Monday, August 1, 2011

Another weekend away

Mountains are beautiful, this is a fact.



There is something to do for everyone. You can hike and discover beautiful hidden spots.




Turquoise waters. Sandy beaches.



Waterfalls.



You can pick wild strawberries, fragoline di bosco, the most delicate of fruits.


Blueberries.



Blackberries. No batteries needed.



You can study insects.




These huge things fly. I don't even want to know what they are called.





You can stop for lunch in a rifugio.


Polenta, mushrooms, venison, roe buck

Polenta with cheese and mushrooms

Gnocchi with mushrooms and tomatoes

Porcini ravioli with nut sauce

Orzotto or barley soup

You can observe farm animals.



Aaaaw...



Meet a family of scarecrows.



Go food shopping.



And eat some more.


Mocetta di camoscio or cured chamois meat

Mocetta di cervo or cured venison

To the right, spressa (a local specialty), to the left my favorite. The sign said: cheese with natural mold for polenta. My kinda cheese!

Then you can dance off the calories at the town dance.






This was a real village dance. No costumes, no show. These people dressed up to go dance.

And no, we did not forget dessert.

Chard (yes, chard) and almond paste crostata

You can check out the local architecture.



View from the apartment

Can you believe there is more than one like this here?



I am a sucker for detail.






I never get enough of these windows...


This window was the size of my hand...lace curtains! C'mon!






Then there is fishing.



We even got a weak rainbow.




We went on another hike and found these.


I think this was the first time I saw cyclamen in the wild...


Or hazelnuts...

I didn't even know what these were...

Do you?

....until I opened one...walnuts!

We prepared a wedding reception and got married.



And we decorated our Crocs with more eco friendly accessories than the ones for sale.


I love the mountains...do you?

13 comments:

  1. I love mountains! That is one of the reasons and possibly one of the strongest that would make me move back to Italy!! Enjoy your weekends on the alps for me too!

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  2. Stunning!! Looks like an amazing time. I'm sorry we didn't make it up that way when we were living in Italy. That's ok though because you always have to leave a reason to go back! You just gave me lots!!

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  3. :-))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) That's the grin I had while reading your post! I too love the mountains... especially the Alps... sigh! Those dishes made me sooo hungry... especially the cheese polenta (I am a cheesaholic)! YUM!!!! Have fun for me too!

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  4. what stunning pics! The doors are my favourite :)

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  5. Pola - Italy has among the most beautiful mountains in the world, I agree. Funny that when people think of Italy they usually only think of the Mediterranean.
    Nicole - yes, definitely a reason to come back and visit. Let me know when you do!
    Manu - oh my gosh, that cheese for polenta was to die for!
    Tandy - it is always the details that steal my heart in those places

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  6. What a weekend away! My weekends away seem so bland next to yours!

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  7. I'm so jealous of your weekend getaways! You're surrounded by immense beauty and culture =)

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  8. You brought me straight back to my childhood's summers! I spent all my holidays in Valle D'Aosta until I was 18. The food looks much better though than what I remember.

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  9. This post is just sublime *sigh* Thank you for taking us along with you on your trip! Everything looks postcard perfect :D

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  10. What a lovely weekend! THe walnuts were a great find! I would never have guessed that one!

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  11. You guys have the best of the best! How totally beautiful are all of your photos?!?! Wish I could have joined you guys for that lunch! OMG!!!!

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  12. Maureen - Hi! You only see the poetic parts: no muddy puddles, no tantrums, no bad ice cream. Photos are convenient that way hehe
    Peggy - that is a plus of living in Italy, I couldn't agree more
    laCR - Val d'Aosta is beautiful too. The food in Trentino Alto Adige is wonderful but you can only eat so much of it at a time!
    Lorraine - as I said to Maureen, pictures have the positive of showing the sublime highlights. But you know that of course, it is your job!
    Andrea - we are such city slickers, are we not?
    Care's K - thank you. It was a fun lunch, very noisy with all the kids running around. Good thing we were outside, right next to a forest.

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  13. Che meraviglia di weekend! Bravi! Cla

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