If I told you how long it actually has taken me to upload these photos to the blog you would never believe me!! I've been going through a "digital image saga" thanks to my Sony camera that broke over a month ago. Sadly, it is STILL not back from being repaired and even though it was covered under the warranty I still need to pay 130 euro to get it fixed
But....I'm happy that I have dear friends who trust me enough with their cameras and for my recent trip to South Tyrol in the Northern Western most part of Italy I was actually able to take nice quality pictures. The memory card I used isn't compatible with the 3 computers I own, but thanks to many a late night I have been able to salvage some of the beautiful photos we took.
This week will be ALL about South Tyrol and the Alto Adige area of Italy, where we stayed in a perfect retro Chalet in the Aurina Valley surrounded by 80 stunning mountain peaks and a sun so blinding that I couldn't help but be happy the whole time we were there. The only thing I didn't quite expect was the pungent smell of maneur....but hey...I wanted nature and I got nature!
The Reason I Dressed
My husband has been *stressed* lately and so for his birthday I surprised him with a little vacation package getaway. We were in the Alto Adige area for 4 days and 3 nights and had plenty of time for hiking the trails (even with a stroller...more on that soon!), rich and delicious meals, relaxing in the sauna and exploring the beautiful town and cities in the area.
Growing up in Ontario, Canada the closest I had ever been to a "mountain" was the Blue Mountain ski resort a few hours from where I grew up. It was customary a few times a year to go with the school and take ski or snowboard lessons, but sadly my trips were too infrequent for me to be very good at either sport. I always start from zero, and never quite make it off the bunny hill!
At 300 m above sea level, it didn't exactly prepare me for the first time I really experienced what mountains were, on a trip to Italy when I was 13 years old. From then on, the mountains have remained in my heart and are one of my absolute favorite ways to spend a day... or a week! My dream is to start going to the mountains regularly in the fall and winter and start ski lessons so that for my middle age I can become one of those "snow bunnies" in ridiculously tight ski pants! And it would also be great to give my son the gift of actually knowing how to participate in a winter sport!
What I Wore
The Valle Aurina (Ahrntal in German) borders Austria (actually it was once Austria, but I'll save that for another post!) and our hotel was 1,600 m above sea level....so it was a little chilly! I did my research and packed appropraite clothes for an October visit to the mountains. In the shade it was relatively cold and I wore a down filled puffy coat, called "piumino" in Italian, but in the sun it was surprisngly warm.
If there is one thing YOU MUST bring with you to Italy in the Fall and Winter it is WOOL.
Wool Lovers
I cannot express enough how important wool is in keeping the humidity out, the heat in and absorbing sweat....lest we forget how scared to death Italians are of sweating! Actually, the other week I got into a HUGE (like epic) fight with my husband because according to my husband our son does not have enough wool sweaters. I kid you not, my husband literally went through our son's entire closet and then went on a 1 hour rant about how he needs more wool! But it is not easy to find, as more and more Italian stores get replaced with big chains that have cheaper cotton or synthetic fibre sweaters.
In fact, even for adults it can be really hard to find good quality wool or cashmere in Italy, so I was very happy when I was approached by Woolovers,com. Wool Overs is a UK company that has been specializing in the finest cotton, wool and cashmere knit items for men and women for over 20 years! They have associations with the British Wool Board and Woolmark and their online shopping site is available in the UK, US, Canada, Russia, Europe, Australia and New Zealand!
So when they offered to send me an item of my choice to review I was ALL OVER IT!
I chose to review the long edge to edge cardigan in cashmere and merino wool that they sell for only $76 !! It is EXCELLENT quality and I can honstly say that after 3 washes (on delicate cycle using 'cashmere/wool' laundry detergent) it is still perfect and very soft. You know it is strange that when I was living in North America I always thought that cashmere and wool items needed to be dry cleaned, but in Italy hardly anyone dry cleans their wool items. you jsut need the right soap and to let them flat dry on a towel over night..and voilà ... good as new!
I paired my navy blue Wool Overs open front cardigan with a light wool and cashmere blend turtle neck, a cotton undershirt, tights under my pants (because I am ALWAYS freezing!), skinny jeans, my brown suede rucksack from the Modena boutique La Vacchetta Grassa (featured before on the blog), a belt from my husband's new line and my new Sorel boots, these were bought online (on sale!!) and you can find a whole selection here for under $100. I know it is still a lot of money, but this is one time where it was truly MONEY WELL SPENT!
Tomorrow I start teaching a new "How to Blog" class in one of Modena's many multinational corporations and I'm a little nervous. It seems this year I am having a really hard time to actually move the blog forward the way I had planned, however, I'm grateful for the incredible opportunities that have come my way and keep reminding myself that the only person I'm accountable to is myself....
#REASONSTODRESS Street Style Linkup
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