Rainy days.

These past few weeks have been very rough, weather-wise. Rain, rain and more rain on its way. We are tired, we are worried. This huge amount of water, accompanied by strong winds has already caused some damages and the worst part of it is that this rainy season has only just begun. There have been landslides, the roads are a mess, some impressive waterfalls have appeared on the hills. We have been having second degree warning for the past few days now. It's all a bit scary. 

The schools remain closed, so we stay at home, trying to organize our daily activities. It is not always easy. With a two year old toddler who doesn't stay still for a second and an active first-grader who gets bored very easily. a whole day indoors can be pretty challenging for one busy mama. But we're doing fine and, frankly, I'm possibly the only mom around here to be happy that the schools are closed. It's somehow sweet to be with my kids at home, even if at some point my patience is pushed to its boundaries. 

This rainy weather made me feel like baking today. I just needed something comforting for the kids, for us, so I decided to try out a new recipe: Lime Poppy Seed Scones. They turned out delicious! They are exactly what I crave on a day like today.

The recipe comes from "Bake Knit Sew" book by Evin Bail O'Keeffe, a fellow, talented blogger whose blog I've been admiring for years. The book has been published recently and Evin is currently having a blog-tour. I'm honored to be a part of it- I will be writing about her beautiful book soon, hosting a giveaway too, so stay tuned :-)

From the city to the countryside.

It's been a very long time since my last post... Again, all I can say is that we have been very busy lately but I'm willing to get back on track with blogging. A quick look back at the past months:

In the end of June we left our flat in Genova that we had sold back in February. We rented a small house in the countryside and in that moment our urban life ended. Our dream (and plan) of living in the countryside finally came true. The house was situated on the hill, immersed in greenery, surrounded by olive groves and woods. It was a magic place, a huge change for us after of those years of living in big cities.

Casa Rossa, as we used to call our temporary home.

There were only few other people living there, mostly elder farmers who initially welcomed our presence with curiosity but then very quickly became our friends. Their friendliness and generosity was very touching and, again, something new for us. We felt a part of that small community from the very beginning. 

Countryside people are very generous. Every time I went to visit Signora R. she wouldn't let me leave without a bag full of treasures: vegetables from her garden, eggs from her hens, home made jams, tomato passata and limoncello.

In Casa Rossa we spent half of the summer that was pretty rainy this year.

Our everyday views.

And within one or two weeks of our new life, we found our dream house, a final destination in our journey from the city to the countryside. After few months of an intense search we slowly were losing our hopes and than it suddenly happened: we went to see a house without any expectations and we fell in love with it instantly. It had almost everything that we were looking for so we decided to put an offer. It was accepted and within a month we moved in (lucky us, as the procedures usually take much longer; the ex-owners were very flexible in our case though).

The house is old, built in 1900 and has already gone through many changes and renovations. There are things that still need to be done but we love it even with its small imperfections.

And it's surrounded by breathtaking scenery: Ligurian hills and the sea in the distance.

A little corner of the world that we longed for and we can call our own, finally.

Italy

I can't believe it's been almost a month since we moved to Italy. So far it feels a bit like being on holiday: we're visiting places, catching up with family and friends, eating lots of ice-cream, enjoying the sea, soaking up the sun. We still feel amazed by all the colors around us. I can't stop staring at perfectly blue sky, it's  so beautiful. I must admit, I feared a bit coming back to Genoa but every day that passes makes me feel we've done the right thing; the moment was right for us. And I guess I came with a different attitude and expectations which made this transition much easier.

And seeing kids' happy faces helps too.

Today...

...I finally picked up these books from the bottom shelf where they were gathering dust for way too long. I think it's time to start improving and polishing my Italian- I only have few months left before our new adventure starts. We are ready!

Corner View: Table

What is the best thing about any table? Food on it :-)

Yesterday we came back from Italy. We had absolutely fantastic time with family and friends. We also ate lots of great food, as you can see on these few images above. My pregnancy appetite is really huge, my bump has grown visibly in the past week or so. But... could you really say no to such delicious dishes...? I couldn't...

For more CVs, please visit lovely Fancesca.

From old folders: Camogli

Camogli, beautiful Camogli... Small fishing village on the Italian Riviera, popular among tourists but still peaceful enough to enjoy its beauty. These photos were taken in September 2009.

Have a great day Everyone!

4 days in Italy.

Warning: this is image heavy post :)

Day 1: The arrival.
We flew to Milan (it wasn't possible to get direct flights to Genoa for our dates). On our way back from the airport we stopped in Arona to see Lake Maggiore. The day was perfect, sunny and crispy and the views were breathtaking.

Day 2: The wedding.
The ceremony took place in beautiful Zoagli, a small town on Ligurian coast. While waiting for all guests to gather and for bride and groom to arrive, I managed to snap some photos of picturesque surroundings. The weather wasn't great but it didn't rain much which actually was great: the ceremony took place outside Torre Saracena, an old tower overlooking the sea and the hills (very romantic scenery to get married!). We all gathered under umbrellas to witness this special moment of M. and T. tying the knot.

View from Torre Saracena di levante:

The bride looked stunning.

After the ceremony we celebrated that beutiful day in a restaurant Chiavari. And guess who had a lot of fun... Little G. of course. She totally freed her spirit: I'd never seen my girl so happy and cheeky and cheerful and crazy and out of control at once. She is so funny! We are happy we could be there for such a special occasion.

Day 3: Visiting family.
On Sunday, after lunch with C.'s parents we all went to see some of the family in Vernazzola, one of the nicer parts of Genoa, very close to the sea. The weather was really ugly that day, terrible rain and strong wind and I didn't take many photos to share with you. I like this "shark" boat, it looks funny.

Day 4: The departure.
We had our flight back to London in the afternoon so before going to the airport we decided to have a short walk in Milan. There's something I really love about Milan. Although the city itself looks a bit too grey and dark, there's this special atmoshere in the air. People smile more, I think. I'd like to visit Milan for longer than a brief moment. We only spent there few hours or so as we did last year as well.

The last five photos were taken in famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

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Happy Weekend Everyone!

Corner View: Holiday photos

Here are some photos from our holiday in Sardinia, in May 2008. It was special. It was our last holiday as a couple without a baby and, at the same time, our very first holiday as a couple with a baby. G. travelled with us as a little bean in me: we'd just found out I was pregnant. My morning sickness just kicked in and I couldn't fully enjoy all that good food. I got terrible sunburn and was forced to stay indoors for two days. I looked like I put my head into beehive. But it was such a perfect holiday anyway. I fell in love with this beautiful island instantly. I know I want to go back there again. We always say that next time we'll go south but I will always feel tempted to go back to the same place where we stayed two years ago.

Now we spend our holiday as a family, with our little traveller:

For some more Corner Views, please visit lovely Theresa.