I am back in action today, recapping
our Italian adventure bit by bit for you. After visiting
Lake Como, we headed out to the
Dolomites, a gorgeous craggy mountain range in northeastern Italy. We spent one glorious day hiking there in a spectacular place called
Alpe di Siusi. Alpe di Suisi (also known as Seiser Alm in German—they speak Italian and German there since it used to be part of Austria) is a gorgeous verdant valley ringed by sharp grey Dolomite peaks. There are dozens of fabulous trails to explore, connected by cool ski lifts and mountain top eateries.
Not surprisingly I took billions of pictures on our five hour hike and, for your viewing pleasure, I have included my favorites (with limited commentary, the scenes speak for themselves!) below. Enjoy!
Cows roomed all over the valley, their bells clanging melodically. Occasionally, some of the larger milking cows would take a break in the middle of the trail and you would have to side step them. Different from New York City, huh?
The night before our hike there were wild rain and hail storms in the tiny town we were staying in; up in the mountains that rain translated to a gorgeous dusting of snow. Set against the brilliant green hills, the combination was breathtaking!
We stumbled across this gate—with colorful ropes blowing in the breeze—about halfway through our hike. I know it's probably a way to keep the animals from crossing the gate, but I couldn't help thinking it looked like a perfect mini art installation. It was so simple, but aren't the simplest things in life sometimes the most beautiful?
Before descending back down to our car at the base of the valley, we took one last look around at this panoramic scene. I have to admit, it was hard to tear ourselves away—who could leave that view—but having these photos helped. Plus there were still many more Italian adventures to be had! More on those in the coming days. . .
This cross pattern/plus pattern baby blanket is AWESOME. Very grown up without losing its playfulness, don't you think? 
Last but not least—this one is my favorite of the lot—is this chic orange, coral and B&W number. I think it would look fabulous on a bed with tiny white and black polka dot sheets, don't you?
As you know, the hubby and I just got back from a glorious two week vacation in Northern Italy. It was the hubby's first time there so, of course, I had to give him the grand tour. We stopped in seven different places in 14 days; it was awesome!Since I took so many lovely photos and had such a good time, I thought I might share a bit of our itinerary with you in an ongoing series here on the blog. Hope you like it! We flew into Milan and hopped in a rental car headed straight for Lake Como. We stayed in the adorable town of Varenna, right in the middle of the lake surrounded by mountains and within spitting distance of Bellagio and Menaggio across the water. Basically, this place is paradise! 
We stayed in this incredible hotel built into the side of the mountain that was only accessible by—wait for it—funicular! 
We spent a lot of time checking out the other towns on the lake, zooming around in an awesome rental boat. There were so many gorgeous mansions, brightly colored harbors and jagged green mountains to see and bobbing by them on the water felt like a particularly special viewpoint.
The combination of sun, billowy clouds, sparkling water and silhouetted mountains made for a potent photographic cocktail and I couldn't stop snapping pictures of it all (I mean, could you resist this view?).
There was, most certainly, lots of lots of tasty meals (it is Italy!). Most were spent in lakeside cafes, sipping mineral water and lounging under sun-dappled umbrellas. See what I mean about paradise? 
