Posted on

Finally got to see the Infiorata at Genzano

Cart, Juli and I headed to Genzano during the weekend intending to only have lunch there before heading to the lake when I noticed that there was multiple road closures towards the the entry of the of the town.

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

We had such a challenging time trying to find parking, but when we finally got to the heart of the town and saw all the throngs of people, I finally realised what was going on. There was the yearly infiorata festival there!

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

I felt very lucky that after 5 years of living in Italy, I finally managed to catch the infiorata at Genzano. It has always been something that I’ve wanted to see, but we seem to always miss it for some reason. This time round it was extra special as we got to share this with my beloved friend. 🙂

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

An infiorata is a decoration on the floor made of flower petals. It was similar to the one that we saw in San Pietro, but it was vastly larger. You can see the size of the pedestrians as a scale against the infiorata as it stretches all the way out a good 500 metres to the church.

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

From what I’ve read, each colours of the petals are natural – Like Brooms for yellow, Carnations for orange and Roses for red.

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

It takes about two days to complete the infiorata. Saturday afternoon, the artists start by sketching on the floor. The petals will be arranged on Sunday morning and the 2000 metre square decoration will be complete by the afternoon.

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

At least 350 000 flowers are used in creating the infiorata each year. And there are different themes for the infiorata in Genzano each time.

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

For me, I was struck at the amount of time and dedication that was put in to create this spectacular works of art. I myself take ages just to draw a cartoon so cannot imagine that it would be easy to do!

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

By the way, the infiorata is an old tradition was started right there in Genzano in 1778 to honour the Patron Saints of Rome. I imagine that it started out as a small one which just got bigger throughout the years.

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

We had a nice stroll looking at the different pieces and I really enjoyed seeing the infiorata in Genzano. It was so beautiful and I feel blessed to finally be able to see it in person.

That’s another tick off the things I want to see in Italy and there are still so many other things to be seen and experienced. 🙂

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

By chance I was wearing a flower printed dress too so it was so perfect that I was in the flower theme. Heh heh heh. 😀

rinaz.net Infiorata Genzano 2014

 

Posted on

It’s raining rose petals at the Pantheon

Each year, 50 days after Easter, there is a celebration called the Pentecost where there is a feast to commemorate the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus.

Rain of roses at Pantheon
Photocredits : RetroblogRome

Last Sunday at the Pantheon in Rome, after the Pentecost mass there was the spectacular tradition where thousands of rose petals were dropped down the oculus – the top opening of the pantheon.

Rain of roses at Pantheon
Photocredits : RetroblogRome

How it was done was with a group of firemen climbing up to the top of the dome, each carrying bags of rose petals with them – not an easy feat at about 40 meters height. And at the right time, the petals are dropped down.

Rain of roses at Pantheon
Photocredits : RetroblogRome

It’s such a enchanting sight to behold with the red petals fluttering down under the the stream of light from the top of the dome. As the rose petals drops down, it’s a form of a symbolism of the Holy Spirit’s descent to Earth.

Personally for me, I think that there is something romantic and captivating about it all.

Posted on

Today is Festa della repubblica

Today, the 2nd of June is a national holiday here in Italy – the ‘Festa della Repubblica Italiana‘.

rinaz.net Festa della Repubbllica Italiana

This is a day to commemorate when Italians went to vote for the first time in 1946,  the form of government they wanted – between a republic or monarchy. For a long time, Italy was governed by a royal family, but after the second world war, the monarch was abdicated after the result of the majority vote for a republic.

Typically on this day, there will be a military parade, showing off the various armies as well as their vehicles in central Rome. This event will be graced with a number of members of the parliament.

I’ve yet to visit one but for now, I’m just content on watching the parade at home. 😛

Posted on

Riding a scooter in Central Rome

rinaz.net Toon riding a scooter in Rome

If you’ve ever been to Rome, you would have seen plenty of cobblestone roads around the Central area. It makes the area look charming, but it can be quite a workout if you’re on a two wheeler.

If you carried milk with you, it’ll probably turn into butter after riding around Central Rome for about an hour or so.

Posted on

Attending my first instameet in Rome

It’s quite amazing to find out that it was already the 9th instalment of the worldwide instameet on the 17th March 2014. This is a day where instagramers meet up and explore and shoot an area near them using  the hashtag #wwim9. It was lovely looking through the hashtag to see the entries from all over the world.

rinaz.net #WWIM9 Rome, Italy

While I’ve been an instagramer for a couple of years, I only knew about the event quite by chance through a mailer in Meetup.com. I’m a casual ‘grammer who normally post pictures of food through my account, but I was intrigued enough to check out the instagram community in Rome.

rinaz.net #WWIM9 Rome, Italy

The event was held in front of the monumental Castel St Angelo, which was a weaponry stronghold with a long bridge connecting directly to San Pietro. We were lucky that we had a ridiculously gorgeous day with amazing blue skies and bright, fluffy clouds, making each shot practically postcard perfect.

rinaz.net #WWIM9 Rome, Italy

For our task that day, we were to complete several challenges using the following tags :

  • #WWIM9
  • #MEETROME
  • #WALKROMA
  • #TRAVELDEEPER
  • #OLLOCLIP
  • #FROMWHEREISTAND
  • #THROUGHTHEFENCE
  • #ISEEFACES
  • #JUMPSTAGRAM
  • #LEANWITHIT

And here are a few of the shots I took on my phone, most of them edited through Snapseed :

rinaz.net #WWIM9 Rome, Italy

rinaz.net #WWIM9 Rome, Italy

rinaz.net #WWIM9 Rome, Italy

rinaz.net #WWIM9 Rome, Italy

rinaz.net #WWIM9 Rome, Italy

rinaz.net #WWIM9 Rome, Italy

I didn’t manage to complete all my tasks, nevertheless I had a lovely time hanging out at my first ever Rome Instagram meet. 🙂

Posted on

Piazza Andrea Pazienza – A homage to Italian cartoonists

Thanks to Ingress, I’ve discovered a place where there is a mural of cartoons. It looks so charming to me, and the place seems so new that even street view thinks that it’s not passable.

rinaz.net discovers a comic mural in Rome

Piazza dei Fumetti, also known as Piazza Andrea Pazienza, is a square, paying homage to some of Italy’s beloved cartoonists. Inaugurated by the XII Municipio in November 2009, many of these murals I recognize as Cart, has a number of them in his shelf.

rinaz.net discovers a comic mural in Rome

rinaz.net discovers a comic mural in Rome

Going past these murals was impressive to me as they looked quite beautiful and the cheerful colours gave a rather atypical feel compared to the regular Roman neighbourhood scenes.

rinaz.net discovers a comic mural in Rome

rinaz.net discovers a comic mural in Rome

Some of the protagonists I was surprised to see there as I didn’t realise that they were Italian – like Dylan Dog, which I assumed was American.

rinaz.net discovers a comic mural in Rome

One of the cutest character for me personally would be Lupo Alberto. He’s a wolf that lives on a farm and is in love with a hen.  Cart has one edition of this Cartoon and I loved going through the strips and the silly storyline.

There was also La Pimpa, a spotted dog that lives with her master. A cartoon meant for children, the show can be caught on Rai Yoyo. While La Pimpa is meant for kids, the cartoonist also does political cartoons.

rinaz.net discovers a comic mural in Rome

It’s an interesting place and I think I’d like to explore more as the entire neighbourhood seems to have a comic theme surrounding it.

Posted on

A sign pole with its own knitted vest

Cart and I were in Trastevere over the weekend. There were more people roaming around than usual, but that was expected due to the popes’s canonization.

We were walking along Via della Lungara when I spotted this :

rinaz.net Knitted sign pole in Trastevere, Rome Italy

rinaz.net Knitted sign pole in Trastevere, Rome Italy

A sign pole with its own knitted vest isn’t something that’s commonly seen. I wonder what was the motivation of the one who was responsible for this.

Is this part of a political statement? Could it be involved with a Yarn Bombing?

rinaz.net Knitted sign pole in Trastevere, Rome Italy

rinaz.net Knitted sign pole in Trastevere, Rome Italy

Nevertheless it looks so cheerful and gave the pole a little festive and unique look. I do appreciate the artistic value of installations like this and this compared to many of the ugly graffiti that we see around.

Posted on

The Maratona di Roma route 2014

Maratona di Roma just recently published their route on their facebook page and I was going through it and visualising it in my head.

rinaz.net Maratona di Roma Route 2014 #rinazdoes42km

Click to see a bigger version or view in googlemaps

I’m quite psyched as we’ll be passing through a lot of interesting sights in Rome. Even though I live in Rome, and have been to these places a number of times, one never gets tired of seeing these picturesque sights.

The first 10 km, we’ll be passing by Circo Massimo, Piramide, Garbatella and Basilica di San Paolo. This church is supposed to be the second largest church in Rome after Saint Peter.

rinaz.net Maratona di Roma Route 2014 #rinazdoes42km

At the 10km mark, we’ll reach Testaccio where one of my favourite restaurant is, we’ll be going by the Tiber river and next to Isola Tiberina where the famous hospital is.

rinaz.net Maratona di Roma Route 2014 #rinazdoes42km

At point 17 km,  we’ll be passing by Castel St Angelo and the unforgettable Piazza San Pietro.

rinaz.net

After that at about point 25 km, we’ll be passing by Stadio Olimpico and by Ponte Milvio. I like this area as this is the bridge where the lovers write their names on a lock and chain it to a lamp post and throw away the key in the river to symbolise eternal love.

Ponte Milvio

At point 30 km, we’ll reach near Parco della Musica where Cart and I watched Pat Matheny live as well as the Gelato festival not too long ago. There is also the Gran Moschea where I could pray for strength …

rinaz.net

At around point 39 km, we’ll be seeing the iconic Piazza del Popolo and then to Piazza del Spagna where the scene with Audrey Hepburn eating a gelato will forever be immortalized in A Roman Holiday.

rinaz.net rainbow in Rome

The final few kilometres, we’ll be passing by the Quirinale, where the parliament house is, and we’ll end at Piazza Venezia, where the Vittorio Emanuele monument is, or the typewriter as the locals affectionately call it.

rinaz.net - Palazzo Barberini

Quite a lovely scenic route! Although at first when I went through the map, I feel quite daunted as going by the path by car alone takes time and going 32 km on my own already takes more than 5 hours. Gulp!

But I’m going to try to keep myself positive and not think too much about it. Who knows, with the excitement being with thousands of people with me, and seeing the beautiful sceneries in front of me might give me more motivation 🙂

rinaz.net #rinazdoes42km

Just 9 more days to go now till #rinazdoes42km!

Sidenote : I noticed that refreshment kiosks will be located at each 5 km point and sponging stations in the middle of each. What do you do with the sponges? Can you drink out of them?

Posted on

Anyone going to Singapore day?

Not sure if you’ve seen this before, and this event has been promoted aggressively on the Singaporeans in Italy group but I’ll just share it here nevertheless 🙂

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

Singapore day is basically a day where Singaporeans living overseas get together and reconnect, usually in a place where there is a large population of Singaporeans living in. The location rotates each time. The first event was held in New York in 2007, and then Melbourne, London, Shanghai and Sydney.

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

This year, it will return back to London in Victoria Park on the 29th of March : a week after doing Maratona di Roma. Hopefully, I’ll be completely recovered by then and be moving around easily to explore the park and enjoy the different programmes there.

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

If given the chance, I’d much prefer to go back to Singapore itself to visit my friends and family. The only issue is that the flight tickets back to Singapore alone costs quite a bit and the journey takes time, so I guess this event is probably a sort of consolation.

Some of the highlights not to be missed at the Singapore Day event are, firstly the food and here are a number of Singaporean delights which I look forward to tasting again :

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

From what I’ve read, apart from Bakut Teh, Fried Hokkien Mee, Char Kway Teow and the BBQ Chicken Wings all the meats used in the list, are imported from halal sources so I could give them a try. Poor Cart who is a vegetarian has a much more limited variety though.

There will be a number of recognized Singaporean personalities and this year, the event will be hosted by the multi talented Hossan Leong as well as Gurmit Singh who is most famous for his role as Phua Chu Kang. I met him once while auditioning for Singapore Idol, many years back, and he seemed like such nice guy.

rinaz.net Singapore Day in London 2014

There will be Michelle Chong and Chua Enlai playing as Barbarella and Jacques Ooi from the award winning comedy-satire, “The Noose“. Have you ever watched the series? It’s so funny and I look forward to seeing them.

There will also be the Dim Sum Dollies and also Jack and Rai as well as The Great Spy Experiment.  Admittedly, I’ve been away from Singapore for so long that I wasn’t aware of these acts but a quick peek on online and giving them a listen, both these groups are the types that I wouldn’t mind listening to, on any given day.

So are there anyone from the bloggariffic family out there going? I look forward to attending Singapore day and visiting London for the first time! Cart and I are already registered for it, although we’ve yet to make bookings for the flight there.

Posted on

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Carnevale is a celebration where you basically have fun and it’s a great excuse to be silly.

rinaz.net Carnevale / Martedi Grasso

During this period in Italy, it is common to see a lot of children in adorable costumes, although adults can join in the fun too.

rinaz.net Carnevale / Martedi Grasso

A week ago while I was jogging at the laghetto, I saw a cheerful little girl dressed up as Mike Wazowski from Monster’s inc. She’s probably not more than 3 years old, and she waved at me, smiling as I ran past her. She was so cute! I wish I had a picture.

These time, you’d always see streets almost completely covered with paper confetti, called coriandoli. These are usually shaped in small, circular coloured paper or long strips. Kids would usually try to throw them on someone.

rinaz.net Carnevale / Martedi Grasso

Apart from costumes, during the carnevale, it’s common to see these pastries being sold :

Castagnole

rinaz.net Castagnola

The original kind is deep fried dough covered in sugar. Although nowadays you could also see other varieties such as the ones filled with chocolate or cream.

rinaz.net Castagnola

Frappe

rinaz.net Frape

Not to be mistaken for frappe’ which is a milkshake, this flat dough is usually flattened, crinkle cut then deep fried and covered with sugar.

While Carnevale starts after the Befana celebration all the way back in January, it becomes much more apparent during the final week leading up to Martedi Grasso, which is today! Happy Fat Tuesday!

One day I hope to see the Carnevale in Venice as it’s renowned to be the most festive one in Italy.

Carnevale Venezia

So today is the last day when you can be joyful and eat rich food, and are allowed do what you don’t normally do. After that, it will be the start of lent where Catholics are supposed to be solemn and eat simple food for 40 days till Easter.

Speaking of lent, I had a random thought to avoid eating meat for this duration. I’m not Catholic, but since I can fast during Ramadan, this would be an interesting experiment.