Dreamy Dolomites in Winter, and best skiing

No much snow this year but enough to ski, and to appreciate how beautiful my Dolomite Mountains are! Paesaggi da favola! 

And of course the best ski ever! Below the record of my best day on the slopes, from Val di Fassa to Val Gardena.

After 23+ km I deserved a bombardino (probably about 2000 calories!)

More scenic shots:

Look at this frozen waterfall, dreamy!

We stayed at the Hotel Pareda in Canazei, which has a beautiful pool and wellness centre, lovely staff, comfortable rooms, and where every evening we filled our bellies well.

In Val Gardena I even found a restaurant (at the Hotel Valpudra) with lots of Vegan options, like this delicious homemade rye pasta with seitan ragout with marjoran and cress fragrance. I licked the plate clean! 

And the bread was great too! I love the local pan dur, hard crispy bread with fennel seeds.

Bye bye to a lovely week in the mountains, I hope you get more snow!

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Skiing (and not skiing) in New Zealand

 Well, the skiing holiday started off promising, driving towards the mountains and Methven and seeing some snow at the top.
But skiing in New Zealand is a bit of a gamble: the first day we managed, although there was only snow in the ski fields, and not lower into the village, or in the surroundings. The other two days the ski field were closed because of high winds! We ended up driving around and doing some hiking by the Rakaia River.

After Methven and a Christchurch break we tried our luck going towards Arthur's Pass National Park. Here some photos taken on the road.

On arrival we hiked to the Devil's Punchbowl (short hike) and then went back to the lodge as it was bitter cold and wet!

The day after we did ski, in Porters, while they were making snow. A real pity that the winter holidays are in July and not in August, so difficult to get snow in July!

My highlight? Seeing the Kea parrots, I love those birds!

And of course the stunning scenery of the South Island!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

From Canazei to Trento with an apple break

Skiing together

Our week in Canazei ended nicely, I was very happy to have done a 5 days ski course, and so were the kids. The five days course consisted in a 3 hours' lesson in the morning for the first 4 days, and then a whole day with the teacher on Friday. We moved to a different ski area and had a great day. The kids also went with their teachers and other kids to different parts of the mountains (they already ski much better than me) and we all returned tired but happy.

Then yesterday we travelled back to Feltre via Trento. We entered Alto Adige/Südtirol and stopped in one of the many apple selling huts that can be found on the road sides (which are lined with apple orchards) to buy the local apples, some apple juice and some super yummy dried apples (the best I ever had, in fact!). 

Apples in Alto Adige

Trento

This was my second visit to Trento (the first was when I was only about 19 years old), we only spent a few hours there, visiting the city centre and having lunch (pizza with radicchio for me). Trento is interesting, eclectic I would say: the architecture is from so many different time periods and styles all compressed together into a walkable city centre. In fact you just need to turn your head to move from Romanesque-Gothic to frescoed Renaissance buildings to Late Baroque and then back to Late-Medieval, perhaps with some Germanic influences. Below is my "photo collage" of the city, I hope that it gives you an idea of what I mean!

Trento

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Skiing in Canazei

Panorama

Arantxa and Max

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Today our ski instructor asked us if we prefer the mountains or the sea. What to say, I love them both, in different ways, but my heart belongs to the mountains... in fact Arantxa and I are dreaming up our very own chalet and, in our fantasies, we are filling it up with red and white tablecloths and Südtirol style wooden furniture :-)!  

And you? What do you prefer: the mountains or the sea?

Canazei via Agordo and Moena

Agordo

Last Saturday we left Feltre for a week in Canazei, via Agordo and Moena. It has been almost two years since we had a skiing holiday (in Bormio), and we are loving it! This time I am also doing a 5 days course, 3 hours every morning, and for the last day, tomorrow, a whole day on the slopes with the teacher and the other students. There are six of us, three Italians, two Russians and one Serbian, all keen to improve!! I will post some more photos during the rest of the week, and so far I greatly recommend this place as there are a lot of slopes for beginners and also for advance skiers, and the mountains are stunning!

Moena

From top left clockwise: on the slopes, Canazei, coffee break, Alba di Canazei

From top left clockwise: getting ready for a steep descent, Canazei, hot chocolate with cream, on the slopes.

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©

Bormio, the mountains and more food

No photos of me skiing (you really don't want to see those!) just some views...

And now the last photos of the food at the Hotel San Lorenzo. While the other family members ate cereals and eggs for breakfast, I had cake! Truly, Italian style, in the mountains, I could eat fruit and jam tarts with my caffelatte! Yes!!! My daughter tried too, and she prefers it to a Kiwi breakfast!

This is a traditional starter in Valtellina: Sciatt, local cheese dipped in a buckwheat batter, and fried.

Sciatt

Bread gnocchi with herbs

Parmesan pudding (savoury, a starter)

Spinach roulade with polenta tarragna, fennel and cheese sauce

Ah, the cheese tray...I mean, trolley!!!

Taneda semifreddo (Taneda is a local herb liqueur)

Grilled Tomino Cheese

Local wine, this Chiavennasca was very nice!

Pumpkin and maltagliati pasta soup

Herbs and ricotta ravioli

The local buckwheat pasta: Pizzoccheri. Traditionally these are served with a sauce made with potatoes, savoy cabbage and local cheese (and they are delicious!) but tonight I will try to make a vegan version. I will let you know!

Pizzoccheri

Photos by Alessandra Zecchini ©