Category Archives: Uncategorized

Slow dawn

Posted on October 1, 2016 by

I’m normally up at 5.30, 6.30 on weekends. Yes, that’s sad. A few months ago I could get up, dressed, fed and caffeinated in the dazzling light of the sun, already high over the city. Then July gave way to … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, UK, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

“Arabian Sands”, by Wilfred Thesiger, Penguin Books.

Posted on August 19, 2016 by

Italo Calvino once wrote that a ‘classic’ is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say. If this is the approved meter of judgement for the category, then I’ve no doubts that Arabian Sands belongs to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books review, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

“Ninety Percent of Everything”, by Rose George, Picador

Posted on April 19, 2016 by

I’m an intrinsically sceptical person, the sort of individual who’s the thorn in the side of marketers, focus group organisers or pollsters. Give an advert saying “The best book of the year” and I’ll immediately think ‘bullshit’. Make me read … Continue reading →

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British Airways’ New Talent Awards

Posted on December 24, 2015 by

A bit of a late notice, given the timelines, but here’s something interesting for my fellow travel writers: on yesterday’s flight, whilst browsing through the BA in-flight magazine, I noticed a call for young (up to 30 years old) writers, … Continue reading →

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“The Lost Heart of Asia”, by Colin Thubron, Vintage

Posted on April 2, 2015 by

Then I heard Pasha calling me to return. It was late and dark, he said, and this was not our country. It doesn’t happen often, for me, to arrive at the last word of a book and think Aw fuck, … Continue reading →

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Food for the road: beer-marinated rabbit and Kuroda potatoes

Posted on November 1, 2014 by

A few weeks ago I left the Alpine Lys Valley, where I visited my friend Federico’s new business Paysage à Manger, with some kilos’ worth of potatoes of four different types, species that have been unavailable from our tables for … Continue reading →

Posted in All things food, Food recipes, Italy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

(Shameless advertisement) A new enhancement! A new page! Oooh!

Posted on October 26, 2014 by

…yes, much like those airlines that put up such a circus for having change their logo in the most imperceptible way (yes Cathay Pacific, I’m talking about you) I’m devolving a whole post to a rather minor change on this … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Occupy Central vs Beijing: it’s turning nasty.

Posted on September 29, 2014 by

I don’t want to turn this into a politics blog but I cannot avoid writing about Occupy Central and their protests. Ever since I saw them picketing a skyscraper downtown, belonging to a wealthy billionaire with connections with Beijing’s elite, … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Hong Kong, Politics, Reflections, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reducing one’s personal environmental footprint: my way of dealing with the problem.

Posted on September 23, 2014 by

I’m a climate change sceptic. It’s not that I don’t believe it’s happening, but I seriously think that most of what’s happening in the world has very little to do with us and there’s plenty of evidence to support that. Look … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Public Transportation, Random memories, Reflections, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Genoa: a charmy lady sailing through stormy seas

Posted on August 1, 2014 by

There was, once, the Industrial Triangle. It was composed by Milan, Turin and Genoa and it was, basically, what propped Italy into the G7 club. Turin had the cars, Genoa the shipyards and Milan basically everything else. Then the 1990s came … Continue reading →

Posted in All things food, Italy, Overlooked locations, Sea, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments