Another chance to look upon the Matterhorn while skiing in Cervinia

Last winter we spent a weekend in Cervinia and we loved the skiing so much we had to go back this time for opening weekend!  We found a super cozy ski hotel just a short walk to the ski slopes called Hotel Jumeaux.  I contacted the hotel to ask if we could have a room on a low floor since my dog, Sasha, can't walk down stairs very well anymore. I can't say enough about how kind they were regarding our dog!  They had an elevator in the hotel (which is rare) and they always asked about her and how she was doing.  They had a 3 month old St. Bernard puppy with pink ribbons on her ears (heart mealter!).  Now on to the skiing and other good pictures!
 

 

After we were checked in we decided to take a walk about town while we waited for our friends to arrive.

Look at this view from our hotel!

Great place for afternoon tea!

I have to give a HUGE shout out to Amanda, because she walked my dog every day while I was on the ski slopes skiing. My original plan was to come down from the mountain to let Sasha out, but Amanda took care of that for me.  How awesome is that?!  Sasha has a new best friend!

And we are ready for skiing!

 

We stick with tradition around here....Bombardino time!!

 

Dustin, Matt, Brian, Matt, and me

Matt and me on the gondola - oh look it is the Matterhorn!

Me and Jason

Matt taking in a little sunbathing

Matt, Matt, and Brian

 I just love the fact that you can ski between Italy and Switzerland!

Go left for Italy, Right for Switzerland!

Matt, Dustin, Brian, and Matt

Me, Dustin, Brian, and Matt

The Mattskis enjoying a brewski

Who doesn't want a prosecco next to the Matterhorn?

And glacier paradise it was!

 

 

And of course we had time for an awesome dinner

Everyone had a blast from the newbies to the nonskier and the crew of us regular skiers! My only regret was I forgot to get a really nice group shot with everyone!  Again, I forgot the group photo! sigh! Oh well, the memories are there... :-) See you on the slopes for New Year's Eve!

Ceramic heaven in Nove and Marostica

I love Italy!  I love the big cities like Venice and Rome, but I really love the small, quaint towns you don't read about in a guidebook!  I went on a 2 day trip with some of my expat friends (Carlene, Amanda, and Courtney) and we had a blast.  We went to Nove for a day and shopped until we dropped.  Or let's be honest here, we had to stop shopping, because our cars were too full to put anything else in! ha! You are welcome, Italy's economy, we just gave you a boost.

In Nove, there is one ceramic shop that makes a lot of the pretty dishes you find at places like Williams Sonoma and Crate and Barrel.  You buy them directly in Nove from the artisans and you walk away with a beautiful set of dishes or other handmade ceramics from Italy! See examples A and B below:

New dishes with a Tuscan scene and sunflowers

After an awesome dinner, we spent the night in Marostica, a cute little town with a fortess up on the mountain, another fortress at the bottom of the mountain and the whole town is surrounded by walls the connect the two fortresses. Beautiful!

View from the bottom fortress showing the top fortress and walls

Me, Carlene, Courtney