oranjeflamingo

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damn

[oranjeflamingo]

Dorian Gray reading Oscar Wildes The Picture of Dorian Gray in the punisher

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Variations on a (Street Art) Theme

Variations on a (Street Art) Theme #Bologna #Italy #streetart #women

The Weekly Photo Challenge theme this week is “variations on a theme”. As I thought about more of the street art images I have that I’d like to post, these three images popped into my mind first. All variations of depictions of women in street art. I’ll leave it up to you how you choose to interpret them. What I do love is how different each is, yet how each is a representation of Bologna street…

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Guasto Village Street Art

Guasto Village Street Art in Bologna #streetart #italy

Via del Guasto Along Via del Guasto, an unassuming and potentially unappealing street between Via delle Belle Arti and Piazza Verdi, there are some unexpected surprises. What had a reputation as a drug-infested back alley in the past is trying to reclaim a safer yet still modern and edgy vibe. Guasto Village, which took place in the surrounding streets during the summer, was a way to give new…

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The Murals of Via Majorana

In Bologna, Via Majorana is a small side street technically within the historic city center. However, because of the proximity to the train station — a target in WWII — the buildings in the area tend to be post WWII. They still have portici and lovely colors in most cases, but some of the side streets are just as likely to be covered in graffiti rather than murals. Via Majorana, which has a large…

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Weathered but Wonderful Art

I’ve been thinking about doing a theme this week of some of the Bologna street art. As I’ve said before, there’s plenty of your standard graffiti, but there’s also a lot of really amazing street art. I’ve seen some in recent weeks that takes my breath away and really makes me think — and want to create. However, this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge is “weathered” and while going through some of my…

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Bologna Surprises

This probably applies to a lot of Italian cities, to be honest, but one of my favorite things is to walk down a narrow street and spot a fantastic building at the end. Graffiti and posters on each side of you and straight ahead, a rather grand building. And are those papal symbols I see on it with the triple crown and keys?

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My Favorite Italian Cities #DolceVitaBloggers

Ok, so technically the #DolceVitaBloggers theme for January is your favorite Italian city. Singular. But how do you choose? Even if you’ve only been to a handful? Before living here, I would have probably said Florence. As someone who studied art history and fell in love with the Italian Renaissance, it’s kind of hard not to love Florence. It was such an important city during the period. Plus,…

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Dreams of Venice

Dreams of Venice #travel #italy #befana

In looking for photos for the next #DolceVitaBloggers linkup tomorrow, I ended up looking at some of my photos of Venice. That’s when I realized that that visit was 16 years ago today. We had gone to Venice for the day, not really thinking that the day was a holiday (Epiphany/Befana). As a result, many shops and restaurants were closed. One restaurant, in particular, that G had hoped to visit was…

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Specialty Food Shops in the Heart of Bologna

Just off Piazza Maggiore, you’ll find a number of small streets filled with Bologna specialty food shops that are foodie heaven. This is part of the Quadrilatero and these shops are part of the food market tradition in these streets that date back to the medieval period, if not further. Small shops dedicated to top-quality Italian classic ingredients. There are the fruit and vegetable stalls, the…

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Wordless Wednesday: Evening Intersection #bologna #italy #architecture #cycling

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The French Christmas Market ... in Italy.

The French Christmas Market … in Italy.

Along with the regular markets taking place throughout the week, a new influx of holiday markets has arrived. Some have come and gone, while others hold out through the new year. Some are purely Italian, while others have a more foreign flavor. Once such market is il villaggio di natale francese, the French Christmas Village. This little Christmas market has packed up and said au revoir for the…

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Fond Memories and a Last Vote

I lived in Utrecht consistently for longer than I’ve lived anywhere since I was 13. After that began the various moves, sometimes within the same city or state, and sometimes to a new city, state or country. So Utrecht really became a second home to me. Maybe even more like home than anywhere else these days, since I became so familiar with it over the years, both how to get around and also so…

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Holiday Home Stretch

Only two more days left on the advent calendar before it’s officially Christmas. (Our advent calendar is given over to cat and dog treats and Lola rushes over to it every morning when I get up.) We’re basically ready for the holidays; just a little more wine to purchase and make sure we have enough pet food stocked up. I took a lot of photos last night and today, but I’m honestly too tired to go…

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The Return of Neptune (Nettuno)

The Return of Neptune (Nettuno) #bologna #ilnettuno #italy #travel @BolognaWelcome

For more than a year, if you’ve wandered around Piazza Maggiore, admiring the Basilica di San Petronio, walking up the unusual steps to the Salaborsa, or visited the Bologna Welcome tourism offices, you can’t help but notice a large, temporary, shrouded structure towering over everyone passing by. In fact, on some of the maps visitors may have picked up, it might have referred to that as Piazza…

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Towering Surprises

Towering Surprises #Bologna #travel #italy @bolognawelcome

Bologna is filled with lots of narrow side streets and so many of those little streets have some sort of surprise along them. Beautiful colors, incredibly old palaces, and quite often a tower. The city, during the 12th and 13th centuries was like a medieval New York City, with skyscraping towers everywhere. There were possibly as many at 180, though most likely not more than 100 at any one point.…

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The Italian Connection #DolceVitaBloggers

The internet is a wonderful thing. Sure it has its downsides, but when you find yourself moving to a new city or country, it can become a wonderful resource and a way to make new friends and connections. In the end, it can also lead you to find that special someone in your life, as it did for me. Today, thanks to some of those online connections I’ve started to make here in Italy, I’ve been…