There is real beauty at Lyme ♥ Lyme Regis

"So much novelty and beauty! I have travelled so little, that every fresh place would be interesting to me; but there is real beauty at Lyme; and in short," with a faint blush at some recollections, "altogether my impressions of the place are very agreeable."

The Cobb a Lyme Regis é entrato di diritto nei miei luoghi del cuore. Si é fatto strada tra forti venti e onde violente. Tra spruzzi di acqua salata e sole abbagliante. Tra passeggiate a caccia di fossili (Lyme é nota come gioiello della Jurassic Coast) e le nuvole disegnate dal latte in una tazza di té. Tra le pagine di The French Lieutenant Woman e di Persuasion. Ogni ciottolo, ogni granello di sabbia e goccia di acqua é diventato un tassello del dipinto che era già cosi' vivo nella mia immaginazione.

E' un lunedi' mattina grigio e inclemente, qui a Bruxelles. E io ho bisogno di continuare a sognare.

EN. The Cobb at Lyme Regis has rightfully made its way among the places that speak to my heart. It had to work his way up through strong winds and violent waves. Between splashes of salty water and blinding sunlight . Between walks along the pebbles beach, hunting for fossils (Lyme is known as the jewel of the Jurassic Coast) and the clouds drawn by the milk in a cup of tea. Between the pages of The French Lieutenant's Woman and Persuasion. Every cobblestone, every grain of sand and drop of water has become a piece of the painting that was already so vivid in my imagination.
It's a gray and inclement Monday morning here in Brussels. And I need to keep on dreaming.

 I was wearing:

Primark dress

Urban Outfitters cardigan,

No brand wellies,

Pull&Bear coat

Tezenis tights,

Kiko nail polish.

"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village..."

"If adventures will not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad."

Jane Austen

Dicono che il pensiero di viaggiare sia sempre meglio del viaggio vero e proprio.
Che l'attesa, le serate passate tra una cartina e un sito internet, le aspettative che crescono, più simili al sogno, siano sempre più forti della partenza.
Che fare la valigia sia meglio di scegliere che maglione mettere per contrastare i venti freddi del nord.
E io ci credo. Ci credevo, anzi. E forse ci credero' ancora.
Io, sempre in bilico tra il volermi confondere tra la folla (rigorosamente bandite le cartine), e il voler snocciolare fatti su questo o quel monumento, con l'aria di chi i compiti li ha fatti.

Era una ricerca spasmodica, la mia, dei luoghi che conoscevo da lettere stampate su pagine ingiallite, di storie narrate all'interno di copertine sdrucite.
Ma l'Inghilterra mi ha stupita.
Mi ha dato quello che cercavo, e non quello che volevo.
Mi ha sconvolta e lasciata indifferente, con quel pizzico di delusione che ti resta quando le emozioni le vivi fino in fondo.
Abbiamo guidato per centinaia di chilometri nella brughiera, tra stradine di campagna, vecchi cimiteri e scogliere a picco sul mare.
Preso il traghetto nella notte, camminato per ore, senza meta, ed abbiamo preso egoisticamente tutto quello che il mondo ci aveva da dare.
Sorrisi, acquazzoni, scones fragranti, raggi di sole e qualche cheers.


EN. They say that when it comes to traveling, the thought of it is always much better than the travel itself.
The waiting, the evenings spent between websites and maps, growing expectations, closer to the realm of dream.
Packing is better than choosing which sweater to wear to fight the cold northern winds.
And I believe it. I believed it, rather. And maybe I will believe it once more in the future.
Me, always hovering between mixing in with the crowd (carrying maps is strictly not allowed), and wanting to rattle off facts about this or that monument, with the air of the impertinent brat who has done her homeworks.
Mine was a frantic search for the places I knew from letters printed on yellowed pages, of stories told within torn covers.
But England surprised me.
It gave me what I was looking for, and not what I wanted.
I was positively unsettled, and at times left indifferent, with that hint of disappointment that's left when you live emotions to their fullest.
We drove for hundreds of miles in the moor, down country roads, past old cemeteries and cliffs overlooking the sea.
Took the ferry in the night, walked for hours with no destination, and we selfishly took everything that the world had to give.
Smiles, showers, scones, sunshine and a few cheers.

The finest balm

"Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love."

Jane Austen

Few things may resist the test of time and space. Few feelings, few dispositions of the soul. With no big surprise, love is one of them. The real love, the capital L love, the one that makes you a better or a worse person. The one that makes you feel as if stars aligned, the earth's core shifted, and a butterfly has flapped its wings somewhere far from here. And suddenly everything is how it should be. Or, actually, many things are.

Another thing is a good book. Or a good song. Kind of obvious since it is coming from me, but think of the wonders that clinging to that very special song can do; or the way you feel when you are Elisabeth Bennet, as you are living as if you were Elisabeth Bennet.

Then, then there is brotherhood. Or sisterhood, in this case. Of the mind, and not of the flesh, mind you. Which is like friendship- only different. It is choosing to compromise between a bond of blood and a bond of the soul, opening your heart and your arms to a new addition in your clan. It is not being able to explain yourself and knowing that somehow you'll be understood, or maybe not, but still. It is being complementary and diametrically opposed, like Heathcliff and Catherine running in the moors. It is like love- only different. And, above all, it is more than rare.

IT. Poche cose possono resistere alla prova del tempo e dello spazio. Poche emozioni, disposizioni dell'animo. Senza grande sorpresa, l'amore è una di queste. Il vero amore l 'Amore con la A maiuscola, quello che ti rende una persona migliore o peggiore. Quello che ti fa sentire come se le stelle si fossero allineate, il centro della terra spostato, e una farfalla abbia sbattuto le ali in qualche luogo lontano . E improvvisamente tutto è come dovrebbe essere. Oppure, nella realtà dei fatti, é come se molte cose lo fossero.
Un'altra cosa è un buon libro. Oppure una bella canzone. Abbastanza ovvio dato che viene da me, ma pensate alle meraviglie che l'aggrapparsi a quella canzone davvero speciale può fare, oppure il modo in cui ti senti quando sei Elisabeth Bennet, poiché mentre scorri veloce tra le pagine e l'inchiostro é come se tu fossi Elisabeth Bennet.
Poi, poi c'è la fratellanza. Oppure sorellanza (bruttissima parola e meraviglioso concetto della lingua italiana), in questo caso. Della mente, e non della carne, intendiamoci. Che è come l'amicizia, solo diverso. È il compromesso fra un legame di sangue e un legame dell'animo, l'aprire il cuore e le braccia ad una nuova aggiunta nel vostro clan. E' non essere in grado di spiegarsi e sapere che in qualche modo sarete compresi, o forse no, ma é questo il punto. È l'essere complementari e diametralmente opposti, come Heathcliff e Catherine erranti per la brughiera. È come l'amore, solo diverso. E, soprattutto, è qualcosa di più che raro.

I was wearing:

H&M pull,

Primark jeggins,

Primark fedora hat,

Ray Ban glasses,

Converse shoes

Vintage 90s leather jacket.

Federica was wearing:

H&M jeans,

MalboroClassics sweater,

Replay Jeans scarf,

Ray Ban sunglasses,

Clarks desert boots

Pennyblack trench.

Visit my blog shop HERE!

Cottages, peonies and all the rest

.When I was 13, I would dream of becoming a great writer. Jane, Charlotte, Virginia, Edward (Forster) and the others had just begun keeping me company in the long, hot Italian summer days I spent far from the sea. I did not have many friends at the time, especially because of my bookworm attitude my unfriendly attitude my mom not allowing me to have yellow bangs or to wear lilac tiny tshirts. I did not mind, though.
.I would sit under the huge magnolia trees in my grandparents' garden, in Abano, on the Euganean Hills, and read . I remember my grandma (the grandma, the one I stole all my vintage-y stuff from, the super cool grandma, who in her days was, I suspect, a tough chic) trying to teach me how to sew or knit, and games of cards in the shade with my grandfather. I used to spend a huge amount of time at their place.
.My grandma would always make tea and bake cakes, even when the temperature would rise up to 30-35°C. She would give me freshly baked bread with butter and sugar on top, and ask me what I was reading. Then I usually started intricated explanations on who was doing what and why that was important, and talk for hours (like I still do), and she would listen, without asking questions.
.Sometimes I still hope I'll become a great writer. Of course, that would mean someone should read the thousands of pages I wrote these past 10 years, and no one, no one is allowed to come close to me when I write. Perhaps making it strictly personal is not really bringing me closer to achieve fame... Though fame is not really the main aim. I only wish I could make people feel the way I feel when I read one of my favorite novels.
.When I was 13, I would dream of writing my masterpiece sitting in the garden of my Devonshire Cottage (step 1: get a Devonshire Cottage), swinging on my lawn swing, surrounded by lillacs, wisteria, roses and staring at the peonies growing near the cottage's porch (step 2: get a gardner). While drinking tea, for sure.
.Yeah well. All this just because in Paris peonies are in full bloom...

photos via weheartit

Northanger Abbey

Prima di Edward e Bella, per me c'erano Catherine Morland e Mr Henry Tilney.

Before Edward and Bella, for me there were Catherine Morland and Mr Henry Tilney.

Avant Edward et Bella, pour moi il y avait Catherine Morland et Mr Henry Tilney.

Credo di aver già menzionato la mia passione/ossessione per Jane Austen. I vestitoni, i patemi, le regole della società georgiana... Northanger Abbey è il primo libro che la Austen ha completato. Oh yes, prima dei polpettoni stile Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, c'era una piccola Catherine Morland, sulla quale ovviamente nessuno avrebbe scommesso un penny, nel romanzo come nella vita vera. Northanger Abbey, infatti, nonostante fosse stato completato ben prima di tutti gli altri romanzi, non è stato pubblicato che dopo la morte di Jane. In che mondo viviamo.

I think I mentioned my passion / obsession with Jane Austen. The huge gowns, the heartaches, the strict rules of Georgian society ... Northanger Abbey is the first book that Austen has completed. Oh yes, before Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, there was a Catherine Morland on whom of course nobody would bet a penny, in the novel as in real life. Northanger Abbey, in fact, despite being completed well before all the other novels, was not published after Jane's death. What a world we live in.

Je crois que j'ai déjà parlé de ma passion / obsession pour Jane Austen. Les robes enormes, les soucis, les règles de la société géorgienne ... Northanger Abbey est le premier livre que Austen a terminé . Oh yes, avant les enormités du genre Pride and Prejudice et Sense and Sensibility était une petite Catherine Morland sur laquelle personne aurait parié un sou, dans la fiction comme dans la vie réelle. Northanger Abbey, en effet, mEme si terminé avant tous les autres romans, n'a pas été publiée après la mort de Jane. Dans quel monde nous vivons.

La storia, per farla breve e non rovinarvela, parla per l'appunto di tale Catherine Morland, fanciulla di famiglia non abbientissima, invitata per un soggiorno a Bath (il top delle località vacanziere dell'epoca) dai ricchi Mr e Mrs Allen, che la introducono nella società georgiana. Lì Catherine incontra una coppia di fratelli arrampicatori sociali, Isabella e John Thorpe, l'affascinante Henry Tilney e l'elegante Eleanor, sua sorella. Avendo fatto colpo sul Henry e suo padre (anche se per ragioni opposte), i Tilney la invitano alla loro magione, Northanger Abbey. La povera piccola Catherine deve imparare che la vita può fare abbastanza schifo, e che non basta essere buoni di cuore per essere amati o approvati.

Young and not-so-wealthy Catherine Morland is taken for a stay in Bath by the wealthy Mr. and Mrs. Allen, who introduce her to Georgian society. There, she meets the social-climbing Isabella and John Thorpe, the handsome Henry Tilney and elegant Eleanor Tilney. After making an impression on Henry and Eleanor's father, the Tilneys invite her to their country mansion, Northanger Abbey. Poor little Catherine has to realize that life can suck, and that being good at heart may not be enough to be loved and accepted.

L'histoire, en bref, parle de Catherine Morland, jeune fille de famille pas trop riche, invité pour un séjour à Bath (le top des destinations de vacances de l'époque) par le riche Mr. et Mrs Allen, qui l'introduisent dans la société géorgienne. Elle y rencontre les grimpeurs sociales Isabella et John Thorpe, le charmant Henry Tilney et l'élégante Eleanor, sa sœur. Après avoir impressionné Henry et son père (même si pour des raisons opposées), les Tilney l'invitent à leur maison, Northanger Abbey. La pauvre petite Catherine devra apprendre que la vie peut Etre assez nulle, et que Etre bons et gentils peut ne pas Etre suffisent pour se fairee aimer ou approuver.

Guardando la trasposizione in film più recente (si, sono maniacale) ho trovato gli abiti fatti indossare a Catherine molto, molto belli. E probabilmente non così importabili, soprattutto ora che vanno di moda i maxi dress :) anche se ammetto che darebbero un po' l'aria di essere abiti da sposa... mah.

As I watched the most recent film taken from the novel (yes, I am beyond maniac) I found the gowns worn by Catherine to be very, very beautiful. And maybe not so un-wearable, especially now that we're on with this maxi-dresses craze :) tho I must admit they sort of look too much like wedding gowns...

En regardant le film le plus récent pris d'après le roman (oui, je suis au-delà d'Etre maniaque ), j'ai trouvé les robes portées par Catherine très, très belles. Et peut-être pas si pas-portables, surtout maintenant qu'il y a ce engouement maxi-robes:) Mais je dois admettre qu'ils ont trop l'air de robes de mariée ...

Images from the movie Northanger Abbey, directed by Jon Jones, 2007