quirky museums near Milan, part 1 (of 2) : the scooter & lambretta museum

let's go to Milan and check something off that list

I am a list maker. I make list everytime, for everything. I have dozens of bullet points to (sooner or later) check off, they are on the files in my computer, handwritten and hanging on the board next to my desk, on the pages of my many notebooks. one of those list is named "Marco and Silvia's places to visit", and, since it came to our attention, several years ago,  that a lambretta museum existed, of course it entered the list, to be finally marked with a satisfying tick a few weeks ago: our pilgrimage has been done. 

ride a vintage scooter through the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, Austria's most beautiful panoramic road

riding a lambretta through the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse

since I had found out about Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, a panoramic road in Austria which, on paper, seemed a wonderful way to spend one of our lambretta weekends away, I've been hoping to find a lovely autumn day to enjoy it to the fullest.

good weather was an indispensable requirement to confront the long road and the highest mountain of Austria. since we were planning our little trip for mid-October, of course we weren't completely sure we were actually going to leave until the day before: we checked the weather forecast everyday that week, but even when the nice symbol of the sun steady showed up on our screens, we've never dreamt we'd be so lucky! we have ridden through Austria's highest scenic road on the best autumn day you could imagine, with blue cloudless sky and a view made of stunning mountain peaks, snow and those amazing warm tones that you can find during October in the Alps.

I will never forget it, it has been one of the most beautiful ride of my life, so I've prepared this detailed post to share all the informations with you ♥

my lambretta alphabet: letter #B

i diari della lambretta's illustrated abc

B for Bettinelli

early autumn alpine weekend in Cortina d'Ampezzo

the pink hues of a Dolomites sunset

we started the new season in our own way, by taking a couple of days by ourselves, to go to the most beautiful town of the Dolomites, our dear Cortina d'Ampezzo. 

in spite of being quite close to our home, less than 90 kilometers, even when we visit for a day or just an afternoon (it happens), the chilly air and the stunning alpine landscape don't fail to make me feel happier, somehow clearer and recharged. it's mountain magic, nature magic. 

we visited some old spots and tried new ones, starting with a lovely glamping experience at the international camping Olympia, where we rented the cosiest wooden tent.

the blue hour  in Cortina, outside our wooden tent at camping Olympia 

where to stay while roadtrippin' in Andalucia: our airbnb guide

charming cottage in Jerez de la Frontera

before our road trip in Andalucia {you can find the itinerary here} I've spent hours browsing Airbnb looking for dreamy cottages, cozy farms, cool yurts, enchanting cave houses (and even a  super cool airstream!)... now that the trip is over, and we had the chance to personally test some of those places, I don't want to waste this precious list of locations, that I think could be useful to someone who is planning a trip to southern Spain. especially if you, like me, are particularly picky when it comes to holiday accommodations,  as I'm usually looking for places I can remember {possibile in a good way!}, not impersonal or banal. 

if you are on my team, I hope you like this small selection: there are pictures and desctipion of 4 airbnbs where we stayed, and, at the end, the full airbnb Andalucia wishlist. 

Andalucia on the road: 13 days, 1000 km, 2 (vintage) wheels

if you dream about visit Andalucia someday, if you are planning a trip to Andalucia, if you are just curious about our road trip in Andalucia by lambretta, in this post I'm sharing our day by day itinerary on the road for a 2 weeks long trip, with some personal notes, tips and the usual illustrated map, of course.

Andalucia on the road, illustrated map

Collezione Salce, vintage poster museum in Treviso

there was a time when advertising posters were artworks. I am clearly just one of the many fans of this almost lost form of art (as I stated many times). 

Mr. Nando Salce was a bright and wealthy man who had been playing in the adverts lovers team in the best possible way: born in 1877 in Treviso, at the age of 17 years he started to collect affiches and continued doing that till his death in 1962. with his will, he donated the entire collection of more than 25.000 posters to the Italian state. 

a few weeks ago, a new museum finally opened in the historic center of Treviso: Collezione Salce, so now we can all enjoy the artworks and share Mr. Salce's passion. 

my lambretta alphabet: letter #A

illustrated ABC's of what lambretta world is to me.

a for adventure

flowers and candlelight: Rosa Rosae, magical inn in Veneto countryside | places to ♥ #2

an old mill, careffully restored and tastefully furnished. a building with the typical features of venetian rural tradition on the outside, a magical inn on the inside. I had dinner with my family at Rosa Rosae last weekend, and beautiful things have to be shared.

Arte Sella: contemporary art in the woods

one of the (many) perks of film photography is that you look at your pictures more often. a few days ago I was tidying one of my drawers and found the roll taken in a beautiful summer day from last year.

it was august and we had just come back from our lambretta road trip in southern France. you may expect we'd take a little break from the road, but clearly we were feeling nostalgic already, and went to a field trip to Arte Sella, an international outdoor exhibition of contemporary art set up between the fields, woods and mountains of Trentino Alto Adige, in the municipality of Borgo Valsugana.

spring weekend in Veneto: welcome to La Scuola b&b, a charming school - themed guesthouse

cherry blossoms, lambretta, some time just for us, and a charming, romantic retreat on the hills of our beloved region: these were the ingredients of our last weekend on the road. how could I ask for more? 

the road to Lusiana, passing through Bassano del Grappa, Marostica and the cherry tree road | watercolor map

Reaching Out teahouse in Hoi An | places to ♥ #1

Hoi An can hardly be considered a noisy town, if compared to the busiest Hanoi or Saigon, but, packed with tourists as it is, it's not an oasis of peace and quiet neither. 

7 things about our road trip to Vietnam we keep telling people

"how was Vietnam?"
"tell me all about your trip!"

as soon as we came home from Vietnam, and started answering our friends and relatives questions, these have been the main topics we go on chatting about:


1. vietnamese coffee, or cà phê

after the third one, you'll be addicted to it.

one of the many coffee breaks during our sidecar road trip from Hanoi to Hoi An

newsletter

hi ♥ 

I love to have a blog, and i diari della lambretta has been a cozy place that I feel comfortable in (and inspired by) for quite some time now. 

anyway, I feel the need of a new tool to communicate with you. my plan is not to stop updating i diari della lambretta, but to improve my relationships with you, without -for example- the mediation of Facebook. 

the first idea is the creation of a newsletter. if you have been reading i diari della lambretta, if you like my travel style, or the lambretta/vintage wheels world, or my illustrations, I'd love if you sign in. 

I'm planning to share with you:

* some cute illustrations, mostly mine but not always, mostly travel-related but not always

* the latest blog posts from i diari della lambretta

* new products or news from on my e-shop

* stuff that I think you may find interesting 

* pics and informations about nice places I've been to 

on my honour, I promise that I will not spam you. I'll be moderate and, I truly hope, interesting. 

I've always been a BAD pen pal (some of you are already aware of that), but I've always loved the idea of being one. maybe this time I will improve myself.

the newsletter will be written in english or italian, depending on your preference when you sign in. 

ah, I almost forgot, you can do it here. 

the first (e)letter is going to be sent as soon as spring begins! 

Vietnam on the road on a vintage sidecar motorcycle

vietnamese people, watercolor illustration 

since we've moved in together, we have a coin jar with "Vietnam & Laos" written on it. 

as wedding present, our lovely witnesses gave us plane tickets to a destination of our choice, so after our lambretta honeymoon in Provence, we started thinking about the next adventure in South East Asia. 

when we read on the Lonely Planet guide that riding a motorcycle in northern Vietnam is a lifetime experience, that was it. we remembered an old classic, the BBC Top Gear Vietnam special, watched it for the 100th time and booked a flight to Hanoi. 

love rides! Valentine's Day 2017

for all the lovers who ride. happy valentines! 

lambretta en Provence: honeymoonin' on the roads of Southern France

Provence road trip, watercolor map 

this post is intended for:

- anyone curious about details and organization of our trip to Provence, Southern France

- anyone going to visit Provence soon, by scooter or motorcycle or car

- anyone planning a road trip by vintage scooter

I really hope you find it inspiring, pretty and useful. and yes, I woud love to read your feedbacks.

ひさしぶり! I'm back ♥

smells like forest spirit

long time no see! ひさしぶり です, the Japanese would say.
oh, I've been missing this place. I really thought that my blogging time was over, that the constant lack of time and the general incostancy had killed it. maybe they had, maybe not yet.
when I started this diary I was a post graduated student with a steady boyfriend with many dreams and longing for adventure. now, it's difficult to find enough time to go and live the dreams and adventures. but they are still there, along with the desire to tell stories about them, with words, photographs, illustrations.
so here I am, giving it another try. this little blog has given me so much, in terms of connections, inspirations, motivation, (I actually think all of my current jobs derive - in one way or another - from this blog) to leave it like that. (and, I confess, I still think it's really pretty.)
so, I hope you're willing to read i diari della lambretta again.
love,
Silvia

p.s. picture taken in the Cansiglio forest a couple of months ago