"All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered."

An Italian Adventure: Travel Sketches by Ella Goodwin

On December we were in London and we had the chance of stumbling upon a beautiful initiative: the House of Illustration fair in Granary Square. A good thing for your eyes, heart and soul. A very bad thing for your wallet, if you’re like me. I bought a whole bunch of stuff, some of it is architecture-related. Other stuff isn’t. The first thing I want to tell you about is a little in-between.

A small, wonderful booklet, 4×6 cm of pure beauty.

An Italian Adventure: Travel Sketches
by Ella Goodwin

The author is a wonderful artist, you can see purchase her merchandising on Etsy and I personally couldn’t resist the very elegant badger pin, but the cats are simply delightful and the fox is simply adorable and I should really stay away from Etsy.

She also has a graphic novel called Needlefeet and the Land of Doo, in the same delicate style of her animals, but the Italian Adventure is something rather different. She published a video on Facebook about it.

EllaGoodwin_ItalianAdventure001 EllaGoodwin_ItalianAdventure002 EllaGoodwin_ItalianAdventure003

At 12 years old my father took me on a pilgrimage across the volcanic Aeolian islands. It was a truly magical trip leaving the richest memories forever nudging me to go back. Memories of sleeping on top of a belching. Stromboli, frolicking on black beaches and gazing at sparkling phosphorescence in the sea under a star splattered sky. We took boats across the lands where myths were made and the world felt like a real life storybook complete with pop ups and poetry.

It’s a wonderful thing of beauty and, as far as I’m concerned, the perfect reading to start the year.
Being Italian, we sometimes forget how lucky we are to be basking each and every day in history, beauty and poetry.
So may your 2020 be filled with small acts of beautiful perfection, just like this book.

Spooktober

Spooktober 2026 – That’s a wrap!

…and that’s a wrap! Eighteen classic stories, if my math is correct, 29 posts, and the candle’s waning. It’s almost time. Are you all set up? Who are you celebrating with, and what are you dressed up as? Whether it’s true crime or contemporary politicians

Read More »
books and literature

Bulgakov’s The Fatal Eggs

Mikhail Bulgakov (Kyiv, 1891–1940) was a novelist, playwright, and former physician, whom I’m sure you know for The Master and Margarita, published posthumously. His work blends sharp satire, fantasy, grotesque comedy, and moral seriousness, often targeting Soviet bureaucracy and ideological hypocrisy, but I had no

Read More »
Spooktober

Spooktober 30 – The Black Monk (5)

Conclusion Kovrin received a professorship at the University. The inaugural address was fixed for the second of December, and a notice to that effect was hung up in the corridor at the University. But on the day appointed he informed the students’ inspector, by telegram,

Read More »
Share on LinkedIn
Throw on Reddit
Roll on Tumblr
Mail it
1 Comment
  • Pingback:2020 Advent Calendar [6] – Miss Ella – Shelidon
    Posted at 00:07h, 06 December Reply

    […] pin and it’s my absolute favorite accessory since I bought it. I already talked about her here. On her beautiful shop on Etsy you can find a lot of her work, from do-it-yourself diorama books to […]

Post A Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RELATED POSTS

Spooktober 2026 – That’s a wrap!

…and that’s a wrap! Eighteen classic stories, if my math is correct, 29 posts, and the candle’s waning. It’s almost time. Are you all set up? Who are you celebrating with, and what are you dressed up as? Whether it’s true crime or contemporary politicians

Read More

Bulgakov’s The Fatal Eggs

Mikhail Bulgakov (Kyiv, 1891–1940) was a novelist, playwright, and former physician, whom I’m sure you know for The Master and Margarita, published posthumously. His work blends sharp satire, fantasy, grotesque comedy, and moral seriousness, often targeting Soviet bureaucracy and ideological hypocrisy, but I had no

Read More

Spooktober 30 – The Black Monk (5)

Conclusion Kovrin received a professorship at the University. The inaugural address was fixed for the second of December, and a notice to that effect was hung up in the corridor at the University. But on the day appointed he informed the students’ inspector, by telegram,

Read More