If you go down to the centre of Milan over the next few days, you will probably notice that there are a couple of Christmas markets - one along Via Orefici and another down near Piazza San Babila. I had a quick look at the stalls, and there are some nice bits and bobs on offer.
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- Gastronomic fair - Via Paolo Sarpi, Milan*
- Sant’Ambrogio and Christmas shopping in Milan - Updated!!
- A little get-together
- November and the fog that isn’t
- A Close Shave - Scooting About Milan
Just completed a security upgrade to my WordPress installation - Apologies for any inconvenience caused
2007 | Filed Under This blog | Leave a Comment
Sorry if my site went down while you were reading. WordPress released a new version and it resolved a security aspect that got me a little worried, so I decided to go ahead and install the upgrade. And it is Sunday evening and Christmas time, so I don’t think many will be hovering around here.
The site appears to be OK, but if you do have problems, please let me know.
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- Wow! Everything Seems much Snappier.
- Poll System Offline
- No Winner of the BFI Hunt, Search, and the Presumed Hack Attack
- Blogged Likes Blog from Italy
- Welcome to the new look Blog from Italy!
Prodi’s pretty picture
2007 | Filed Under Life in Italy | 12 Comments
In what could possibly be considered as one Italian equivalent to the UK Queen’s Christmas Day speech, Romano Prodi, Italy’s current hanging on by a thread prime minister, appeared to demonstrate that he is possibly a wee bit out of touch with life here in the Living Museum. He painted a rosy picture of an Italy in which things were getting better, although I’m not too sure Beppe Grillo and his supporters would necessarily agree with Mr P.
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- The curious case of Mr Visco
- The Thread Finally Snaps
- Will He Stay or Will He Go Now?
- The day I met the president.
- Big meeting on Monday
Escape from Christmas
2007 | Filed Under Life in Italy | Leave a Comment
Well, the plan was to spend Christmas with the Italian in-laws down in Genova, and we did indeed manage to endure right up until the end of the Christmas day lunch. Then we high-tailed it back to Milan. A combination of dogs not getting on with one another, lively little son causing the downstairs neighbours to shout and knock on their ceiling every five minutes etc managed to dampen that good old Christmas spirit, and we found ourselves yearning for the, relative, tranquillity of Milan.
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- Back again
- I’ve always admired this villa
- November and the fog that isn’t
- Will it always be Christmas in Milan?
- Sant’Ambrogio and Christmas shopping in Milan - Updated!!
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Furbo
2007 | Filed Under Culture | 2 Comments
I suspect that Gege’ Bau, who commented on one of my posts, may know something about the meaning of the Italian word ‘furbo’. In case you did not know, it means crafty, clever, smart, sharp, astute and sly. Not all at the same time, mind you. You need to know the context.
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- La Parolaccia - Bad language
- Italian humour
- Italy - A Power Crazed Nation? Part 1
- Culture 1
- Colourful Italian
One virtual Christmas card
2007 | Filed Under Work | 9 Comments
Here is the finished article, business version:
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- Gianpietro Carlesso - pure creativity
- New Fields
- Another little project
- Tackling lands of confusion
- Cv’s, Resumes: mug shot or not, that is the question
Christmasy Photo
2007 | Filed Under Digital photography | 1 Comment
Here’s something I’m using for this year’s virtual Christmas cards:
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- None Found
Oops!
2007 | Filed Under This blog | Leave a Comment
While trying to make my Wordpress installation a little more secure, I overdid the security on my .htaccess file. This caused a few errors to show up on my server log, and may have caused visitors some problems. Sorry.
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- None Found
Bribery, corruption, and blackmail
2007 | Filed Under Life in Italy | Leave a Comment
Yes, alas, I have to admit that both my other half and myself are guilty. Everyday, often several times a day, we find ourselves having to use bribes, corruption and blackmail to get things done. It’s our own fault, although I believe my Italian other half may have started us down this slippery slope. Well, she will do anything for a quiet life.
As with many of these situations, things start out in a small way, but then the occasional bribe becomes more regular, and the blackmail becomes something of a way of life. Still, resorting to these heinous techniques becomes a necessity, especially in our household. Only today I found myself having to offer several bribes and use a small dose of blackmail to get my way. It was tough, but at least things went a lot smoother as a result, and, there really was no alternative, I can tell you. The precedent has been well and truly set, and there is no going back.
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Tackling lands of confusion
2007 | Filed Under Work | 5 Comments
Whilst trying to stand this sausage thing on its feet, I’ve discovered that it is not all that easy to find the information you need. In Italy, getting the right, well almost, information often means wasting half a day or so in some anonymous public office somewhere, clutching the inevitable numbered ticket. And often these offices are only open for half a day.
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Will it always be Christmas in Milan?
2007 | Filed Under Milan | 2 Comments
It’s not just me, there are more Christmas lights than ever before here in Milan. Apparently the reason behind this festive splurge on pretty lights is rising crime levels in the city and some kind of pact the city’s politicos have made with the residents. Well lit streets reduce the probability of people ending up being the victims of crime. Yes, I suppose there is some truth in that.
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- Christmas is a coming
- Milan’s Green Belt
- Yuletide markets in Milan
- Spring arrives with a bang
- November and the fog that isn’t















