intricate slopes
Val Gardena – the largest Italian resort
Val Gardena is a valley in the Dolomites, part of the world’s largest ski region Dolomiti Superski. The ski pass of the same name unites 12 large ski areas and gives access to 1,200 km of slopes – but, of course, not all of them are connected directly by lifts. Specifically, from Val Gardena you can ski in three more valleys – Val di Fassa, Alta Badia and Arabba / Marmolada. The famous 40-km route Sella Ronda is used for this, ringing the Sella mountain range. Each valley also has its own ski area. Together, the four of them have 250 lifts and 570 km of slopes.
There are three resorts in Val Gardena – Ortisei, Selva and Santa Cristina. Ortisei of them is the largest, but also the least tourist – it is the administrative center of the valley, and most of the locals live there. Santa Continue reading
Tea and coffee. About normal and abnormal
The very first time in Italy, until I learned to speak Italian fluently, I was tormented by the question: “Do you have normal or hot tea?” I could speak tè caldo – hot tea, and I pronounced it as clearly as possible when ordering. And they continued to ask me with pressure: is it hot or is it NORMAL?
There is no normal tea in Italy, unfortunately. I have not seen a teapot in any house, nor in a single supermarket have I seen loose tea in packs. Tea is sometimes brewed in bags, and water is boiled in a saucepan, and a tea bag is thrown right there so that no one has the opportunity to regulate the strength of the tea. Well, and, of course, to wait until he cools down while talking, and drink barely warm pale Continue reading
Other Italy
“Ladies and gentlemen! Our plane landed at the airport of Trieste. We are glad to welcome you in Italy,” a pleasant male baritone informs. Out of Moscow habit, we frantically grab onto mobile phones – and here is your first surprise! My mobile operator greeted me in the territory of … Slovenia, and a neighbor received an SMS with roaming tariffs for the territory of Croatia. “And it turns out I am in Austria!” – admired the girl on the left. Perhaps nothing better than this episode will describe Friuli-Venezia Giulia, perhaps the most unique Italian region with Roman roots, a Venetian past, an Austrian accent and Slovenian hospitality.
Lignano – Little Florida
“Ciao! Bianvenutti and Italy!” – the guide welcomes us, a pretty girl with a strange name for the Italian Linda. Continue reading
