La Vita è Bella

La Vita e' Bella= This life is Beautiful! I am currently in a class called Cultures and Civilization of Italy and had the chance to see a movie that I would never choose on my own. This movie is called La Vita e' Bella and is about a true story of a family during the holocaust but has a twist of humor to it.  This film really had a effect on the way I thought about life and the vision I have for where my life is headed solely because it exposes people through the roughest parts of life and all the bad circumstances it brings about. After seeing this film I have the feeling that I was put on this earth to serve a purpose and I am pretty thankful for all the blessings in my life thus far.

"Quote of the week"

"People often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder,' and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves." 

Salma Hayek

"J'Adore Burlesque"

PARIS is in 3 days and I can't think about anything else right now. I saw the trailer for the new movie Burlesque starring Christina Aguilera which is about a small town girl getting a job at a Burlesque lounge and turning into a dancer. It made me think of how much fun Moulin Rouge will be!!! The costumes I know will take my breath away but mostly it will be the fact that I will be watching the actual show in Paris,France! Au Revoir

"Beautiful Cliffs"

Random idea crossed my mind to go to Cinque Terre on a saturday afternoon and hike all day. My roommate Jess and I left Milan at 2p.m. on the train for Cinque Terre. We were under the impression that it took only a hour and 30 minutes to get there but we were so wrong. We ended up being on the train for 3 hours and were very restless and getting frustrated because it was slowly getting later and later and we didn't think we would have any time to hike because it would be dark. We finally arrived at 5:05p.m. in Monterosso and then found out the last train left Monterosso at 6:55p.m. so this was going to be a very quick trip haha. Well we started to explore the town and I am so glad I decided to come to this ocean front town because it was BEAUTIFUL! The water was the color of a Tiffanys box  and the air smelled like fresh beach the smell that I live for. The Cliffs on the outskirts of the water were my favorite part of the whole town they were like nothing I had ever seen before.  As we were hiking up to the top of the mountain, I let all my stress from the week just escape, because I was at such peace. Overlooking the Deep blue sea and realizing how special this town really was. A cool fact I learned about Cinque Terre is that it is known for its Anchovies and pesto. After our short hike we were starving we hadn't eaten all day long and the only thing that was open was a wine and cheese bar. It is known in Monterosso for being the oldest and best wine bar in the town. The cheese and bruschetta was pretty good but I wanted a real meal at this point of starvation!

"Lets give a future to Memories"

 We all know that the Holocaust was the genocide of over six million Jews in Europe during World War II. The thing we didn’t know was what exactly went on inside the concentration camps.  Our class was going to get this remarkable opportunity to listen to a lecture by people who had family members survive the life altering situation and heartbreaking time of World War II.  I didn’t really know what to expect, but I knew that this day would be very meaningful to my life and the way I thought about history.  The first speaker was an older woman by the name of Giovana and the Holocaust played a huge role in her life because her mother was sent to a concentration camp. Giovana’s mother and her friends were split up when they choose who would go to the execution camp or who would go to the concentration camp. Luckily for Giovan’s mother she would be spared her life but endure incredible amounts of physical and emotional pain throughout the years.  In the camps the goals of Nazis were to dehumanize the prisoners and use them like they were machines. The Nazis would start to dehumanize the prisoners from the very beginning, which started by giving the naked medical exam. Then the prisoners would have to get butt naked in front of thousand other men and women.  The next part of this horrible process would be the women would get their heads shaved and all their belongings taken away from them.  After that they would have to put on clothes that they had been given that most likely didn’t even fit them as well as shoesThe worst part of this process is that they were branded like cattle by having a number tattooed onto the outside of their arms. 

 I can’t imagine how it would have felt to be one of these prisoners and for all of my rights to be stripped away in such a dehumanizing manner. It brings light to my eyes to think that some people that went through this were stronger than I could ever be.  It just makes me think how no matter what comes my way I can weather anything and when I see a fork in the road to keep my head up and keep going through life in a positive light. 

Tutti Frutti

I have always wanted to visit a showroom in Milan and the time came when Brittany and I were researching for a class activity and finally stumbled upon Tutti Frutti Milano. Tutti Frutti is the most fashionable showroom located near the Duomo and has some very well known clients such as Paris Hilton, Stuart Weitzman, Juicy Couture, Rock Revival, Wild Fox and Victoria Beckham. Tuttifrutti was established in 2004 and represents the Eastern European market. They have everything from swimwear to mens and womens clothing as well as shoes.  We talked to the owner of the company Mr. Manuel Mencarelli and scheduled a personal tour of Tutti Frutti for next monday! I cant wait to see what this European showroom is like and see how it compares to showrooms in America.

TI AMO SHOES!!!!!

Charlotte Olympia Della is my latest craze right now for shoe designers because of the bright colors she uses and the way she tricks out the heel and makes it funky. Charlotte is a London based designer that recently launched in 2006 and she gets her inspiration from 40's and 50's glam. The most intriging part of her shoes is that the bottom sole features a gold spider which is the brands signature. They are all hand crafted in Italy which is cool since thats where I am living currently! I want to spice up my wardrobe with these killer pumps so badly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess I will just have to start saving up!!!