Sources of inspiration: Recharge // Getting back to nature

April has been a good month, travel wise. Just before moving the studio we decided to take a little break and travel. We visit Spain and Italy and came back recharged and full of inspiration.

As a designer I need to create my own bubble in order to make new work. But too much solitude also blocks creativity. Spring time is an amazing time of the year to get out more, see the leaves grow, trees turn green, flowers blossom. Such an inspirational time of the year. As you can imagine lot’s of nature inspired surface patterns will be in the making.

This year I booked two short trips to Spain, Siurana: a lush area, popular for climbing and hiking. I had a little peek into the world of rock climbing there. And I already signed up for a bouldering introduction course back home. Being outside all day, under the trees, watching the landscapes change, the dramatic mountains, the soft warm breeze. Living in a city is pretty challenging sometimes, the chaotic streets, so many people, cars, noise. So a 5 day all day green experience was an amazing way to recharge, absorb some sunlight to return home with some refreshed energy.



After Spain I travelled to the Amalfi coast. Nature has so much to offer. I love the dramatic rocks, the contrasting bright color of the water. The Amalfi coast is truly mesmerizing. But of course traveling to Italy means awesome food! I love being in the woods and enjoy being outside but I do love a little culture too. Italy will always be one of my fave European countries to visit.

Now we’re all back in the studio and also renovating the new studio space where we will be moving into within the next two weeks. Curious about the space and how we are turning it around into a new creative business office? Check @littlesmilemakers stories on Insta to get a little peek into what we are doing.

Sources of inspiration: Catania // A culinary trip through Sicilian cuisine // 5 reasons to visit this ancient Italian city by the water

Every year I try do visit some places I haven’t been before. When my friend surprised me with plane tickets for my birthday we decided to book the first destination on the list of destinations we hadn’t heard about before. Catania it was. Luckily after booking those tickets we figured out Catania was a small city in the south of Sicily, Italy.

I have a soft spot for Italy. The food is crazy delicious. The wine is smooth. The people speak all sexy Italian. Yes please! Enough ingredients for me to have an awesome time! Catania is a pretty small place, mostly visited during the summer season when Italians come out of their homes and roam the street. But it can be a pretty nice destination during the winter too. With the beautiful view of a snow covered Etna. And the streets are not packed with tourists and souvenir stands.

1 // Outdoors
Catania is located on the foot of the Etna Volcano and is a perfect location for hiking in both winter and summer. You can see the white powdered curves all the way from Catania’s city center and there are organized trekkings and tours going up the volcano every day. If you are not very outdoorsy you can rent a little FIAT500 and experience the countryside in a more Italian way, do some wine tasting for instance. If you are a garden lover go check out Catania’s Orto Botanical Garden and enjoy the peace and quiet after a busy day in the city. Villa Bellina park is located in the heart of the city from which you have a great view over Catania if you don’t feel like driving out of the city you can enjoy some green time, watch the sunset and get some romance on from here.



2 // Wine and Dine
Of course a visit to Italy is mainly about drinks and food. And as a red wine lover Italy is a pretty yummy destination. Sicily has some great wines and Catania has some fun wine bars to chill after a busy day exploring the city. But the food. The food, yes, let’s talk about the food. Just talking about dinner only would be crazy. Let’s talk about food in general. Sicily is famous for it’s awesome cuisine and we sure ate a lot during out trip. Catania is famous for it’s street food. Start your day in a local coffee shop with a coffee and some dolce, canoli, some ice cream, yes they eat ice-cream in the morning, or some other baked goods. Italians eat lot’s of sugary things all day every day, nothing savory before noon, I am more a savory kind of person though. But there is enough fresh savory stuff too. Try the arancini, traditional Sicilian rice balls made with risotto rice and filled with anything delicious: spinach, cheese or pistachio. I loved those things! Seriously good stuff. Don’t leave the country without trying one of thses. And then, of course, dinner. The pizza, gnocci, caponata, piadineria, cunzatizzi, you name it. I love Italian food, it is all fresh & seasonal. For foodies Italy is heaven, all regions in Italy have their own specialities so make time to try as much food as possible! Some fun places to eat in the heart of Catania: Razmataz with simple local food, changes their menu every day. Fud, for the hipster foodie peeps. Buatta: Best food I have had during my trip. Try the typical pizza bread here. So delicious!

3 // Culture
Catania is not a very big city but it is the second largest city of Sicily and they recently opened a new contemporary art museum in the city center: MacS. A small gem that offers a small exhibition of modern art made by local, national and international artists. I was surprised by their rich and diverse collection. They even had a Lita Cabellut up there. But Catania has some more artsy places to check out. Just walk around the South side of the cathedral and check out the street art around the food market. When you walk around the city you are very likely to stumble upon some awesome street art. We found some lovely gems shown here. Check out the harbor and take a look at the Art Silos where 50’s industry has been turned into a wonderful colorful canvas for local and international (street) artists.

4 // Majestic Architecture
Catania may seem a little rough on the edges but it is a majestic city like so many in Italy. During the renaissance period Catania was one of Italy’s most important cultural and political cities. The old architecture takes you back to a wealthy era full of roman influences. The overly decorated cathedral, the amphitheater, the opera theater all detailed with marble extravagance are remains of this cultural importance of this ancient port city. The city center of Catania is simply beautiful. Take some time to walk around the Piazza del Duomo en don’t forget to check the crazy elephant obelisk while you’re there. There are many stories about the elephant and the city of Sicily. The elephant might be a symbol of protection against the Etna Volcano, and the story goes the elephant has magical powers, it was the only thing remaining after the catastrophic earthquake in 1696. Made out of lava stone this elephant obelisk is the symbol of the city and you can find this non-Italian animal everywhere. It is funny, but I like elephants, and Italy so hell, it is a good combo.



5 // City by the Sea
Catania has a wonderful Mediterranean climate. The winters are easy and the summers are deliciously hot. I love hot! If you are a little bit of a water rat like me and love to be on the water this is a great place from where you can explore the Ionian and Mediterranean sea by boat. Especially during summer this area is amazing to explore from the water. The city is very much influenced by the sea. if you are not interested in a trip over water go visit La Pescheria, the fish market and go taste some seafood, there is a large variety of interesting fish on Catania’s restaurant menu’s.

Sources of inspiration: Rome // historical treasures // delicious cuisine // top 5 things to see and visit

Rome, the center of religion, historical gems and adorable vintage cars. I was planning on going to Italy's capital a while ago but never got around to visit up until this week. All our Italian customers are located in the Northern part of the country, the economical heart of Italy. So after a hectic first months in the studio, I decided to book a few days to this glorious place. No networking or trade fair shows, just to get away from it all.

There are so many things I love about Italy. The amazing food, soft red wines, the colorful vintage Fiat cars, the expressive Italian people, the coffee breaks, soft climate, amazing historical structures, the foundation of art, the chaotic traffic. There is no better place to start a new season and celebrate spring than in this city. The trees were blossoming, the wind was warm and gentle. And now I am having a really hard time readjusting to the gray skies of Holland. And yes, working again. But after answering over 50 e-mails and creating some new designs already I would like to take some time to write down my personal top 5. Places to see and things to do while visiting this ancient city. So here we go. And if you are planning a trip yourself feel free to reach out!

Rome is an interesting city. The capital of Italy, it can be overly crowded and noisy. And it is huge! The city is big and public transportation is not very good. Busses get stuck in traffic and because of this cities history, there is an entire city underneath, the city can not construct a proper metro infrastructure. So wear comfortable shoes and plan your day a little. You need to navigate and it will take some time to go from one place to the other. But it is definitely worth going out of the city center too.

Of course I can tell you the main sights that are a must see, the Trevi Fountain, The Vatican, St. Peter's Church. The pantheon, Colosseum and so on. But you can get those places from the Lonely Planet. Visiting these places will take a lot of time. Most of the main tourist sights have hour long queues. After you are done with these, you might want to explore the city behind the postcard. So here is my personal top 5. Things to do and places to see while traveling to Rome.

1 // The food
My friend actually got angry when I said that a mayor reason for me visiting Italy is the food. "We have culture you know!" But I think food is a big part of experiencing a culture. Holland does not have a very quality-first based cuisine. I remember visiting Italy for the first time and eating some spinach ravioli. Oh, what an experience that was. Such a simple recipe but such a delight. And the ice-cream. So rich!

In Rome you can find some very fancy places to eat, but if you would like to taste some typical Roman food, stay away of the trendy interiors and tourist areas. You will find some very fine dishes in typical Italian restaurants, try some different anti-pasti, prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, bruschetta and definitely try the typical roman pasta carbonara, after that of course finish your culinary experience with some dolce.

Some places I really liked and managed to grab a bite were Trattoria Pizzeria Vecchia Roma, not too fancy looking but typical Italian family run restaurant. Ai Tre Scalini that has a nice atmosphere, good wine and typical Italian vibe. And Civico 4, a little more fancy but with lovely dishes and great dolce. These places are always busy, try to make reservations or keep in mind that a table can take up to an hour, Italians eat later than you might be used to, back home, you don't have to worry about the kitchen being closed if you go out to eat after 10PM.

But it is not all about food. Of course you have to try the coffee, recharge after walking around the city, enter an out dated looking bar and drink an espresso. Italians consume the largest amount of coffee in the world, and that will get obvious to you while navigating through the city. Every few meters there is a coffee bar. They sure do know how to make a proper coffee. No hipster barista's here, it is all about coffee, they take their job seriously. You won't be drinking an espresso like an Italian espresso anywhere, so if you are a coffee lover, go there!

2 // MAXXI
Rome is not a typical place to visit if you love modern art. Also modern architecture is not really common in the city, but if you take a train out of the city center you can visit a few very interesting places if you stop at Euclide. The 'bugs' at the musical auditorium for instance are a architectural feast. The arena Palazzetto dello Sport built in 1960 for the summer Olympics is a very interesting piece, could use a fresh layer of paint though. But the real gem for me was discovering the MAXXI. The National Museum of contemporary art and architecture. The building itself is simple beautiful and only open for public for 6 years now. With it's sharp edges and overlaps it's a surprisingly pretty composition in a slightly neglected looking area of the city. The exhibits are surprisingly well set up and diverse. I was very happy to see a some Italian parents brought along their kids to explore this place. There is a nice library dedicated to the building and Roman modern architecture. Check out the website before you go. All exhibits are contemporary. The ones I visit were conceptual, highly political engaged and visually powerful. But of course every artist and every expo will be different. Enter a place like this without expectations and it will surprise you.



3 // Romantic sunset over the city
I love to see cities from above. When I travel I always try to visit the highest building or top of a hill to see where I am and how the city is situated and constructed. Rome does not have lot's of modern buildings like many other cities do. There are no flats of skyscrapers. If you do like to watch from a hight you can walk up the Spanish steps. You will walk towards the Trinita dei Monti church (do check the interior) from which you have a great view over the city. If you walk even further up North you can have an even better view of the city and enjoy the city sunset from the Villa Borghese park. The best place for a romantic glance over the city before entering the night.

4 // Trastevere
When you would like to hang our, grab a drink, and not be surrounded by great groups of tourists this is a great neighborhood to spend a night out. This is the place where Roman students hang out at night. They toast and gather outside of bars and restaurants in these beautiful small alleys and cobbled stoned streets. It is a place to enjoy the Roman street vibe and you will feel the pulse of the city. If you look around carefully you can spot some nice street art too or enjoy some live music. This neighborhood is a little rough on the edges but it's honest. Great place to hang out and grab a drink.

5 // Vintage cars
In January i bought my first car. I always drove around in other peeps cars, and used Snappcar before that. But with my terrible joints and this bad winter climate in Holland it was time to get a car to skip the waiting on cold train stations. After test driving and checking out several brands I kept coming back to the cute Fiat500. I found one from the 70's on the internet but thankfully my brain started to work in time and I managed to get a proper updated version I can rely on. I just adore those cute little Fiat cars. These Italian cars are circling around the city like Vespa's. They pop up in from of the Colosseum, circle around the Vatican, they are everywhere. And in so many colors too! While I was in Rome I saw numerous old versions of the 500. It was hard not to stop and make a photo every time I passed one. For vintage car lovers the Southern part of Europe is heaven. Here in Holland we sell our car by the age of three to get a new one. But in Italy they appreciate these little old quirky things. And they are driving around in them until they fall apart. In a city like Rome it doesn't make sense to drive around in anything bigger than the Fiat500 anyway. If you are a vintage car lover, take your time and wait for those things to pass by. They are lovely.