The 4th of June Mr. Luca Blasi and Miss Abigail Hole celebrated their marry in Anguillara Sabazia (north of Rome). Here a brief report.

Do you remember Luca? He is a member of our Legio Palatina wargame group. Now he lives in London. The last time we saw him was just in London, when he guested us for a week. He is the guy with the bald head in the front of a man with a band coloured like our national flag (the Mayor). On the left there is Aby and again the witness, the Luca’s little sister with her first two children. The other witness was from Moscow. Other people went from Germany or other parts of Europe.

A large delegation of English people were present. You can see the lake of Bracciano and strange hats that English people, especially female ones, use in holidays. The official language used was Italian but a 90% of guests only speak English.

After the civil rite a series of photos to immortalise the moment. Here you can see how beautiful is the bride.

Rice rain!

We ate a lot. Before a series of starters in the open, after the rest of the lunch on a big hall. At the end the classic: the cutting of the cake! Near the bride two little children: Gabriel and Jack Romano.

Traditional sensual folk music and dances from the South of Italy accompanied the day. Luca is not from Rome, he birthed in Puglia, but he lived in Rome a lot. And when you are in Rome and you act like a Roman, you are a Roman.

Me and Narciso, another Legio Palatina member. I’m the only guy with a sky shirt. The official shirt colour was white. I’m out of fashion!

Paolo (Ronin Clan and brother of Luca) and I.

After the lunch more wedding time near the lake under the restaurant. This is the lake of Martignano, a small lake in a natural park. These mad English took away their dresses and swim in the lake! Mummy always tell me to not take a shower after a meal and these people from northern lands take their swim suites! Children (more than 10 I think) had a lot of fun in the water. There was a babysitting service for children during the day.

More relax and free fruit juices and cocktails around the lake. English bought beers in industrial rating at the bar, it’s more strong than them. Here you can see Diego, other Legio Palatina member.

More music and dances, with fun dance fertility games! More children on arrival?

The evening went on, with deejay music from London and a dinner, until late night. Diego was tired and today he have to play a battle with tons of little men made of lead. We leave at 20.30. Great day!
This one in the picture is a special gift that we gave to the couple.

A lot of things here. Firstly we had a server change, so I had to wait to put new posts until all seems fine. In the meantime there were a trip to Sant’Oreste to show our Folgore paratroopers historical group, a testing of Song of Spear and Shield in Terni, some medical analysis, the painting of miniatures at industrial rate due to good weather and sunny days. In the following days I will make some posts about these things.
For now you can see my personal painting service at work with Late Romans, VBCW hunting party, Gladiators.

Londinium is a really great city. I love it! This is my 8th or 9th time that I visit it, and I want to come again and again. This is my report about the other things I did beside Salute together with my old chaps. And there is no Salute without a visit to London…

First thing to do in London: to see the latest miniatures painted by our guest Luca. It is late, but little soldiers are little soldiers!

This is Henry, but it is a female. It lives in the house and used to sleep between me and Narciso. I had only half bed because the other half was for Henry. It has very affectionate ways, a puss machine!

Next year will be the Olympic year. The clock in Trafalgar square.

Renzo Piano has the longest… skyscraper. The skyline has a new presence, you can always see it around London. Ready for 2012. The Belfast vessel and the Tower of London pier watch the development.

The heart of Little Italy, the church of St. Peter.

The memorial on the sink of Arandona Star, the ship with part of the Italians who lived in London, deported toward Canada in 1940.

Another ship, a reconstructed ship, with a freshwater sailor on it.

Even the Doctor visits Forbidden Planet shop.

A local delicatessen: a Dalek cake!

Real British food: gammon with eggs and chips.

British food again: fish and chips with peas.

From left to right: Luca (his left arm), me, Narciso, the right hand of Paolo with a pint of bitter, Paolo, Ornella (the back of his head).

Shop of Westminster Abbey. Maybe there will be a marry the 29th of April…

And in another shop there is a salute from the Queen.

28mm scale to show the construction of the underground. Museum of Transport.

The dock outside Canal Museum.

New London Architecture and a view on the development of the city. It is not a dead city like Rome, here there is a plan for the future realised in the present. London is a great city.

My silence on the blog is due to the fact that I have to do a lot of things before my holiday in London! After two years without a visit I will be at Salute again! Maybe this time I will be in the staff, with the lowest mansions I suppose, but it is a chance to live more this great convention.

Luca, South London Warlord’s member and Legio Palatina’s member, is without wife and boys (they are now in Rome), so we can stay in his house for almost a week: 4 old chaps and 1 girlfriend. So there will be a lot of chatting about little men made of lead, and a woman who wants to kill us all! Luca have just promised to show us his latest painted realizations and alchemy discoveries to how paint them…

In the past days I studied the Salute’s vendors and what I must looking for. And I have re-read books on London to find something new to see, because this will be the 9th time I visit this city. I’m thinking about the Canal Museum and the New London Architecture centre. But the usual places like Imperial War Museum, Hamleys and Forbidden Planet are on my book. There is even a Dr. Who exhibition but maybe I don’t have the time. I will visit Alessio, Emily and Olivia too, they are other friends from Roma that now live in London. I still have to do some last minute researches and must to control the airplane tickets.

I will stay for a week, so you can read a full report of the future days in Easter time I suppose. Albion beware, we are coming!

The fair is ended. Like all finished parties, the mood is a little bad. The other days the hotel was full of people and friends (and late night games were setted in the hall), this morning we are alone in the breakfast room. I see the desk and only 7 keys aren’t in position on 114 rooms. Mondays are always empty of holidays mood.

We want some souvenir of Modena’s food so we find a local supermarket and spent 150 euros in aceto, gnocchi fritti and other cholesterol sources.

On the road to home there is Bologna and the Museo Memoriale della Libertà (Memoir of Liberty Museum). It is a place with a private collection of vehicles like this Sherman (it is still in order) that you maybe watched in “La vita è bella” flick.
There is even a place with sequential rooms where was in action animated scenes about WWII in Bologna. Very suggestive and with real deactivated weapons.
The museum was closed but it opened for us. The guardian is a picturesque ex soldier of fortune of Algeria and Indochina wars. We woke him after a night shift…
More here

Near the museum there is Fabio and his headquarters.

I took some pictures in his office. Instead of the real work about software and pharmacology you can see little soldiers everywhere. And some previews about his TB Line. They are real photos, the office is invaded by these little things.

And here there is my viaduct, blocked. Too many things to do in these days. I told it goodbye, I will see you in the following months.

After this visit, Fabio offered us a heavy dinner on the hills around Bologna. I ate crescentine until my stomach permitted it. Thanks Fabio!

Five hours after I was at home, a little tired… next stop is for Agliana, next Sunday!

Play Modena is a huge convention about boardgames, and wargames too. This year we went to Modena for a 4 days tour! We stayed in this hotel, a building with 114 rooms!

The first day a tourist trip around the city. It was he first time I saw it. Beautiful but very small, I’m from Roma, another thing. Here you can see the Duomo with his campanile dressed like a Tetris for refurbishment work.

I ate a lot in these days. Modena cousin is famous. The first night in a posh restaurant: polenta, quaglia eggs, vinegar and cheese.

And after: tortelloni with pumpkin inside.

At the convention we ate tigelle with a mixture of garlic, lard and grana cheese!

Saturday was a hard day to found some place not overcrowded. At last we ate a great pizza. Mine with salty ricotta and small tomatoes.

Sunday night it was very calmer. A lot of people was on the way to home. So we ate in city centre where someone from Ganesha told us about a beautiful waitress. He was fucking right.
We ate tagliatelle with prosciutto and porcini mushrooms, boiled rice with vinegar and grana, tortelloni with asparaguses.

And to end the night this light combination of cream and chocolate.

Before the crisis: Berlusconi kissed Gheddafy’s hand to pay homage. And after Gheddafy cleaned his hand.

At the start of the crisis: Berlusconi said he don’t want to call Gheddafy because he thinks he is busy.

Now: Berlusconi is ready to fight Gheddafy…

This year there are little possibilities of holidays for workers because the 1st of the year, the 1st of May (labour day), the 25th of April (official end of WWII in Italy) and the 25th of December (Jesus birthday) are days off like Sunday or Saturday. A strange calendar in these years.

Italian politicians are a total mess, so the idea: “let be happy people, a new holiday only for this year!”

And so we have got this “flag holiday”! What a stupid thing!
If you ask around what this holiday is, why just this day, none know the answer.

We have got this fake celebration of the 150 years of Italy, but Italy was not really reunited 150 years ago, it was all another story, and nowadays Italy is not so united.

And in the North there is a very influential political party that is a rule force in our government, based on racist and secessionist ideas (but it is only a fable for dumb and a matter of money to steal), that don’t want to celebrate this flag. They claim to be descenders of Celts and call themselves Longobards (that are Germans)! They wanted, and so have obtained, a holiday for their flag. They are thinking about which flag utilize, maybe a St. George flag, the England flag! And they are Celts… And this 17th of March is St. Patrick day, the national holiday of a real Celtic country: Ireland. And Ireland flag is similar to the Italian one. While Italians who suddenly 20 years ago named themselves Longobards thinking to be Celts, want to celebrate a English flag!

Another thing. After this precious gift of free time, someone reminded about the cost of it. Who will pay the workers for this new holiday? The solution: for this year all will have for holidays one day less!

Our national flag is green, white and red. Like pizza. It is not casual. Italy is like pizza. But if you put in pizza some genetically modified basilico, mozzarella produced from dioxin polluted fields, cheap Chinese tomatoes, what do you have? You have this actual and real wasted Italy.