The days are heating up again, the evenings are getting longer and the desire to share a cool aperitif with friends is pulling many Berliners out of their homes. The streets are filling up again with lively people, craving to catch up on the latest news from their friends, seeking the next delicious glass of Aperol Spritz. To give you some ideas on how to start the upcoming warm summer nights, we would like to introduce you to some great aperitif bars in Berlin.
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by Franziska | Bars, Charlottenburg, Friedrichshain, Kreuzberg, Mitte, Restaurants
photo: Neil H / CC.
When I travel to foreign continents and get asked where I am from, my answer is often: “I am from Europe”. I never really thought about what this means until the Brexit vote. It’s not that I don’t want to say that I am from Germany (because whoever asks is probably going to demand a more precise answer anyway and I will give it). It’s not a lack of national pride; it’s more a sense of international unity within my own continent. I am happy to be German, but I am proud to be from Europe. Being born and raised in an isolated country like the GDR, the sense of freedom after the reunification was amazing.
I grew into an adult benefiting from the bond that the European countries had formed with one another after being in conflict for centuries. For me this became the status quo. I could travel, study, live and work in all of the other countries without problems, which many of my class mates actually did, going to France or the UK after school. When many of the countries even started to share one currency it became even more united. Going to Madrid or to Rome over the weekend to visit friends or just have a good time, this no longer felt like taking a vacation in a foreign country. It felt like something else…
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by Frank | Stories, Travel
The end of the world can be a beautiful place sometimes. At least that’s the case for Apulia the high heel of the boot of Italy and the little village of Castro at its bottom. There you really feel you have reached the end of all the worlds you know. No big city, no hustle and bustle, no futurism, no minimalism and certainly no cold. Neither the weather nor the heart of the welcoming people cheering travelers and tourist alike.
To give you a more unconventional description for this beautiful place we had the pleasure to experience for just two days, we will tell you more about the 4 unique colors we saw.
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by Claudio | Travel
What can you do when Berlin gives you -2 degrees in April? We decided to give ourself a break from this great city with the ass-cold (free translation of the German term arschkalt) heart and start the season of Spring properly while escaping to Milan and visit the Milan Design Week. Sounds pretty spoiled, huh?
Well to be fair and square, Milan Design Week is a posh event only in certain ways. First of all most exhibitions and events are for free and without any guestlist involved. Secondly, flights from Berlin to Milan are more than affordable even close to Design Week. But mostly I think the event is so enjoyable and down to earth because the whole city with all inhabitants are curious about it and love to spend time visiting it. So you might enjoy the giant cockring designed by Hermes next to the Italian grannies from the neighborhood, or you might be playing in the playground of Toilet Paper Magazine or Marni with toddlers and battle for the best selfie poses with Italian high school kids. And I can promise you, you won’t win that battle.
So we were spoiled with good weather, nice Aperitivos and lots of playful design but were kind enough to come back to Berlin with lots of beautiful photos by Alicia Kassebohm. So after the jump we show you our favorite design highlights and trends we picked up there.
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by Claudio | Design, Travel
There are certain streets in Berlin-Schöneberg that are mostly known for representing gay culture from the 70s to the 90s. Still, the Motzstraßen-Kiez attracts gay tourism and leather lovers from all over the world, especially to certain events like Folsom.
But what took me by surprise last week, was that exactly there, in the middle of the heart of gay Schöneberg, there was a culinary pearl that would teach me new secrets and wonders of the Italian cuisine. Located on Fuggerstraße 27, Trattoria a’ Muntagnola run by Pino and his wise mother Angela is a true Italian classic in Berlin.
Even though the interior is truly inspired by Italian exaggeration the food you will taste there can easily beat that of many star restaurants. Thanks to the True Italian food festival that is currently happening in Berlin for 72h we had the chance to try out some gems of their incredible menu.
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by Claudio | Restaurants, Schöneberg
photos: Finding Berlin
One of my favorite Italian traditions that I have always enjoyed so much when I was there is the Aperitivo. And by that I don’t mean a simply fizzy drink before I dinner, I mean the whole ritual that comes attached to that. The meeting in a bar in the early evening, enjoy a good drink and snack from a delicious buffet full of Italian delicacies. When you hear “Aperitivo” in Germany you will most likely only get the drink – very few bars offer the entire experience, the Bar Milano or the event series Aperitivo a Berlino being the few exceptions. But thankfully this has just changed as we just got a new Aperitivo bar in Berlin…
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by Frank | Bars, Prenzlauer Berg
Food culture is nothing you are supposed to take lightly. Especially when you have Italian origins. Food is love, passion, dedication and joy. There is no better way to get closer to other human beings than sharing a meal and a good drink. When I was younger and living in a smaller town (in East Germany) a good meal was something I could only enjoyed at home (because restaurants in East Germany pretty much failed at that). When I moved to Berlin I discovered the diversity of the gastronomy here and I was especially surprised that I could enjoy so many authentic Italian meals so far away from the land of my origin (now I sound like a grandpa).
But let’s face the facts. Berlin is also full of places that are not authentic and not the best. Our friends and food lovers from Berlino Magazine did not stand the fact that there are so many wannabe Italian restaurants only serving the mediocre cliche dishes (Pizza, Pasta, Lasagne, you name it) and so many Berliners did not get to enjoy the real authentic and special recipes only Italians know and like. Italian food culture has such a variety of amazing dishes that deserve to be known and appreciated that they started the 72hrs True Italian Food Festival. Starting this Thursday September 28nd at 19h until Sunday evening October 1st 2017, over 50 Italian restaurants, pizzerias, wineries, bakeries and bars will offer their own specialties to all Berliners for just 7 EUR including a glass of wine.
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by Claudio | Food, Restaurants
The best thing about Berlin is, how it consists of cultural pieces from every part of the world. Some further some closer. Italian culture is most definitely one of the most established ones here. Our friends from Berlino Magazine, a Blog run by – and written for Italians in Berlin, decided to create an event that lets you enjoy the wonders of italian cuisine and culture for 72 hours, which is called True Italian and it happens this week Wednesday bringing you all these Italian goodies to your tastebuds. We got inspired by this and thought it is about time, we created a guide to true Italian lifestyle in Berlin just for you.
There is so much more to it than Pizza and Pasta (don’t get us wrong, they will always be our best friends). Find your way into art, music, food and fashion from Italy in Berlin.
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by Guest Author | Cafés, Food, Music, People, Restaurants, Shops
We love to travel with a cultural agenda. Visiting Venice for the Art Biennale or Milan for Design Week was so inspiring and we love to look back at the photos we collected there. Art and design events are a wonderful bridge to get to know a new city and I always try to visit creative spaces, galleries or museums when I travel to a new city to get in contact with the creative local scene.
In the beginning of October I had the chance to discover a new town in my repertoire of creative hotspots: Liege. The third biggest city in Belgium (after Brussels which is known for politics and Antwerp which is known for fashion) is the so called “Latin” city of the country. They had a big wave of South European migration in the 60s that made the city quite connected with Italy. While visiting the Reciprocity Design Triennale I could almost physically feel this connection because I was always surrounded by Italians. This year’s edition had a main focus on design with a social impact. Bringing designers and citizens together in the process of public service innovation was one of the most focused topics in the exhibitions we saw. This was really inspiring for me as somebody who works with Berlin, because I love to learn more about how creative ideas can be a positive factor in the social development of a city.
What impressed me the most about the Reciprocity were the stunning locations they choose for their different exhibitions. From an old school theater with murals from the 20s, a church turned into a museum and a monumental swimming pool which is now a space for public events. Our friend and Blogfabrik colleague Eylül Aslan joined us for this trip. Discover her unique photographic impressions and some more insights and pictures from Liege after the jump.
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by Claudio | Art, Travel
When I first visited South Tyrol a few years ago I immediately fell in love with this beautiful and unique region in the North of Italy. I have been back now two more times to discover it more and each time made my affection for it even bigger.
It’s not just the picturesque look of the region with its luscious green valleys surrounded by a stunning panorama of mountains. It’s more than that. It’s the friendliness and openness of the people, the mix of modern and traditional culture, the food, the air – just everything seems like straight from a picture postcard.
To give you a bit of a better idea, what exactly fascinates me so much about it and why you need to visit there as well I put together a list of 7 reasons why South Tyrol is so awesome. Enjoy after the jump.
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by Frank | Travel
