Goodbye, Cortina!

We're heading back to Colorado tomorrow morning so this will be my last post of the season! And so, a look back at this year in Cortina seems appropriate:

We arrived in September to a new house in a new neighborhood, with an amazing view of the mountains.

We had a really pretty fall, so we took lots of walks and watched the leaves change. We learned how to make cazunsiei. And we had another huge Thanksgiving turkey!

I went to Bologna, the food capital of Italy, to explore and to eat...

....and we went down to Venice as much as possible.

We had a busy December filled with Christmas markets and trips. We went to Salzburg for two nights and Prague for three nights.

We celebrated our third Christmas in Cortina and had the annual Christmas Eve party at our house...

...and then, the day after Christmas, all of the lights went out in the entire town! We were without power, hot water or heat for over two days, so we played games in the dark and got out our warmest blankets.

Then it was 2014!

January was pretty sunny so we went up the mountain a lot, to ski and to sun.

Then, at the beginning of February there was a blizzard that went on for days...

...and then my parents came to visit! We did a few days trips and I finally crossed the Scrovegni Chapel off my list of things to see. We ate lots of yummy food, took longs walks and just enjoyed being together.

Suddenly it was time for playoffs! Cortina won the first two rounds and lost to Brunico in the semi-finals.

My friend Cori and I were nervous about playoffs and needed to go on a mini-vacation to the sea, so we went to Trieste.

Then the season was OVER and it was time to think about packing and Colorado! So - goodbye for now Cortina, and thanks for another great year!

Thanks for reading this year! xo

Celebrate!

This past weekend was full of celebrations for the end of the season AND Ryan's 30th birthday! Too much fun!

In Italy we celebrate with Prosecco, of course, so today I'm sharing my favorite ways to drink it.

This winter, we drank it with pomegranate seeds for a festive touch:

On vacation, we drink it with fresh squeezed orange juice:

And at home, I drink it with ice. It sounds odd, but it's so good.

Happy Birthday Ryan and Happy End of Season too! xo

5 Things We Love About Italy

April means that this season in Italy is sadly coming to an end, and lately we've been talking about all the things we love about Italy, like....

1. Lunch. Is there really anything better than a real Italian lunch? You are expected to eat pasta, supposed to drink wine, and you get to take a nap afterwards! Also one time, we were at our Italian friends' house for lunch and you know what we had? Spaghetti carbonara, a pork roast, salad, homemade bread, red wine, gelato with berries, espresso and tiny sips of Grappa. And then we didn't have to eat for the next two days!

2. The wild unpredictability of what might happen on any given day. Example: one Sunday afternoon we stumbled upon a chestnut festival where we bought paper bags full of roast chestnuts and ate them at long tables under a tent in the center of town. Another time, in the fall, I woke up in the morning and looked out of the bedroom window and there were cows running down the sidewalk. You just never know.

3. You only have to do one thing a day. This was our first lesson in Italy three years ago: someone told us "DO NOT make a to-do list! Expect to get only one thing done per day." Imagine how accomplished we feel when we get three things done!

4. The scenery. This isn't too bad to look at:

5. The friends we've made. The ones from Cortina, the ones from Chicago and the ones from Canada.