The Balkan Florence Express film festival (2017)

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Balkan Florence Express 2017

I’m back in Florence for yet another edition of the excellent Balkan Florence Express, the film festival devoted to Balkan movies and organized by Cecilia Ferrara and Simone Malavolti with the help of Oxfam Italia. This year’s programme is richer than last year’s; it focuses less on the war and its consequences and more on present-day ordinary life in the Balkan countries, through different topics and cinema genres, from comedy to mockumentary. Keep reading →

Upfest 2016: Interview with Fin Dac

Posted by On Filed under Festivals, Interview, Street Art

interview with fin dac
“We are accused of gentrification so often now, as if it’s our fault” – Fin Dac

As we sat down at what –since then- has become the pub where I had a beer with Fin Dac, my first instinct was to ask him about the unglorious side of street art, a.k.a. gentrification, as his old piece in Rome (Quadraro neighbourhood) was vandalized several times by a “fiercly resistant” local.

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Nuart 2016: interview with Henrik Uldalen

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Henrik Uldalen nuart Stavanger

“Nice job you have” he said, lighting up a cigarette while walking towards me.

“Your job is likewise amazing” I replied, pointing to the couple cuddling in the darkness that was taking shape on the long wall of a derelict building in the industrial area of Stavanger.

“Well, I’d loved to be a food critique and eat my way around the world. But I ended up painting.”

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Nuart 2016: interview with Axel Void

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interview with Axel Void Nuart 2016I had just thrown myself on the bed when one of Nuart‘s organisers texted that they were having a magic time at the festival’s headquarters, where Axel Void was playing some nice tunes. Without thinking twice, I opened my umbrella and ventured back into the Stavanger night. But, when I arrived at Tou Scene, I only found a bunch of artists scattered lazily around the main room: they looked like they had spent the afternoon painting and were just about to sit down, someone was smoking, someone else was sipping a beer, and all of them were staring at their phones or laptops, including Axel Void, who definitely wasn’t playing any music.

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One exciting night at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta

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Bristol Balloon Fiesta

The declamatory voice of the announcer clanks out of the speakers, spreading across the 850 acres of the Ashton Court Estate. Children and adults, couples and families, youngsters and elders, tourists and locals, everybody is holding their breath as the countdown blows in the wind. The air is packed with excitement: we are all waiting for the magic that is about to happen.

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The Balkan Florence Express film festival (2016)

Posted by On Filed under Festivals, Florence, Movies

balkan florence express“Once I happened to be in Sarajevo during the Sarajevo Film Festival: I totally loved it”, Cecilia Ferrara confessed to me, a Balkan enthusiast who runs the Balkan Florence Express film festival together with Simone Malavolti.

“I didn’t know anything about cinema back then, but I did know that I wanted to bring those movies to Italy”. Keep reading →

Alterazioni Festival: interview with the staff

Posted by On Filed under Festivals, Interview, Street Art, Tuscany
Alterazioni festival interview
Last year I published a post about my graffiti hunt in Arcidosso, a medieval village near Grosseto (Tuscany). As I got a great feedback on that post, I thought to share more information about this colourful summer festival, asking to the guys behind Alterazioni Festival a few questions about the project, especially regarding the street art theme.
Enjoy the interview!

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Kurentovanje: the Slovenian Carnival Parade you shouldn’t miss

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Kurentovanje in Ptuj Slovenia Carnival parade
…which unfortunately, this year, I will miss! :-(
(but I won’t miss the opportunity to ramble about how much I love Slovenia, and so… here we go!)
Kurentovanje is the traditional Carnival festival taking place in Ptuj, the oldest city in Slovenia, located in the North-Eastern area of the country. When I was living in Slovenia, Ptuj was one of my favourite day-trip destinations: next to a beautiful lake (Ptujsko Jezero), Ptuj has many interesting churches and monasteries, a Castle, Slovenia’s oldest wine cellar, a great thermal spa (Terme Ptuj), lots of storks nesting on its red roofs and, during this time of the year, the coolest carnival ever!

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Guča Trumpet Festival: my 48 overwhelming hours in Serbia – part 1

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Guca trumpet festival serbia 2014
Do you remember when I first heard about the Guča Trumpet Festival? Since then, I sincerely wanted to attend it, but I knew it would have been difficult to get some days off from work at the beginning of August. So, I kind of buried it into my travel bucket list, waiting for a brighter future when I would be a full-time travel blogger. Keep reading →