Italian Memories Finale: Genova and back home

Our final stop in Italy was an overnight in Genova. Not a city commonly visited by most, but it was our point of arrival/departure, so we thought we would give it a look. We had a lovely walking tour of the old town by a very knowledgeable local guide, which made all the difference! We learned some interesting facts. Christopher Columbus was born in Genova...here is a reproduction of his house: Also, the city was once walled, and still has many of these medieval walls intact....in fact, the amount remaining is second only to the Great Wall of China! Also saw many gorgeous examples of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque architecture:




And I tried to convince the hubby that we need a scooter....don't they look fun?After our tour, we decided one last 4 course dinner was in order. We went to this very Old World restaurant recommended by our hotel....we were unsure at first, but ended up being the best yet! The executive chef came out to serve our dinner, and again to shake our hand as we left. Apparently, he has made pesto for both Popes Jean Paul and Benedicto (and has photo albums to prove it!), so I am assuming my pasta was Blessed!
Our wonderful holiday was slightly extended, thanks to the Air France strike...so we got an extra-long visit to the Genova airport, as well as an in-depth view of the Charles de Gaulle in Paris. But otherwise, could not have been more perfecto!

Now, back to reality.....

Italian Memories Part 2: Portofino and Porsches!

Once leaving Cinque Terre, we headed slightly north along the Liguarian Sea to the yachting town of Portofino. While geographically it was not too far, or different in appearance, it was like entering another world...Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous!

We are neither of those, but part of the anniversary surprise was a tour, put on by Porsche, where basically you drive all around the beautiful Italian countryside- mountains, sea, wineries- and break regularly to eat 4 course gourmet meals. I am talking dessert with breakfast. This was serious spoilage! I was glad that they only weighed my luggage at the airport on return...imagine if they made the passengers do a before and after weigh-in on a holiday??

Anyways, all I can say is- DECADENT. We stayed at a place called the Hotel Splendido, which was so gorgeous, and we had our own private courtyard with a view like this: The cars of course were the highlight for my hubby...do you think he looks happy??Did I drive? Why yes, I did...about 5 minutes into "my turn", I was nearly run off the edge of one of the skinny mountain roads by a tour bus, causing lots of drama and a big old traffic jam. Learned some fun Italian hand gestures! Luckily, no damage done (you-break-it-you-buy-it becomes expensive in regards to a sports car), a very handsome Italian taxi driver helped rescue me and the car off the hill, and all is well that ends well, right? Sorry, no photo ops of that adventure!The great thing about the driving tour is that we got to see so many country landscapes not visible by train, like these:

And did I mention...4 course meals? Three times a day? And some of those courses had 2 plates each? How will I ever readjust to simple toast and tea for breakfast again???

Thanks so much to our tour guide, Sabine, and to the great people that we met on this tour! It was amazing!

Home again- Italian Memories Part 1: Cinque Terre

Wow.

I can't put into words what an amazing trip we had! I feel like such a lucky girl! I am sure many of you can relate- I juggle working part-time, 3 young kids in a zillion activities, and a husband who also has a busy career. Not a ton of time for myself....most of which I spend sewing!....and life is wonderful, but certainly not glamorous. But for ONE WEEK, it was all about me and my husband, living what the Italians call "la dolce vita"- THE GOOD LIFE!!

I am going to break this into a few posts to savour it :-)

The grandparents graciously offered to take care of our kids as I planned this adventure, which was a surprise for my hubby to celebrate our recent 10 year anniversary. We had always enjoyed travelling in the "BC era" (before children), so I thought this was a wonderful opportunity to do so again (though without backpacks and hostels this time!). We have never left the kids for more than a weekend, so we didn't want to be gone too long, and as such I thought it best to do one small area well, instead of trying to run all over the country to see it all, and instead spending most of our time on trains. I chose this area of Italy on the coast in the north west, as it had always appealed to me for its beauty.

Cinque Terre is a series of 5 small fishing villages, suspended between mountain and sea. Historically only accessible by foot or boat, there is now a train that connects them, and some have a small amount of road access, though no cars within the town. They have been declared a UNESCO world heritage site, and the buildings have not changed for over 300 years, and each town has a population of under 1000 people. Small, quaint- perfect.
We got a small room in Vernazza (ver-NAT-za) and enjoyed 3 days of hiking and exploring in the area. The hiking trails between the towns are incredible, going up and down the mountains, and offering magnificent views.


Don't worry, we balanced all this exercise with copious amounts of pasta (this area is where pesto was originated), fish, wine and pastries! Yum!


This is not a big shopping area, but what was there, was homemade. It was so nice to support the local artisans. I bought this knit hat from a lady, who was busy knitting another at the time- magic (note- you can also see my camera case in hand!).
One of the walking trails connecting two towns is referred to as Via Dell Amore, "lover's lane."
It has become a custom for lovers to place a lock along its path, to signify their bond. So, we bought a lock, and scratched our initials into it... ...attached it to a bench together....
....and my hubby threw away the key into the ocean.

I guess that means we are stuck with each other!

Arrivederci!

My blog will be in "holiday mode" for the next week or two, while the hubby and I spend some time relaxing and romancing here:

Italy, here we come! Arrivederci, everyone! I'm sure I will be bubbling over with pictures and stories when I return :-) Talk to you then!

Orange and Italia

Last But Not Least loves all things orange (ironically, she seems to be sensitive/allergic to actual oranges). When I saw this tutu, I couldn't resist. You could say it made her happy...she has been spinning around on her tip toes all day :-) In other ramblings, I am starting to get geared up for our trip to Italy this fall. You may recall, I surprised the hubby with the trip for our 10 year anniversary this June. We are heading primarily to Portofino and Cinque Terre in the Italian Riviera region. Just doing some planning and booking now for a couple days we have before our tour....anyone been there? Any suggestions for hotels/B&Bs/restaurants? Can't wait to go! I went to see Eat Pray Love and that got me even more excited about Italian hand gestures and gastronomy :-) Better pack my big girl pants!

La Dolce Vita

Ten years. Yikes! And a busy ten it has been. Couldn't have planned them better.....life is good.
(Cheesy photo, I know)

I mentioned yesterday that I had a big surprise planned for the hubby for our 10 year anniversary, and last night at dinner I sprung it on him! We are going to Italy!!! And that is not all.....I have booked us for a 5 day Porsche tour- essentially we (he) gets to drive us around the Italian Riviera in a Porsche, taking in the sites, staying at a fancy-schmancy hotel....la dolce vita, my friends! Considering how he pours over his monthly Car and Driver magazine (while he continues to drive our 17 year old Volvo), you could say he was a bit excited:

And mostly surprised at my mastery in deception, I think (hmmm, this may come in handy in the future). I have been sneaking around booking tours and flights for months now, in cahoots with his staff at work to book him off, and overall just spending a tremendous amount of energy keeping my big mouth shut. It's going to be great! And a far cry from our last trip to Europe, incidentally 10 years ago, where we stayed in hostels and rode the night trains! Not that we didn't have a fabulous time then, too :-) We don't go until the fall, so we get to spend some delicious time dreaming and planning all the details!

Back in reality, it is another rainy weekend here, and I am so done with it. We have a string of birthday parties and fun planned, and as promised, I have some pictures of the crayon purse I made for Lauren and Serah, to coordinate with their dresses I posted here.

This is my first time making this in quilting cotton weight, so I used a fleecy interfacing and it turned out great! So sweet and girly. Inside, there is a pad of paper (covered with paper and sparkly flowers!), little puckered pockets to hold markers or crayons, and a pocket to stash stickers or their art.

Just the perfect size for little girls to tote around town!