Burano and Mazzorbo. August, Saturday 25th

The one which is maybe our favourite city in the world is the one we cannot reach by Lambretta. Ciao, Venezia.

We both studied at the Venice University so the city means a lot to us. The main island, the "fish", is a wonderful and unique place that everyone should see in his life. But, the magic continues in the lagoon. To explore the little islands, take the vaporetto 12 from the imbarcadero in Fondamenta Nuove, the journey takes 40 minutes (7€ one way).

Burano is colorful as a parrot, simple as a fisherman. Embroidered by the sea, trimmed in lace.

Once you get off the vaporetto, you have a small park on the right side, a nice place to have a pic nic if you brought your lunch, like we did (considering the vaporetto tickets price, is a good way to save some money). I prepared some sandwiches with salame, rocket/sundried tomatoes/grana cheese, gorgonzola cheese/fig/honey (had the last one idea from this recipe).

Walking between the park and the sea, you'll arrive to a wooden bridge, which connects Burano to her quiet sister, Mazzorbo island.
In the early days of Venetian life, there were farmers, too. Somehow they managed to farm this salty, microscopic and stingy land.
In Mazzorbo we can still admire the results of such stubborness: the restaurant & hostel Venissa is located inside a vigna murata (walled vineyard), recently restored.

la Regina, Cortina d'Ampezzo. August, Sunday 19th

The weekend didn't start in a good way, on Saturday morning I found out that the film I used to photograph our day-trips to Passo Rolle and Carso (our friend Miss P took us to the best osmize near Trieste) turned out completely grey. I was really exited to blog about these beautiful location and to see how the photos look like. I keep telling myself that it's a good excuse to come back for another visit but... we'll see.



However, that wasn't a good reason to stay home on Sunday. It was so hot that the decision to move towards the mountain was unavoidable.

When we go somewhere in Cadore, we always make a stop in the wonderful Pasticceria Fiori in San Vito di Cadore. They are so kind! The pastries are delicious and if you want something sweet and refreshing, ask for the Ski Wasser, a non-alcoholic cocktail made of raspberry syrup, lemon juice, soda and ice (the alcoholic version has gin in it).

After the break, we continued towards Cortina. It was hotter than we expected, so the long road was unconfortable, but we made it in time for lunch.
There are a lot of good restaurants were you can taste the local cousine, we choose the Baita Piè Tofana, near the ski slopes. It's funny how different is this place in summer. Even without the magic of the snow, it's still wonderful. 

In spite of all the cheesy eighties movies, the overpriced bar and restaurants, the snobbish tourists, don't forget that Cortina is called the Dolomites Queen for a reason. And the most amazing thing here is the one that you don't have to pay for. Just take a look around, you'll fall in love with that views, lanscapes, blue skies, smell of wood and musk.

From August 11th to September 15th, contemporary art, too, is at home in Cortina, with Dolomiti Contemporanee, a  project that brings contemporary art to the Dolomites. (more info here)
The exhibition "Play by the rules / giocando secondo (con) le regole" is held inside the Ethnographic Museum and plays with the connections beetween tradition and modernity. This exhibition is just a small piece of 2012 DC's puzzle,the biggest part of the project  is held in Taibon, inside a disused glasses factory.

Following the water, Cison di Valmarino. August, Tuesday 14th

Cison di Valmarino is a small town grown in the shadow of a castle. It still maintains a medieval allure, with all its narrow alleys and stone cottages. Surrounded by mountains, lavish with green and splashing water, it's the perfect scenario for fairies and elves stories.

July, Saturday 28th

Always ready for a barbecue dinner party

2012 June

I've been busy in Roma for the last couple of months, but today I developed this redscale film with some sweet photos from a Sunday pic nic on the Montello.

I remember it was such a hot day.. We wanted to go to somewhere with fresh air, but didn't have enough time for a day-trip to the mountains near here. 

Montello seemed the perfect compromise.

The wood was quiet and shady. Cool air, chirping of crickets, shy squirrels. (Have you ever heard the voice of a squirrel? It's just adorable)

Pictures taken with a Nikon EM, Lomography redscale film

Let's talk about gelato. May, Sunday 27th

ihate the phrase “best kept secret”, that is sometimes used in guidebooks or articles. come on, secret places are not revealed like that. however, the place we want to share with you today would easily fall into this category: it is a small gelateria near home, in a tiny town called Cordignano.

i want to make things clear: i am a gelato lover, and a gelato expert. a kind of gelato sommelier. so, you can’t fool me saying things like “this is the best gelato of..”, cause i know. and i know this is the best gelato i have ever eaten.(please don't say the word "Grom". just don't.)

when i was a kid i didn’t like cakes, desserts, candies, or sweets in general (silly girl), but i grew up eating their wonderful lemon and chocolate and their closing period (november to march) means mourning and stocked refrigerator. 

the place’s name is Gelateria De Martin but is better known by the name of its founder Gasparetto. 

their specialty is cremacaffè, and you have to try it putting a ball into a cup of black coffee: heaven. my seasonal favorite flavors are kiwi and elderflower (i’m not sure about the translation). M. is all about crema catalana.  

yeah, gasparetto rules. 

we added a vintage basket to the lambretta. M. found it his grandma house. it is even more perfect because it was a wine basket from a winery in Negrar, near Verona and the Garda Lake, which was the destination of our very first long-trip by lambretta, last summer.

{pics taken with iPhone}

info
Gelateria De Martin
piazza Italia 23,
Cordignano (TV)  

Summer

It's so hot these days that I cannot help but think about last summer... M. and I had just bought the Lambretta, the warm air on my bare arms enlivened colorful and magic afternoon..

A new era of picnics, polka dots, racing, street, maps, smell of gasoline, daydreams had just begun.