NATALIA RESMINI – SURF DIARY

Fashion illustrator and Fashion Consultant, Natalia Resmini combines a strong sensibility for fashion and a lightness with colour. Her experience as a portraitist and textile designer reveals itself with every brushstroke. Thanks to surfing and her love for the sea she has traveled all over the world. This aesthetic maturity is apparent both in her free drawings and in the story, illustrated by the photographs, where she suggests the unmissable places to go surfing. I’ve had this great passion for a lifetime, which made me travel around the world. Surfing is a golden ticket, because all surfers sooner or later travel for long periods, and get the opportunity to learn about other cultures. We Italians are a people of idealists, dreamers and travellers, that’s what I always say! We are lucky because, although we don’t have many waves, we go seeking them, discovering a lot of other things in the process and expanding our horizons. And we stand out all right! Exclusively for MANINTOWN here’s a selection of the best locations discovered during my travels.

MEXICO
www.mexilogfest.com
I recommend Sayulita and Saladita, and Punta de Mita, on the Nayarit coast. A hippy atmosphere, perfect temperatures especially in winter months, both challenging and easier waves. The coolest time of the year is during Mexi Log Festival, which brings together the world’s finest surfers in the Longboard category. (www.mexilogfest.com) For accommodation I would recommend Casa Love, located in the heart of Sayulita. Right on the main beach, facing the rolling waves and a few tourists looking for a good margarita, lies the welcoming patio of Nathalie Mignot, the owner. The architecture of the house reveals itself in a clever balance of sunlight and shade. Ten “open space” rooms, are furnished with singular taste, for a really special stay: you will always feel caressed by the wind and lulled by the stars at night. The attention to ecology and the “raw” lifestyle of the owners will win you over. Casa Love is part of a broader concept including the “Pachamama” boutique and the homonymous art gallery, both on the lower floor where you will find boho-chic unique pieces of clothing amongst the colorful works of young artists and tons of lovely jewellery.
For more info and to discover curiosities about the owner’s family: pachamamasayulita.com.mx/casa-love/

SARDINIA
My absolute favourite, where I pass several months a year and the waves are the best in the Mediterranean, because the island has a 360 ° exposure to the seas. Of all the coasts, the one in the west is the one with the most frequent waves, because the northwesterly wind is predominant. As for the rest, the island offers many options that can be exploited, hence why Sardinia has become an international destination for surfing tourism. For beginners, I recommend the school IS BENAS SURF CLUB (www.isbenas.com), which offers custom packages with qualified instructors and surf house rentals. An unmissable experience, fabulous nature and excellent A to Z customer service. Also, worth mentioning is Maona Sailingboat, in the south, at Villasimius, owned by Sebastiano Concas, one of the best Italian surfers, who organises sailing boat charters and surf trips, an original formula for a memorable holiday in the heart of the marine protected area. www.facebook.com/Maonasailingboat/

MOROCCO

I’ve been to Morocco many times now, but every trip always brings new emotions. There is something magical, a special perfume in the air. Arab culture fascinates me, as an artist and as a woman. My creativity is stimulated by the decorations of the tiles, the colours of the earth interspersed by argan plants, the architecture designed to be lived inside and out. I have a lot of Moroccan friends, and putting aside misconceptions and prejudices, I have found an enlightened people. Culture, pride, hospitality and a mystical atmosphere are a constant. In the West, we are always running and we no longer believe in anything. Sometimes we don’t even have five minutes to watch a beautiful sunset. We have clocks and they have time! I was there for almost two months recently, south of Essaouira. I painted and surfed, immersed in a pleasant “mal d’Afrique”. Moroccans believe in their land, in the wind, in the sea, in the food. I can’t forget some winter nights, when we would eat together around the fire with our hands, assimilating the energy of food, in religious silence. I’ve come to believe that forks and knives are a kind of filter between us and what we eat. I think  back to the freedom I felt and I smile, because I can’t forget the depth of the colours of the sky, as I chased the last waves of the day. I think back to the deserted beaches, to the freshly caught sea bass, to the olive oil almost better than the Italian one. In Morocco the place I recommend for surfing is the coast from Essaouira to Agadir.
Here are two of my favourite hotels: Hôtel Résidence le Kaouki www.sidikaouki.com; Olo Surf & Nature www.olosurfnature.com/
The coolest surfcamp of the moment!

BIARRITZ and HOSSEGOR
It’s the California of Europe! I have been so many times that I do not even remember how many anymore. It’s the heart of the European surf scene, where the best shapers and underground artists go. The prices are a bit high and the water very crowded, but the nature is wonderful! In the summer you can surf till 11pm in the evening, as the days are long. Also, there are beautiful surf shops and inland, various surf schools operating on stunning endless beaches.Check out: m.facebook.com/tfr.hossegorsurfhouse/

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