all like-minded people who may be looking for Nespresso in Italy. Haha.

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Satisfied customer.

Bata, Italy

November 12, 2011 in Italy, Travel by somethingboutrenes | No comments

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If you ever wondered where BATA originates from, it is not Malaysia and yes even though the unofficial acronym for BATA is Buy and throw away it is not from our neighbors! Correction: Bata is from Czech republic! Yes! For the record, a lot of the shoes sold in Italy’s Bata is actually made in Italy! Haha.

Colosseum, Rome

November 12, 2011 in Italy, Travel by somethingboutrenes | No comments

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When you are in Rome there is one major tourist attraction which you must visit, the Colosseum. It was originally an amphitheatre and was used for many battles among/between animals, man and animal and men. There were many Christians who got brutally killed there before Rome was a Christian state. Within this amphitheatre there were many “lifts” where animals were brought up from the underground passage to ground level for battles. Wow! Given the lack of technology in the past, it is amazing.

For tourists, it is interesting to know that this majestic building was built during AD 70 – 72! Wow. You probably need less than an hour to walk around this site and read the exhibits displayed. I love visiting ancient ruins!

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Just around the corner of Colosseum, you will see the Roman Forum. What is left is a few of these structures and many rocks and bits and pieces of buildings which looks like huge rocks. Haha. At one of the rocks, many flowers were being thrown in there, it was where the public burning of Julius Cesar took place.

Leather Owl Key Ring from San Lorenzo Market, Florence

November 7, 2011 in Italy, Owl Obsession, Travel by somethingboutrenes | No comments

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Most of my readers probably know of my owl obsession and there are so many owls products in Italy! I resisted most of them except this one little owl leather keyring I bought from the leather market at San Lorenzo Church in Florence. Isn’t it cute! Haha.

Review Rick Steves

November 7, 2011 in Books, Italy, Travel by somethingboutrenes | No comments

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The best guidebook probably in Italy or Europe. If you spot anyone carrying a guidebook in Italy, they are probably holding a Rick Steves. It is that popular especially among Americans and Asians. Rick Steves’s guide book is best for their audio guides which can be downloaded for free using an iPhone app. I enjoyed his humour unlike most of the guides which are written in an informative but boring way. We also found some of his tips (e.g buying Roma Pass in Rome) and food recommendations useful! Some tourists insist on not eating at any of the restaurants that Rick Steves recommended mostly because the restaurants will ended up being filled with tourists once it is listed in the book! But we found it useful and it sure is better than Lonely Planet.

You may want to get your hand on one if you are traveling to Italy! We got ours from the library and speaking of which, these books are still lying around with it being overdue! SHIT.

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