Me in 2019
Hey there, I’m Matt Fantinel
Welcome to my little corner of the web!
I am a web developer from Brazil, currently living in Italy. My favorite things are videogames, football (⚽), chimarrão (🧉), coding and listening to sad music. I built my first website when I was 9, and been in love with computers ever since.
This is the special place where I collect thoughts, photos, links and whatever else I feel like putting here. I guess you can say it‘s my digital garden. Outside of here, you can find me doing my best work at Useful Group.
The Blog
What started in 2019 as a place to document things I was learning as a web developer has since grown into a journal of sorts. It is, after all, a personal blog.
Cool Links
I regularly gather the coolest links I come across on the web and post them here. If you like cool things, you’ll like Cool Links.
Quick Reviews
Since June 2024, I started writing quick reviews of movies, TV shows and games I’ve watched or played.
Photography
I'm no professional, but sometimes I like to capture the world around me. Sometimes, the photos turn out pretty nice.
Lecco, IT
Nova Petrópolis, BR
Lake Como, IT
Digital Garden
Things I've posted or written but that are not necessarily finished (or never will be).
The Latest ✨
Just want to see everything I've posted? There's an archive page just for that. Otherwise you can catch up below.
16 Sep 2026
Matt posted a Quick Review
The Drama
Reviewed on Sep 16, 2026
This starts like a generic romcom but soon evolves into something really fun! It’s so well put together, weaving real issues with comedy and great acting by Pattinson especially. I had a great time!
Movie
Matt posted a Quick Review
Capernaum
Reviewed on Sep 16, 2026
Pretty good and emotional movie, with amazing performances too. I really need to say that the baby is an incredible actor, seriously. I have no idea how they made the baby act, but they did.
Movie
13 Sep 2026
Matt posted a Photo
Ghost of Vezio Castle
Taken on 2026-09-13
One of many sculptures that adorn the Vezio Castle in Varenna. Legend says they represent the soul of Theodelinda, the Queen of Lombards in the 7th century, who initially ordered the castle to be built and whose soul is said to wander its halls on moonless nights.
11 Sep 2026
Matt shared a Cool Link
Cool Link
2026-09-11This is a nicely crafted website in which you can play a different trio of nonograms every day! I had no idea what nonograms are before, but once I took a few minutes to learn, it became very fun and one of the best parts of my morning ritual. They’re most similar to minesweeper, I guess, but with the numbers on the columns and rows instead of on the squares themselves.
10 Sep 2026
Matt posted a Quick Review
The Great Gatsby
Reviewed on Sep 10, 2026
This is definitely not my type of book, but I’ve watched the Broadway musical in 2024 and wanted to see what the original material was like. The musical was incredible, the book… not so much. I think the only enjoyment I got out of it was remembering the scenes of the musical as I read it.
Book
07 Sep 2026
Matt posted a Quick Review
The Invite
Reviewed on Sep 07, 2026
This movie is such a fun time! It’s like a train-wreck that you can’t look away from. My wife and I laughed out loudly so many times, and there’s a lot to dig into if you peek at the details.
Movie
Matt posted 4 Photos
Consonno Ghost Town
Taken on 2026-09-06
Consonno was a Lombard village for over a thousand years until, in the 1960s, a wealthy businessman bought the land, bulldozed villagers’ homes (some still occupied), and began building the “Las Vegas of Lombardy” — leveling the natural landscape for better mountain views.
The resort never took off, and construction stalled. The environmental damage caught up with it: landslides in the 1970s cut off access, closing the resort for good. It briefly became a home for the elderly before being abandoned entirely.
06 Sep 2026
Matt published a Blog Post
TIL:
TIL: Form controls can be outside their parent form
4 min read
Possible knowledge gap on my part, but cool nonetheless: the form attribute allows your form controls to live anywhere.
31 Aug 2026
Matt posted 3 Photos
Sacra di San Michele
Taken on 2026-08-23
This incredible religious complex dedicated to St. Michael began being built in the 10th century and sits on top of a mountain overlooking the valleys near the city of Turin, in northern Italy.
I was unable to capture the views of it from further below, but it’s even more majestic.
30 Aug 2026
Matt shared a Cool Link
Cool Link
2026-08-30This was posted during the World Cup while more people were paying attention to football and the VAR, but it’s just as valid today. Just as AI provides an obvious benefit at first glance, its deeper effects can be seen as a net negative.
The VAR hasn’t eliminated or reduced biases or corruption in football. It merely made them more hidden and institutionalized.
29 Aug 2026
Matt posted a Quick Review
How I Met Your Mother
Reviewed on Aug 29, 2026
This is my third time watching this, and it has become a comfort series for my wife and I. Its highs are really great and its lows are fine. I think it’s the sitcom that best portrays the process of growing old and how relationships morph as time passes.
Its finale will forever live in infamy but I always thought it made perfect sense, though it does have awful pacing.
TV Show
28 Aug 2026
Matt posted a Quick Review
Clair Obscur - Expedition 33
Reviewed on Aug 28, 2026
I am in absolute awe of this game. It is a complete work of art. I was amazed by its visuals, enthralled by its combat, tearful at its story and ultimately in love with its soundtrack.
It’s a story about grief, and it will make you experience that. It’s also going to be one of the most beautiful experiences you’ll ever have.
For those who come after.
Game