11 posts tagged “tommy”

It's a strange feeling tonight at Hughenden Road. This is the last night I sleep here, the last after 4 years, after 1543 days. The room is empty...there is me, the bedsheets, trousers and a shirt for tomorrow morning, my shoes and a Fiorentina picture attached to the wall...this is my present for the next taker of the room.. That's it...! All the rest is there, silent, still, empty, sad.
It was a great time the one spent here, Rupert and Charlotte were two fantastic landlords, their children very sweet and well mannered. Sometimes I had problems with my flatmates, but I don't care now...this is time for good memories, as when we slept 4 of us in this bedroom : me, Tommy, Mone and Bencio, as all the time friends came along to watch some football on tv...How to forget Carla and her boiled vegetables, Andrew and his cool yellow Honda to finish off with Biri and his kindness?
At the very beginning I wasn't sure, it took a bit to get convinced, but soon I realized that I ended up in one of the nicest street overall in Bristol, and that the flat, with a bit of work could have become great...and I started to adore it!!
I was in the smaller bedroom for over two years, and I was fine, I moved into this one only in September 2007, and I loved it right away... its view is simply stunning. I felt it was mine...I still feel it...! But it's not. I have mine though...and that's where it becomes odd. I'm excited by the new place, but yet I am sad to leave this one. I can't describe it...I am not even able to write a proper post so is full of thoughts my mind...
Who knows how will I feel in few hours...? I am not good at farewell...I will go downstairs for the very last time, few step, the key left on to a little table, a door to open, then another one, the last one for the last time. I think I will walk away, not turning back. This will be history. Will be a big chunk of my memories, of my greatest memories.

I was nicely sleeping yesterday morning when the pilot voice broke off my rest. Approaching to Pisa is difficult due to fog, possible diversion to Milan Malpensa...Tommy was driving to Pisa, to pick me up. It was 10 o'clock, landing was scheduled in 25 min...
Tommy though never picked me up, simply because that airplane never touched Pisa International's runway...Landed in Milan at 10.30, we were kept on board until 14.30 to be ready to take off in case weather improvement was reported from Pisa. Then the decision. Disembark all the passengers, to be transferred to Pisa by coach... DISASTER...! I suspected what was proved to be true...! It's difficult to find 2 or  3 coaches in few minutes and two drivers as well...especially if it is the 24th of December... I experienced it before...and also that time it was a long wait.
The bus turned up at 17.30, just after Easyjet "kindly" offered us a 4.50 euro voucher to get a light refreshment at the terminal...(thanks a lot!). We arrived in Florence at 2145, 16 hours later I left my flat in the morning in Bristol...! Luckily the bunch of guys I was travelling with was really a great one...and a day spent together in misadventure is definitely a good glue. I have few more friends now. At least!

Merry Christmas, Buon Natale.

First thing. As for today I am officially unemployed. So let's say the 28th will be the first day ever in my life without a job...but honestly...who wants to go to work on the 28th...???? Nevertheless...
I am not 100% sure it was the right thing to do...last year I was at work until the very last day cos I run out of holidays and I enjoyed it, since last few days the Christmas atmosphere took over and making quite pleasing going to work. This year I decided to go for the same...but honestly maybe I stretched it too long. Also because in the end I had still two days of holidays left...! Office was desert yesterday and today, only very few of us...and because of that, a less cheering atmosphere...! OK today I worked 9 to 15.30, with a good hour of pub lunch, plus the A380 "refreshment" in the morning...so really a soft day, but yesterday it was a proper one contrary to my expectations...! Whatever... I packed all my stuff...The big luggage is almost full with presents, the small one carries my stuff...I am clever I know...! Taxi is booked for 5.15, few hours later Tommy will pick me up in Pisa...and for 10 days I'll be in Tuscany! Back to Bristol the night of the 4th of January, ready to start the next morning the new, craved, job...!

Bayern Munich won 3-0...so? Who cares...? Going to see Fiorentina it is already something that makes the day...not only...it makes the week... Especially now that  I am far away from Florence, and that I am no longer used to go to the stadium every Sunday. Moreover it was a good excuse to meet with my closest friends that I haven't seen for months... Actually this was actually the great reason why I was there... I had to see David, and Tommy...!
Honestly, I have been 36 hours in Munich and I have enjoyed every single second...From Monday night, to Wednesday morning. Tuesday, walking the whole day in the city centre I felt very proud, very belonging to my city, to my people...It's strange, you see face you've never seen before, you will never seen in the future, but you know they come from the same place you come from...they are there for the same reason you are there...It was a purple stream, everywhere... flags, songs, people singing and jumping...I have talked to some german people...everyone was quite surprised and amazed by everything was going on in the streets... someone told me " you make more noise than when there is the October Fest..." . I took it as a compliment... :)
Allianz Arena it is the most fantastc stadium I have ever seen. It just great. I don't find the right words to describe it, but if you walk in there you understand what I mean...straight away...and the Champions anathem...OMG...something I have dreamed to hear for years and years... hearing it rocks...hearing it at Allianz with Tommy and David is priceless...

24th of June, St. John the Baptist, Saint Patron of Florence. It is a feast day in Florence. The day of the final of the Calcio Storico, the day of the fireworks, dei fohi. Thus I took this occasion to make something a bit more special. A way to say thanks to my city, a way to feel closer to it. I bring it always with me but at the same time I miss it lot. It is eight years by now that I left, first in Pisa, then in the UK. It is eight years that I don't live my the city anymore, but every time I come back I try to find sometime for a walk in the city centre, or on the surrounding hills.
You can't describe Florence, you can't explain what it is that makes it so special, that move you, deeply, every single time you see the places you have seen a hundred time. Every corner, every street, every place has its own story, in a city which is full of history, every where you go. This is what makes it so beautiful, what makes its people so proud of it. I apologize for the English readers, but I would like to paste something that my friend Tommy wrote (some time ago, in Italian) about Santa Maria Novella, one of the most beautiful Church in Florence. For everyone instead I made a little slideshow with some terrific pictures I have found on the web (actually some are mine as well :) ).

I titoli a volte si scelgono per catturare l’attenzione di lettori distratti o pigri che selezionano così le poche righe sulle quali spendere il loro poco tempo di webnauti.In questa italica riscoperta di miti un po’ impolverati e forse per questo ciclicamente riproponibili, il titolo del cavallo di battaglia di quello che sembra essere rinato come l’idolo delle ragazzine di mezz’età, mi è sembrato un ottimo catalizzatore per gli assonnati occhi dei miei due o tre lettori di poetica memoria.E’ sabato a Firenze; stranieri con improbabili magliette corte e cartina in mano, i banchi di S. Lorenzo che aprono i battenti e le urla becere e condite di fiorentina “sacralità” dei garzoni del mercato centrale. C’è già un po’ di viola nell’aria con le civette quotidiani che già ammiccano ad una partita teoricamente abbordabile. E’ sabato a Firenze e nonostante il lavoro chiami, ho deciso di passare per un attimo in piazza S. Maria Novella.Per il viaggiatore che giunge a Firenze ed esce dalle austere e razionaliste forme della stazione, di lei vede solo l’imponente e cupo tergo. Finestroni enormi e paramenti di pietra forte. Dovrebbe incuriosire trovarsi davanti l’unica chiesa che invece del suo volto bello ti mostra le spalle, come una donna civettuola d’altri tempi. Fai via degli Avelli e cerchi di guardarle i fianchi, capire se val la pena fare altri 50 metri e farle svelare il viso. Entri in piazza e capisci che Leon Battista Alberti era uno che, primo, voleva bene a Firenze e secondo, era innamorato della bellezza della geometria. Qualche raggio di sole esce dalle nuvole e rende immacolato ciò che molti direbbero “bianco”, meraviglioso qualcosa che gli stessi direbbero banalmente “bello” e l’occhio innamorato di un fiorentino qualunque si riempie di orgogliosa commozione.Mancano pochi minuti all’appuntamento ma cedo alla tentazione di entrare nella pancia di questa meraviglia dove, solitario ed unico, Giotto ha appeso la sua eterna preghiera a Dio: l’immagine di un uomo affisso mani e piedi ad una rigida croce, morente e misteriosamente trionfante. Il capolavoro di Masaccio e Masolino, lì accanto sembrano quasi una lieve appendice a tale bellezza.La nostra città è così, è un luogo dove capita di camminare distrattamente accanto ad un pezzo di muro dipinto per il quale a New York, solo per quello, costruirebbero un immenso museo. Firenze è così, è lo scrigno più grande riempito delle più belle gemme e pietre preziose che attende sempre l’occhio di un fiorentino qualunque che lo guardi non con bramosia ed interesse ma con amore e desiderio

And now that they have gone what is left...? A messy room... (but empty...and therefore sad) and the memory of 3 amazing days...

The visit to Glasgow was good...! Maybe the match was the worst part of it...but even if it was a short visit we had really good fun...
We got to Glasgow at 4 pm ish. The city centre was busy, most of the people were showing football colors...definitely all the over 2000 people from Florence...but most of the local supporters as well...
The welcoming and the atmosphere was really cool...Rangers supporters were wishing good luck, Celtic fans instead we encouraging, (almost begging) us to beat their reveals...!!
Ibrox Park is a great stadium...it is really beautiful inside, with an amazing view of the ground...as usual in British stadia...
The walls of the stadium are all made by red bricks...The cool thing is that you can engrave your name on them for just £35..."be a part of Ibrox forever". You can write there whatever you want...your name, a phrase, some greetings...and it will be recordered forever...
We got there slightly before 6 o'clock...on time to have a walk around Ibrox, take some pictures, have a chat with some Rangers supporters and visit the official store...
We got in at 7 ish...45 minutes before the kick off. To be honest though...I was expecting local fans to be louder.True that when they started to sing it was hard to talk to the person next to you...however it was not continuosly... Goodison Park (against Everton) was much much more impressive from this point of view.
As said before the match was probably the worst part...Rangers with their ultra-defensive, anti-football tactics didn't let Fiorentina play...therefore we didn't found many spaces to create them problems... 0-0 is the worse of the good results...I am a bit disapponted we did not get an away goal...now we have to be careful in Florence. I am confident we can do it though...
After the match we say good bye to Tommy and Lorenzo and made our way back towards the city centre for another walk and a pint... Not for too long though...the alarm was set at 6 o'clock , just time for a shower and a quick breakfast...there was a plane to catch...and another long day ahead...

 

Finally I can say it loud...I was keeping it for myself, just to wait for Tommy to confirm that
he got hold of the tickets...for the UEFA Cup semifinals. It will be a quick visit to Scotland...flight to Glasgow on Thursday afternoon...football match in the night and back to Bristol on Friday early morning...ready to go straight to work...!
Jena and Franco will come along... there we will meet Tommy and Lorenzo AKA il Norfo...
Ibrox Park is one of 27 European stadia which have UEFA's 5-star rating. This enables it to host finals of the UEFA Champions League and the European Championship. It will be amazing the atmosphere there...

I can't wait... I can't wait...

It's time to pack again...and this time it will be for a  week...a skiing week...! Destination in Val Thorens, France.
It will be the first time for me there...but from what I have seen, read and what I have been told it looks like a great place...It is the highest ski resort on the Alps, and the biggest, or at least one of the biggest in Europe. It is in the 3 valleys area, which includes also some famous places like  Meribel  or Courchevel.

It's 1.30am, alarm is set at 4.30am... to catch the plane at 7 o'clock...destination Turin...Tommy will pick me up there...and we will make our way towards the French Alps.

So...the way to Norway has started...
I am in London at the moment. Tommy arrived in the afternoon. We had a nice dinner at a Thai restaurant, with Matteo and his flatmate Elanor. Tonight we will stay's at Matteo's, then early in the morning we will go to Stansted Airport. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow...with a stop over in Oslo...Should be in Trondheim by 15.30...

I am looking forward to it...can't wait....!!!!!!!