Simonetta Ronconi

Canals and Pride

simonetta — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:15:12 +0000

My love for Amsterdam is not a secret by now, even if you just had a quick look at some of my posts. Every day I receive a gift from this welcoming city but sometimes its presents are even sweeter than usual.

Het Grachtenhuis
The other day I paid a visit to the newest museum in the historic center of city: Het Grachtenhuis: Gateway to the Canals. The ultimate kick-off to your visit to Amsterdam. The funding house of America’s independence. It opened last year on the 1st of April and it reopened this year on the 31st of March. According to National Geographic it is the new star attraction of Amsterdam, more than 4 million visitors in one year!

Voice over recording
I had a special reason to visit it: I participated in the recording of the Italian version of its audio tour as female Italian narrator, together with other Italian colleagues. The script was very well written en translated, I must say, and the professionals assigned to the recording and creation of soundtracks and sound effects were a pure joy to work with…

The recording director was not only Italian himself but a composer and a musician as well.

I never had this combination before. You cannot imagine how special it was for me to modulate my voice, follow the punctuation and express my emotions accompanied and sustained by that great soundtrack. I knew at the same time that my efforts were doubly acknowledged by an Italian speaking director, who followed my words as notes and knew exactly what to ask and what to expect on several levels. What an experience.

Visit
In the years I have been leaving my footprints, or better, my voiceprints and translator prints in the Dutch capital in several museums, companies, institutions and canal cruises companies. This museum had something special in store for sure: in an ancient residence I would find three-dimensional and multi-media presentations. I shall not go into details to prevent spoiling your possible visit. Suffice to say that I am extremely pleased with the final results and with what I saw and heard. I am particularly proud of having voiced the introduction to the audio tour.

Here you can have a glimpse at the audio tour

Enjoy your visit!

Simonetta Ronconi

An afternoon

simonetta — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:05:28 +0000

“An afternoon in the life of an Italian voice talent in the kingdom of The Netherlands”, this is the actual title of my post.

When it comes to the opportunities offered by my professional life I really have to count my blessings. Thanks to my numerous assignments over the years I have had the chance to get to know this country and visit many cities and villages. Travelling by train and buses I can enjoy the various landscapes even more.

It is very pleasant to meet great professionals in their own studios and notice the slightly different approaches to their tasks and their Dutch accents. Each studio has its own specific connotation and there is one in particular that stands out for its location. I shall not mention its name but for the in crowd the picture I am posting is more than an indication. One of the dependences of the castle of Nederhorst den Berg is the actual seat of the studio.

Well, the other day, I had to record a text for a world famous navigation system just in that studio and I arrived a bit earlier at the train station. The weather was so enchanting that I could not stand the idea of just waiting for the bus to arrive sitting on a bench. The Netherlands is probably one of few countries in the world, if not the only one, where you can rent a bike at almost every train station of the railways network. I knew I had to act quickly and I had just enough time to get there by bike so I entered the bike shop and in five minutes I was riding my red Gazelle in the general direction of the studio.

In order to reach it I had to cross the ancient and beautiful city of Weesp and then follow the river Vecht till the castle. To avoid any delays I just asked a woman biking in the neighborhood and she gave me the best indication ever. In no time I was riding along the river in the sun enjoying the landscape, the beautiful houses, the windmills and the houseboats. It cannot get more Dutch than this, I assure you.

You have no idea how happy I was when I arrived at ten to 2 pm at the castle. As always I was welcomed by the studio owner and his assistant and after a nice chat we could enter the studio and concentrate on the task at hand, a crisp and clear recording. What a bliss to do what you love in the best possible conditions and be appreciated and respected for what you accomplish. I wish everybody can feel this way about her/his job.

You have no idea how happy I was when I left the studio and took my red Gazelle to ride back along the river and later stop at a very promising ice cream shop in the centre of Weesp.

Pity I did have to go back home other ways I would have gladly continued my ride towards Vreeland, Loenen aan de Vecht, Oud Loosdrecht, Kortenhoef and s-Graveland. Quite an idyllic tour in such a glorious springtime day.

This might become a new trend for me: the train-bike-studio-bike-train package.

Simonetta Ronconi

Odilia

simonetta — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 15:09:04 +0000

There was once a woman who lived in a house built under a huge rock. Her name was Odilia. She built her house with her husband up in a woody valley in Northern Italy, Maslana, close to the source of the river Serio, which still gushes in a spectacular waterfall, the highest in Italy, and then finds its way just past her lovely abode. You can still see her name painted on a wooden sign close to the red front door, adorned with colorful flowers. Her love and pride for Italy cannot pass unnoticed: an Italian flag diligently follows the whims of the wind close to the entrance.

An ancient roman bridge right in front of Odilia’s house allows the passersby to follow a path leading to the summits and refuges of the Orobian Alps, the Bergamasque Alps. Up there, the advanced hiker can even reach the unique lake Gelt, whose shape resembles that of a heart: a gem among the rocks.

Springtime is in the air now and the Alpine ibexes, serene and at ease with the people of the valley, stroll around to savor some grass after long and cold winter months. It is quite amazing to observe these ancient animals in their habitat. I really felt like asking their permission to walk there. What a privilege!

If you feel like spending some time up there and enjoy the numerous trekking routes, I advise you to stay in a fantastic tiny wooden house named “Biancaneve” in Valbondione. Its architecture is ecological and artistic and its position strategic. It has a private garden and is comfortable, cozy and peculiar in its decoration. The right place to enjoy the mountains. For information you can call Camilla at 0039034644168.

Biancaneve Bed & Breakfast

If you plan to spend your farm holidays with a group of friends or relatives, there is a special place you should take in consideration: the Salvasecca farmhouse owned by Norma Albricci, at 1027 meters, just above Valbondione. It is an example of a real sustainable farm with its own supply of water, electric power and heating. You can only reach it by foot but it takes only 15 or 20 minutes. It accommodates min 15 and max 30 persons. You can mail Norma at salvasecca@tiscalinet.it or call her at 0039034644585.

Salvasecca Holiday Farm

Simonetta Ronconi

Nitrodi

simonetta — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 22:11:35 +0000

After the last inspiring moments I think it is time for me to tell you about some inspiring places that are particularly dear to me. I’d like to start with a special one: the healing hot spring of Nitrodi, on the island of Ischia in Italy.
This lovely and densely populated volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian sea, close to Naples, is famous for her numerous thermal waters. The Greeks, in the VIII century B.C., were the first ones to discover the power of the thermal waters and vapors. They used them to strengthen the spirit and the body and as a remedy for the consequences of war wounds. Temples dedicated to divinities were erected at each thermal resort. Later the Romans exalted them as a curing and relaxing instrument through the creation of public Thermae and by using the numerous island springs safely and profitably.
At the hot spring of Nitrodi a small temple was dedicated to Apollo and the nymphs Nitrodi, guardians of the waters.
Even today you will notice a completely different atmosphere when you visit this special corner of the island. Not everybody is aware of its presence and few are the tourists that come here. The majority prefers the bigger spas in the rest of Ischia that offer all kinds of amenities and facilities. Nitrodi is magical in its own way. Sacred and delicate at the same time. The small spa is situated in a luscious and complex environment. The green areas next to the hot spring are characterized by steep slopes with canyons, gorges and tufaceous cliffs, outlined by streams that flow to the Lido dei Maronti. You will notice moonflowers, honeysuckle and brank-ursine but also agaves and prickly pear plants. It feels very intimate and welcoming, yet kind of wild.
The water from the hot showers is extremely light, it feels like talc and it leaves your skin extremely smooth. The only way to get results is by letting the sun dry your skin. You can decide to follow the lovely hydro-aromatherapy paths and enjoy essences of high botanical value like broom, lentisk, laurel and myrtle, or relax on the various terraces while admiring the breathtaking panorama with the small peninsula of Sant’Angelo d’Ischia in the distance. If you are lucky you can also drink special elixirs created by Pasquale, with fresh lemon juice, mint, agave, aloe vera, Millefoglie honey and the sacred water of Nitrodi, of course.
They say this water will keep you forever young and Greeks and Romans used to travel long distances to come here. I can only recommend you to visit this spa for four sun-kissed days in a row, at least, read some good books while relaxing on the terraces and walk through the park till the beach or vice versa.

Fonte delle Ninfe Nitrodi

Simonetta Ronconi

Canto

simonetta — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:14:29 +0000

Yes, I know, we have been manipulated long enough to pay attention to this date, the fourteenth of February. And, yes, I know, we abhor corny lines and sticky declarations of affection when we feel no real sign of it. Still, there is always something, somehow, that catches our attention and let us remember our pure feelings for somebody today, apart for our beloved ones, of course.
When I saw this bouquet, few moments ago, I had to think about an amazing American singer and the deep impact she unwittingly had in my life. Two of her songs accidentally reached my ears in two pivotal moments of my existence and left an indelible mark. Her words supported and sustained me in such an intimate way that I can only celebrate the unlimited power a song can have, as a pure message to humankind, when all the ingredients merge in sheer bliss. In her first song she sang about the Greatest Love Of All, her second one was I Will Always Love You. She passed away few days ago and I bow to her accomplishments and complex mission on Earth.

Simonetta Ronconi

Dispassion

simonetta — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:06:48 +0000

Vondelpark, the green heart of Amsterdam, has always a story to tell and today, a glorious winter day, it allowed me to discover this elegant hydrangea, covered in snow but serene and graceful as if it were still in bloom. I admired its shape and perfect snow hat and marveled at the delicate nuances Mother Nature gives its petals in every phase of its life. Later I promised myself that I would look up for its meaning since I know that each flower has a specific connotation, according to Victorian floriography. The language of flowers was at that time a means of communication in which various flowers and floral arrangements were used to send coded messages, allowing individuals to express feelings which otherwise could not be spoken. Few months ago I was introduced to this specific code while reading a novel written by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, The language of flowers. Her first novel. Usually I read essays and leave novels aside but this book was a cherished present and I read it in one go. Great.
Well, to my great disappointment hydrangea stands for dispassion, i.e. the state or quality of being unemotional or emotionally uninvolved but if you look at my picture you might actually accept this explanation in a positive way. The hydrangea dispassion and detachment is exactly what makes it beautiful and divine.
Victoria, Vanessa Diffenbaugh main character, finds out soon enough that the same flower can have quite different meanings and this reminds us of the arbitrary use of definitions. A hydrangea is a hydrangea is a hydrangea.

Simonetta Ronconi

The Flax

simonetta — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:07:10 +0000

My gift for the New Year, and precisely for the Winter Solstice which took place on the 22nd of December 2011, is a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen: The Flax.
It is an amazing story with a profound meaning that will certainly inspire you.
My first magic encounter with the flax took place some years ago among the hills of Chantilly, France, of all places. I had never seen flax fields before in my life and all of sudden, while riding in a car on a hill top, my sight was inundated by a sea of fragile and delicate blue flowers stretching on several hills. An amazing emotion!
One day, not so long ago, I was looking for an image for or information on “il lino” the flax and I stumbled upon a lovely website with the story of the famous Danish author.

Enjoy your reading and Happy New Year!

Simonetta Ronconi

And if you feel like listening to the Italian version of this story, just click on the links below

Il lino – HC Andersen – narrated by Simonetta Ronconi Part 1

Il lino – HC Andersen – narrated by Simonetta Ronconi Part 2

Pearls

simonetta — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 20:52:21 +0000

Pearl strings and webs, I thought such things existed only in fairy tales books but last week I was glad to have my first close encounter with some of them. I was strolling in an old fortified city in The Netherlands, Heusden and for the first time in years the country was covered in the thickest fog I have ever seen. Saturday morning is usually quiet there but it was even quieter then. The old city was silent and it seemed almost empty. Those tiny water drops, nicely assembled on the spider webs, were trembling in the gentle wind; I feared they would fall apart any moment. It was difficult to part from them. I knew it is something you do seldom witness if you live a city. Their impermanence made them perfect, a gift for the lucky passersby. The coat of arms of Heusden is a wheel or a spinning wheel. I just adore to discover these “thin connecting threads” when I visit new places and weave my web of associations and meaningful surprises.

Simonetta Ronconi

Heavenly blue

simonetta — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:18:48 +0000

There is something mysterious about this stunning flower, the Ipomoea. Its twisting habit, its daily dance with the sun and the moon, has always captured my attention, wherever I happen to find it. It is so tender and yet so determined in its stern ritual, that Carl Linnaeus, the XVIII century botanist, included it in his Horologium Florae, the flower clock.
On a splendid island in the middle of the Adriatic sea I was offered a magnificent view. While walking in a tiny alley in the scorching sun of the early afternoon, just behind an unsuspected corner, I saw a huge and lush blanket of heavenly blue ipomoeas covering an abandoned backyard and cascading on the neighbors’ fence and gate. I was transfixed by their richness and I could not understand how such delicate flowers could stand that temperature and parade their beauty with such a superior attitude. The following days I would pass by just to marvel at its twisting in the evening and early in the morning.
What a lovely memory.

Simonetta Ronconi

Canaille

simonetta — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 21:59:56 +0000

Has anybody ever published a study on the influence of a specific language on the mind of a menu reader and on his or her taste buds? Probably the language influence is quite marginal, what counts is the meaning of the names of the various menu items, their descriptions and the images and associations it may create in the reader’s mind. Call me old fashioned but I am still fascinated by the French language when it comes to menus, not to mention desserts.
A couple of months ago I visited the charming city of Montpellier for the first time. It was a glorious sunny day and I could wear my sandals again. What a joy to feel the warmth of late springtime and play hide and seek in the shadows of the numerous little alleys and squares of that old and erudite city. It was time to sit somewhere and enjoy some fresh air to cool down and relax. The choices I had were many but I found myself all of a sudden in a blessed place: Place du Petit Scel, just in front of the elegant Church of Saint Anne, with a distant view of the plain and a divine breeze blowing upwards. The little square had a couple of great trees and lots of simple tables with big and white sun umbrellas. It was not pretentious and you could easily notice that many visitors found their way to those tables. I had no expectations but I could feel that it was not a mere touristic café. When the waiter brought me a menu, I slowly opened it and was instantly hit by a word: Valrhôna. – You might know that Valrhôna Cocoa is basically the Rolls Royce of the chocolate industry – I immediately upgraded Chez Canaille (great name) to the best ice cream salon in Montpellier. What happened afterwards had a lot to do with the French language, though. I was toast already but the enchantment of the ice cream names and their description took me in a different dimension. Please, try to read some of them in the context I have just painted and let me know if I am exaggerating when I say that it is pure poetry…

GLACES ET SORBETS
Maître Artisan Glacier

CARAMEL BEURRE SALE
au caramel, au beurre et au sel de Guérande
POMME CANNELLE
à la cannelle infusée avec des morceaux de pomme caramélisées
PISTACHE
à la pâte de pistache de Sicile avec éclats de pistache
THE VERTE A LA MENTHE
thé infusé et menthe douce
CHOCOLAT NOIR
au chocolat et au cacao Valrhôna
PAIN D’EPICES
au véritable pain d’épice d’Alsace
VANILLE
à la Vanille Bourbon et au beurre d’Echiré et aux oeufs
FAISSELLE AU PERLEE DE FRAMBOISE
glace à la véritable faisselle avec ajout de perlée et coulis de framboises

Enjoy!

Simonetta Ronconi