www.80sblingirl.blogspot.it: The Mountains of the Moon (Montage della Luna - La...

www.80sblingirl.blogspot.it: The Mountains of the Moon (Montage della Luna - La...:                                                                   Il Lago dei Sette Colori The first time my Husband and I went on a h...

The Mountains of the Moon (Montage della Luna - Lago dei Sette Colori)

                                                                  Il Lago dei Sette Colori

The first time my Husband and I went on a hike it was to this magnificent place, called the Lake of the Seven Colours,  it's located about 56 km from Torino, between the French and Italian Alps, they are called the Mountains of the Moon.  I remember prior to this excursion I warned my future husband of how I hated hiking, to which he said not to worry, because it's an easy hike up.  Not so!   It was not the easy hike he made it to be, plus on the way up we took a wrong turn and ended up on a steep trail where on one side there was the mountain and on the other side a steep edge to walk along.  Needless to say that since I'm afraid of heights, I started crying.  That's when my future husband realized how much I was afraid of heights.  In the end we did end up at this beautiful lake and when we sat along the shore of the Lake of the Seven Colours he gave me the first present ever, a pair of earrings that I still have and treasure.  That moment made all my fears vanish and made that special day even more memorable.

Verona

As everyone knows, travelling is always an exciting experience, I don't think anyone ever gets tired of travelling, when we travel we learn so much, we learn about new surroundings, new traditions and the history of the locality we are visiting.

When I travel one of the most important things I look for are places to eat, and by that I don't mean those touristic menu restaurants which I avoid at all costs, I like to eat where the locals eat, try their specialties and traditional dishes even if it means spending a little more which is almost never the case because if you go prepared or even ask around you'll discover that finding good eateries won't be a hard task, locals are usually always willing to help out and tell visitors where to go to eat well!

Which brings me to the topic of this blog entry, yes, Verona, last September my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary and much to our surprise our sons gave us a wonderful gift, a trip to Verona all expenses paid by them, they booked us in a 4 Star Best Western just a five minute walk from the Arena, I must say it was the best present ever!  Hubby and I had a great time, Hotel was great in every sense, I remember telling my husband, "for me just the hotel room itself is the vacation...haha" it had every comfort, well goes to show you how much we are not used to 4 Star Hotels, I mean 3 stars yes but 4 star is a whole different ball game, here in Italy at least.

Every night we'd go have dinner and then walk around the Arena, we were so awestruck by it, so beautiful all lit up at night, then we'd sit in the park just outside the Arena, it was so romantic, such a beautiful memory, I will never ever forget it, during the day we'd do sightseeing in the historical centre, there was so much to see, one of the must sees is Julliet's house, set in a romantic medieval building with Julliet's balcony looking onto the courtyard where all the tourists enjoy taking photos standing next to a statue of Julliet, legend has it that if you rub Julliet's left breast it will bring you good luck, so you see all these tourists rubbing her breast whilst taking a photo, it's actually quite an amusing sight to see, oh and by the way I too didn't miss out on the experience haha.

In the central Piazza, called Piazza delle Erbe, located just off the Arena you will find a very characteristic open air market, where they sell anything from t-shirts to souvenires to food stuff, ice cream and so on, around the piazza are many shops,  ice cream parlours and Cafès, there was one Cafè that really struck me, it was called Cafè Wallner, it was so refind and elegant, so relaxing and beautiful decor and they had such delishes pastries, it was like a step back in time to the old ice cream parlours of the fifties in the U.S.A.  I highly advise you to pay this Cafè a visit if you go to Verona.

Verona is definitely one place I will certainly enjoy seeing again, it's like Rome, Venice, or Florence, one of those cities you most certainly never tire seeing, and if you do go to Verona remember to make it a point to go see a concert in the Arena, an experience like no other, we went to see Il Volo in concert and it was an unforgettable experience that one can't explain in words, this ancient structure full of beauty and romance fills the air with It's' magic, a feeling you will only understand when you're there.

Arena di Verona

So What Have I been Up Too

Hi Everyone, I know, I know, it's been a while since my last entry, so much has happened since January, first of all my older son finished his first 3 years of University, so proud of him, Architecture is certainly not easy but he loves it and that's what's important, here in Italy when they complete the first 3 years of University it's their freshman diploma, now he will go on to get his specialization diploma, which means 2 more years so 5 years in all!!!

In the last 6 months we've also taken a few trips, 1 to Rome, hubby is Roman so we go at least twice a year to see family and friends, that was in May, we also had my niece's first holy Communion, it was just beautiful, foid, weather, venue everything just was so amazing, will post a photo of the Venue later!

In the end of July we wento Laigueglia, Liguria for some fun in the Sun and sea, that was another wonderful experience, never, ever get tired of the beaches here in Italy, we were there for 7 days and had perfect weather too, doesn't get better then that!!!  Not to mention the great seafood, yum!

We also took 2 other trips but I will speak to you about thise later, I'm runnung late, keep your eyes ooen for my photos later today, have a nice day and always remember to smile 😀

Italian Carnival 2015

Now that the holiday season is behind us it's  time to pull ourselves together and face the new year, hoping it will bring us health, happiness, peace and prosperity, after all it's always, in my opinion, better to think positive.  Living in Italy I have learned that worrying about what will happen tomorrow is useless, it's always best to live day by day!  But today's post was not my intent to talk about positivity but to tell you about a festivity that in Italy goes way back to Midevil times, Il Carnevale or as we would say in English, Carnival!

The Italian Carnivale is celebrated starting from January 6th all the way to Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday, almost every city or town have a traditional parade and traditional costumes, in the bigger cities like Torino, Milan, Venice and Viareggio the parades have really spectacular floats, they have nothing to envy with the Thanksgiving Day Parade or the Rose Bowl Parade in the States!!!  Seeing is believing!   Usually children go to the Parades dressed in a favourite costume, i.e. Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Minnie Mouse, Ninja Turtles, Batman and so on ....,  they also love to throw streamers and coloured confetti to each other and the fliats as they go by, it's actually quite exciting.   Even the schools usually have Carnival parties in class, until a few tears ago the children could go to the class Carnival parties dressed in their favourite costume, wether store bought or homemade but in recent years to avoid class distinction amongst the children the Board of Education decided to have the children make the costumes at school as a class project, this is common in many parts of the world these days.

Another great aspect of the Carnevale tradition are the traditional baked goods and sweet fritters, they vary in shape and name, each reagion has a different name or specialty, but I can assure you they are all super yummy!!  Below I will post some photos of the floats, costumes and goodies!!  Have a nice day and Buon Carnevale! 😀🎉🎊

Canadians in Italy

Hi there,  it's been a while since my last entry, in the last month much has happened, Christmas has come and gone and we are embarking on a new year hoping all goes well!!
As I mentioned much has happened in the past few weeks, one of the most exciting things that has happened is that I finally orginized a wonderful Luncheon for Canadians living in Italy, and what more perfect setting to hold such an event than in Rome!  Needless to mention it was a huge success and from the goings of it, it was the first of many more events like this one!  There were 23 of us, some came with their families others with a friend, they came from all over Italy, well me from Torino, a couple from Vicenza, a few from the Lazio region and also from Bari, one came all the way from Qatar to be present at our Luncheon!!!  I personally thought it would be a good idea to give a small part of the fee as a Donation to the Sick Children's Hospital, Bambin Gesu' di Roma.  All in all everyone came away from this event happy and satisfied to have finally met in person their fellow Canadians who like them live in Italy and have got to know through the Facebook page Canadians in Italy.  I have made a video collage of our Canadians in Italy Luncheon and I hope you will enjoy it!

Christmas Will Soon Be Here!!

Hi friends!  I know it's been a while since my last post but have had so much going on since I last posted an entry on my Blog!!  The main reason being that my mom fell ill at the begining of this year and after various tests we found out that she had cancer, she went into hospital in mid March only to never return home, after many ups and many, many downs she quietly left us on July 17th/2014 with me by her bedside 😔 It was the saddest moment of my entire life!!!   But life goes on, right?!  After mourning and feeling depressed for weeks, at times not even showing it, since I have 2 sons who were devastated by this loss, I had to naturally grieve with them but also try to keep going for them!
I have just lately started to embark in new little projects, one of which is getting some friends together from different parts of Italy to meet up for a luncheon in Rome around the Holiday season, mom would've wanted me to go on as she did many, many times in her life.

My other little projects are simply putting together my little Christmas gifts for friends and family and buying my supplies will be part of the fun of doing so, anyways have to go now and continue my daily routines, will chelck in with updates on both my luncheon preparations and xmas projects, hugs and ✌️❤️☕️ Oly!!  This is a photo of my beautiful mother Carmela, taken in her youth when she lived in Genova, Italy, love and miss her tons!!

The Holidays are Over but not Forgotten

Although the Christmas and New Year's holidays are over the memories that we've created will linger in our minds and in our hearts.  My holidays were blessed with the warmth and love of my family and friends, both near and far, cooking was also a big part of our traditional Christmas celebration, who could forget my mom's almond bark or honey sweetened Struffoli, yum.  I delighted my family with my homemade Lasagna and roast Salmon not to mention my vol au vent filled with pink cocktail sauce and prawns, our pastry chef Panettone was none the less, moist and covered with a crunchy Almond crust, yum, yum, so inviting, worth every calorie...lol :)

Just so many special moments to remember, New Year's Eve, the boys went away with their friends and hubby and I stayed home and had our soecial candle lit dinner, so romantic, I made Farfalle shaped pasta with fresh Salmon sauce and fillet of sole with creme fraiche sauce, Panettone was the crowning glory of this wonderful dinner with a bottle of bubbly of coarse, Spumante! Midnight was filled with happiness and love as we rung in the new year, goes to show you that you don't need a crowed to be cheerful and have fun!

Our time spent recieving our loved ones were moments to treasure forever and my husband's and I walks in the cold winter sunshine was a real treat too, not to mention our afternoon at the GAM (Gallery of  Modern Art in Torino) to view the Renoir painting exhibit, a real treat for both of us, we love art and this was a super exhibit!

Amongst the things we visited there were also the local Nativity Scenes sponsored by the city of Collegno, Italy is famous for the most beautiful Nativity Scenes in the world, doesn't surprise me since this is the country where they originate.  Every year my husband, Danilo and I love to take one afternoon during the Christmas break and go and visit the local Nativity Scenes, some are just plain statuettes with Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus and the lot, and others are mechanical scenes, with all the charecters moving and the day that becomes night and vica versa.  These Nativity Scenes have a lot of hard work and time and effort put into them by local volanteers, they are just breathtaking! I take my hat off to these volanteers for the dedication and passion that they put into making these Scenes without earning a dime, if not the praise of their admirers.

In closing I want to say so long Christmas Holidays, you maybe gone but surely not forgotten.

I Hate Modernday Christmas shopping!

Well it's Christmas again, and along with it comes all the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping.  Today I finally Decided it was time to do my holiday shopping so off  I went to the Mall thinking that since it was Monday morning not too many holiday shoppers would be there, well surprise surprise, it was packed!! as soon as I got there It didn't take me long to find a parking spot for my car, luckily someone was leaving and so I quickly sped to occupy my much desired spot.  It's often unbelievable how cars in mall parking lots follow shoppers with overflowing carts around the parking lot, hoping to get a parking space and so frustrating when sometimes after all that following and patiently waiting for the shopper to unload and put away his/her cart they signal with their index finger swaying back and forth to say no, their just unloading and not leaving yet.  All I can say is that today was my lucky day, I found parking in five minutes flat! Must've had someone watching over me, thanks dad, I always thank my dear old dad when things go my way.

Once inside the Mall I decided to browse around comparing prices and picking up some ideas, as I walked around I was dumbfounded at how many shoppers were on their smartphones consulting with friends or family on which gifts to buy as if they were deciding the next move towards world peace, gosh your buying a gift not wether to have open heart surgery or not! It was evident that aside from grocery shopping and the odd hop over to the neighbourhood stores I hadn't been out Mall shopping in a while.  I was totally feeling like a fish out of water, mind you I love modern tech, I have my own IPad and smartphone wich I use everyday but all this pushing and shoving to get where you had to go at all costs in order to get what you want was just too overwhelming for me, not to mention all the angry worried faces I came across, just one salesgirl was very sweet and curteous, guess I'm just getting older but not old haha, long story short I decided on a couple of trinkets for mom and niece and some clothes for my sons but I just couldn't wait to go home, hubby's gift will have to wait till later this week, just enough time to get my nerve up to go to the Mall again, unless I decide to just take a hop over to the local perfume shop or bookstore, hahaha. Just can't get over on how much confusion and forgetting what this holiday is really all about.  I miss when I was younger, when yes we went shopping and there was a lot of Christmas hustle and bustle but there was also a human side to it, when salespeople would wish you a Merry Christmas and help you in choosing the best gift to give for that special someone. All I can say is I'm so happy I was young when I was and my warm Christmas memories will keep me happy for a long time coming. Happy shopping everyone!

Our Family Christmas Tree

Hi everyone, hope you are all having a great weekend!  I'm having a nice family downtime weekend, yesterday we finally put up the tree :) Isn't it gorgeous?  I think it's super, decorated with lots of love and care by the whole family while listening to Christmas Carols, a traditional family ritual in our home!  Well got to run and get Sunday lunch started, wishing you all a super Sunday, maybe decorating your tree or whatever you're doing together.

Bling, Bling, Bling!!!!

Hi everyone, I have many interests, but one of my passions has always been, yes, that's right, bling!  I think I developed this passion at an early age, seeing that already when I was about five I used to dress up w/my mom's costume jewelry and not only, yes, her high heels were a must too, lol.  Since I can remember things that glitter and shine have always caught my eye, mind you I'm choosy, never liked the gaudy bling, it always had and has to have a certain elegance and fit in with what I'm wearing perfectly.  As a child in the late sixties I used to love to imitate my beautiful mom, I used to go in her room and put on her heels and costume jewelry, often she'd walk in and say "you mustn't wear my heels or they will ruin" then she'd laugh and say "I used to do the same with my mom's things."

As I grew my bling passion progressed, in the seventies my Saturday afternoon passtime was going to Birk's at Jackson Square in my hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, with mom or a friend, but mostly mom, since we shared this blingy hobby..lol.  If you are from Canada and love bling then you will agree that back then Birk's was the place to go!  I remember there used to be a special offers table set up at the entrance with the little blue Birk's boxes lying on top and each box held a small Birk's treasure, nothing expensive mind you but so appealing to the eye, and wallet.  I think we never, ever left empty handed, we always ended buying a bling or two.  I still have many of those little treasures to this day.
In the eighties when big bling was the craze, I loved to wear huge earrings, clunky bracelets and chokers along with my big hair of course.  Back then it was all about hair and shoulder pads, so the big bling fit in perfectly, haha!
In the nineties when I married and had my children I still wore my bling but only in appropriate moments since holding my sons while they were grabbing at my necklaces was not very practical or comfertable, not to mention safe, as they always stuck things in their mouths as most babies and toddlers do.  I'd limit myself to wearing blingy jewelry to special occasions or the occasional dinner party with my husband.
The 2000's were a turning point for me as far as bling goes, my children grew older and less grabby, haha, and so hello bling again, full force that is, I had to make up for lost time blingwise!! These days I'm living in Italy and every chance I get I hit the local open air markets, believe me you can get some great deals on bling, beautiful costume jewelry with prices that vary from €1.00 to €5.00 for the cheapest but still nice bling to €10.00 to not more than €15.00 - €20.00 for the most expensive bling.  In other words a bling lovers heaven!
So as you can see my passion lives on, even after all these years, no regrets or guilts for always having bought all the bling, and my moto was, is and always will be, I Love Bling!!

Sunshine and Good Books

Hi everyone, I'm here lying on my lounger and basking in this beautiful fall sunshine, it must be Indian Summer!! Just loving every moment.  These are those moments where you grab a nice lounger, lie down, cosy up to the french window and enjoy a good book, which is what I'm doing. The book is called A Girls' Guide to Homemaking by Amy Bratley, I bought it on a whim, I saw it on the shelf at the supermarket last Friday and picked it up because I loved the cover!! I then decided, "ok, you're going in my shopping cart". I often buy books just becuase I like the cover, usually they don't let me down, haha.  I started reading it the same afternoon and believe me so far so good, it has romance, ambition, mystery, cheating boyfriend, repentment.....etc. etc.
As soon as I finish it I will give you the lowdown on if the book has a captivating storyline till the end or not, so off I go to continue with the adventures of Juliet (the main character) and her life story. Ta ta everyone,  my lounger and book are waiting for me in the warmth of the cosy Indian Summer sun.

Oven Made Prune Jam

Ciao everyone, today it's a super grey day!!! Dark and dreary, perfect for making some homemade jam, as you can see I've posted a photo of red prune jam, believe it or not this jam was made in the oven and not on the stove.  To make 3 small jars of this delicacy you will need:

1kg of ripe red pulpy prunes (cut up in small pieces)
250grms. of Demerrera sugar (also white sgr will do)
1quarter teaspoon of cinnemon
5 cloves (finely ground)

Take the prunes and wash them, dry them cut in half then take out the pits, cut the prunes in small pieces put in a bowl and stir in the 250 grms sugar.
Pour in an oven pan that is at least 6 to 8 cm deep and put in oven at 200 degrees (Better if you have a ventilated oven) for about 1 hour and a half, or when you see it gets to the right jam consistancy.  Near the end, about 10 - 15 mts before you take it out of the oven get a wooden spoon and stir, this helps to mix the jam better and have the desired consistancy.  To test that the jam is ready just put some on a small dish and let cool a few minutes, if it doesn't slide off the dish when tilting, it's ready!! :)
At this point remove from oven add the ground cloves and cinnemon, stir and pour in the jars, now put the jars upsidedown for 5 minutes or I usually prefer to leave it overnight to create a vaccum pack.

When filling the jars make sure to fill them almost to the rim, so not to leave any pockets of air.

Your jam is ready to be enjoyed already the next day.

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, My Hometown

Ciao everyone, hope you're all having a great weekend, mine is going good!! Cooking, grocery shopping, cleaning, visiting mom.  Poor thing she hasn't been well these days so I've been running some errands for her and mostly helping her out at home and keeping her company more than usual.  She deserves it, Nonna Carmen is always spoiling us, she loves her grandsons (my boys) to bits, spoils them all the time, baking for them and giving them gifts, normal nonna things :)), she's one in a million, great mom and nonna.  She has travelled the world, Argentina (where she and my dad were married and also where I was born in huhumm... 1959), we lived in Canada for 20 years,  where my brother and I grew up, Hamilton, Ontario, to be exact! she's also been to the USA many times to visit her brothers during the summer holidays, we'd go to Jersey City, NJ where my mom's brothers and their families lived,  I know, you're probably going, wow!! These guys have travelled, and you're right, but I wouldn't have had any other way!! Mine is a long story, sometimes I tell my kids and husband, I feel I've lived many lives...lol!! But I'll tell you that story another time, now I've got to run, ya it's almost that time of day, dinner time, and my son is returning from Rome today after a week's visit w/his uncles, aunts and nonna Ada (my hubbie's mom). Catch you all later and have a great weekend!! Love, 80sblingirl<iframe src="//player.vimeo.com/video/63766806" width="500" height="281" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

In the meantime here's a video of my Hometown, where I grew up and miss so much, enjoy!!!

What to Make for Dinner

As I lie here on my sofa I'm thinking of many things, my mind starts to wonder and wishes it were somewhere else, it's obvious that this is a "Calgon, please take me away" moment. Not that I'm not happy, it's just that the neverending mind boggling question of the day starts to consume me! but I think and think and then like magic a lightbulb pops up in my head and voilà dinner is served.  I start putting together this and that and the ingredients slowly start marching out of my fridge and pantry like little soldiers on a mission and I must say wether I follow a recipie or invent with what I've got I always seem to conjure up tasty dishes, ok ok sometimes I just can't be bothered and so thank you! to ready made frozen food or shake and bake,  they are at times life savers,  although I try to leave them as a last resort or as I like to call them "For Emergencies Food" hehe.

Hope to hear some of your thoughts on how you organise yourselves with the big "what to make for dinner" question and if you like me also have the "For Emergencies Food" always handy.  In the meantime, I think I'll have a real "Calgon take me away" moment, catch you all later, bye for now! 80s Blingirl.

It's Monday Again!

Well here we go, time to start the work week, tons to do and think of but guess I'll be fine, I always worry I won't get everything done but I always do so let's get going, up and at'em! Hope you all have a great week too.  First stop breakfast then a nice quick shower and I'm off to do my errands, in & out of my cosy home which I can't wait to come back to for lunch...lol!!

Hi everyone, today all's calm, just good family time, typical of many of my Sundays. Cooking and eating along with good old dwntime was the theme of the day, hope you all had a nice Sunday as well, feel free to tell me how you spend your Sundays.