She did it her way.

Don't be shy Katy!



We'll miss you for the good times at Karaoke ("I am NOT singing you guys..."):




The endless laughter and interesting prizes won together at Pub Quiz:






...and so much more!

A se vedei

That's how the mountain people say "Arrivederci"! It was sooooooooooo hard to leave our little oasis in the mountains.

Thank you so much Carlotta, Tiziana and Domenico for one of the best weekends ever!!



And thanks to Katy for all the photos.

Something about that mountain air...

...makes you really, really hungry. We'd just had a breakfast that was about 18 times the size of the normal breakfast any of us ever has, when Domenico stopped the car in front of a cozy little restaurant near the top.

I for one thought we were stopping for, perhaps, some hot cocoa; I mean, I couldn't eat another bite. But then the polenta arrived with its melted cheese and its mushrooms...

...and then the dishes so local you can only get them here (which also means you HAVE to eat them). Clockwise from the top you have your Canederli, your Spatzle, and your multigrain risotto with crispy speck. In a word, unbelievable...I made Tiziana give me her recipes later on.

Carlotta gets her sweetness from her parents:

...and from these delicious traditional desserts...there were 5 of them. And we finished them all.

I think you can actually see the additional 5 kilos I've gained while here, riiight about...NOW:

Amazing, I think, that I remember the names of the foods but not the mountains. Anyways, it's all worth it. Check out the view:

And finally, the summit:

Buona notte!

Days 2 in the Alps

Warning...you are going to think these are photos of movie sets, but I assure you they are real.

Ok, the gnome's not real, but aren't they cute together?

Day 1 in the Italian Alps

Our arrival up north was highlighted by some quality puppy-time with Carlotta's beagle Trudy, a gorgeous speck, robiola and arugula sandwich at the Autogrill (one of my Top 10 Sites in Italy), and a lovely, scenic drive to the Val di Badia.

Carlotta's cookie-cutter parents greeted us with smiles, warmth and snackies (more speck, salami, cheese, breads, jam, sweets...all local of course) before we hit the road again with Domenico at the wheel. He was our absolutely PERFECT driver / dad / tour guide. I'm sure he told us what this particular peak was called but I was in a food coma so...

Smile, quick, I'm freezing! "Formaggio!"

We reached a summit at dusk. There was a bar in an igloo. When you see a bar in an igloo, you go in it. So we did. And we had some warm-your-bones Mulled Wine that hit the spot.

Back at the cabin, which Tiziana designed herself, we had an exquisite dinner of homemade pumpkin ravioli in a butter sage sauce, followed by chicken and mushrooms (picked by Domenico...but you knew that) and more local sweets and tea.

I asked if they are adopting...they are not, BUT they will treat you as one of their own. Really special people.

Then we settled into our beds for the kind of sleep you can only get on vacation in the middle of nowhere...

White Flag

I give up! I am sorry I haven't posted in some time. I will try to get back on the wagon very soon. I was pretty sick with a freak health issue for about 3 weeks, and that, taken together with an unfortunate meeting between my camera and a packet of to-go soy sauce in my purse, has made it impossible to put anything interesting up here. And I want only the best for you folks!!

Coming soon, hopefully....the 'Month of Katy' (including karaoke, pub quiz, ridiculous movies, and a trip to Carlotta's fabulous pad in the Italian Alps!). Miss you Katy!

For now...it's 60 degrees and sunny here in the Eternal City - I'm off to the roof!