There are no visible signs advertising Ars Nova on the corner of Via Raffaello and Via San Margherita, just a line of multi-colored leather sandals leading up the stairs from the cobblestone street.
Owner Donato Colombo’s advertising philosophy mirrors the inspiration behind his original leather designs. “My products haven’t got a mark; my mark is the [...]
July 28th, 2009 | | 2 Comments »
As the early morning sun warms the bricks of the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino residents pull in laundry drying from clotheslines outside their windows. A pasticceria sets out warm, freshly made pastries accompanied with jams made from local ingredients. Artisan Donato Colombo is hammering away at the soles of leather sandals. By 9 a.m. the [...]
July 28th, 2009 | | No Comments »
Looking over the sun setting behind layers of green hillsides and golden fields from my dorm room balcony, I feel as though I’ve made quantum leaps on both personal and professional levels since arriving in Urbino several weeks ago. Reflecting over my one-month jaunt immersed in a completely different culture it’s hard to imagine how [...]
July 28th, 2009 | Tags: Amy, Bianca, challenges, Cloud 15, Deja Vu, discomfort, Dove il Gimnasio?, Italian vacation, Language barrier, Mistaken Identity, participant observer, self-discovery, self-other, Shari, Tridente, Urbino | No Comments »
Nadia slices a huge zucchini the size of my arm while Milo measures flour and activates the yeast to bake two fresh loaves of sourdough bread.
Amy and I have been invited to lunch with Nadia and Milo for the sake of filming an impromptu organic cooking show. In all honesty, we invited ourselves into their [...]
July 27th, 2009 | Tags: Amy, eco-friendly, elderberry jam, fresh bread, Italian cooking, machismo, organic food, relationships, sourdough, zucchini | 1 Comment »
Shari tried on a pair of light pink leather gloves and you could see from the look in her eyes she was on Cloud 15. The sales woman slipped the motorcycle gloves onto her fingers and an illusion seemed to take place before my eyes. Although Shari’s elbow was firmly planted on the counter, the [...]
July 20th, 2009 | Tags: Bianca, bike tour, Florence, hospitality, italian leather, Otello Renzi, SerrAlta, Shari, sommelier, the royal treatment, Wine | 5 Comments »
Heavy sounds of bass and piano filled the swanky dining room of Golden View Open Bar as we entered for late-night cocktails and tiramisu. Abstract art work hung from the walls and every seat in the house had a perfect view of Fiume Arno. The windows were open and the breeze lifted in the sounds [...]
July 20th, 2009 | Tags: Amy, best views, Florence, Golden View Open Bar, places to eat, Ponte Vecchio, tiramisu | 2 Comments »
“Ciao,” a clearly American boy, dressed in a lacrosse penny and sweaty from an afternoon run greeted me.
His eyes averted my gaze as he opened the door and sheepishly smiled at his clumsy attempt to befriend a “local”. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself as I saw first-hand an American through the eyes of [...]
July 12th, 2009 | Tags: Amy, isolation, Italian, Language, Language barrier, locals, miscommunication | 1 Comment »
It’s 6:15 am on Thursday morning and normally I would be willing myself to get up from a deep slumber to make the hellish, one-hour commute northbound on the NJ turnpike from Point Pleasant, NJ, to Metro Park - in just enough time to sprint to the 8:16 train into NYC for a summer internship.
Instead, [...]
July 12th, 2009 | Tags: exercise, internship, jogging, StyleCaster, University of Urbino, Urbino | 1 Comment »
The Wall
» Add to the Wall!