Today is a very special day, in every sense. In the first place, I have finally gotten around with starting my very own blog, which I...

Hello World and Merry Christmas!

December 26, 2015 Benedetta Mottino 0 Comments

Today is a very special day, in every sense. In the first place, I have finally gotten around with starting my very own blog, which I have been thinking about for such a long time. This very space of my own will be freely dedicated to the several sources of my inspiration, a story from the past, a tale of travel, a hidden gem, an art work selected from antiquity or the extension to one’s personality, fashion.

Today is also Christmas, the most joyful day of all; the day when this side of the world stops and time should be dedicated to love, sharing and compassion.

I remember dearly when, as a little girl, I used to spend this special day with my brother, mum and dad. We often travelled to Limone, a tiny village nestled in the Italian Alps next to the French border, in the evening on the 24th. The journey lasted about two and a half hours, and we children often fell asleep in the back seats, bundled up in my mum’s softest arctic fox’s fur coat, dreaming about our charming encounter with Santa Claus, later that night. Once at the house, the light went off as we hid underneath the tick, warm blankets, of a gigantic king bed, excited and inebriated by the most magical feeling of the year, the wait for the mysterious character. Dad played Santa, wearing several layers of puffy coats and manifesting himself between the blinds of the cold balcony.

I loved my parents’ joint efforts with preserving the very traditional magic of Christmas amongst their children and I am very jealous about that time, since they separated a few years later and sadly brought an end to the traditional idea of togetherness that so many children love.

Many years have gone past and I relocated in London a few years ago, sharing a small but cozy cottage with my boyfriend and beloved white furry bundle of joy, Nino, in Hampstead. To me, this is the most charming part of London. Once a Saxon village and land of crops and grazed animals, Hampstead became the attractive escape of wealthy Londoners wishing to fleecing the plaque in 1665 and find solace away from the noise of the city. Its little alleyways and cobbled streets still retain much of the village's eighteenth century splendour, with small and colourful residences, to historic homes embellished by fairytale gardens once inhabited by famous artists and writers such as Keats and Constable.

Enjoying a cup of earl grey tea amidst the crispy air and wonderful game of colours of the lush gardens of Burgh House, one can feel the splendour of the 18th century private paradise, residence of physician, Dr. Gibbons, and the source of happiness as it was described by Elsie Bambridge, one of its latest inhabitants.

Wandering through the enchanting game of small passageways and old stairways, hiding great picnic shops and cozy cafes, one can stumble upon the magic of the Holly Bush pub.Built in 1943, this charming gem is tucked in Holly Bush, a small cul-de-sac dotted with small traditional Victorian cottages a cozy. Its ensemble of small rooms offer the perfect retreat from the daily world of hustle and bustle and an escapade to the country where one can enjoy the quintessential of English togetherness and cuisine such as beef and ale, pheasant and fisherman's pie, whilst sitting amidst the warmth of a roaring coal fire and enjoying a pint of traditional London beer.