(Writing from my favorite neighborhood bar in Navigli)
Ciao a tutti!
It's been over a month since my family and I moved to Milan and I wanted to update you on how it is going. Hard to say it hasn't been amazing so far.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY
I dedicated a significant amount of quality time to my family and friends, which was one of the primary reasons for this time away (the top reason being for Jace to learn Italian!).
I feel fortunate and grateful to spend so much time with my Italian friends. It fills me with pride: not only for maintaining such valuable relationships over the years but also because the people in our lives reflect who we are, and I believe I've done well. I've been in Knoxville for 5 years now, and each time I return, everything remains unchanged.
I will never tire of expressing how vital human connection is to me, and I will always strive to unite people, whether through food or yoga—it doesn't matter. These two seemingly different passions are my way of spreading joy and fostering interaction, building friendships, and spending quality time together.
TRAVELLING
We are trying to adopt a routine like true Milanesi, traveling only on weekends so Lea doesn't have to miss school (yes, she attends Materna, pre-K, with the daughter of one of my best friends, and we all love it! Her Italian has become amazing).
We spent two weekends in the mountains: one in Gressoney (with my mom, Jace, and Lea), a charming little town in the Alps where my parents met as children and where I spent winters and summers from infancy to my 20s. It's incredible that Lea's first time skiing was in the same place where my sister, mom, dad, and I learned to ski as kids! We dined at the restaurant where I worked during holidays, and it was so much fun to reconnect with many people I hadn't seen in a very long time. The other snowy weekend was in La Thuile, Valle d'Aosta again, with our friends Camilla, Max, and their 5-year-old Vittorio. Here, I realized that skiing with a toddler is incredibly stressful and that next time, we'll opt for a week-long stay with a ski instructor at a family resort!
If you ever go to Valle d'Aosta you will need to try:
Raclette, melted raclette cheese over potatoes, mocetta (a dried meat), served with pickled veggies
Polenta Concia, polenta with melted butter and fontina cheese
Lardo di Arnad served on rye bread with chestnut and honey
Ski season is over, for us at least. Last weekend we went to visit our dear friends Maddie and Mirko (Knoxville friends that moved recently to Switzerland, other people I am grateful for) in his home town, Campitello, near Mantova, one of many hidden gems in Italy, a small town full of monuments and history.
Food to try:
Torta delle Rose, a fluffy, buttery, leavened cake shaped like a bunch of roses
Tortelli di Zucca, ravioli with butternut squash, amaretti and Parmigiano
Mostarda and Parmigiano
Culaccia or Culatello, a melt in your mouth cold cut
Many more trips to come. I will update your in the next post.
PERSONAL GROWTH
I truly want to make the most of this time but sometimes things we would like to do are not as easy as we think (many bureaucratic obstacles).
But still, I found my way to learn as much as I can during this time.
A couple of times per week I help my friend Cloe during her cooking classes at Eataly, it gives me a lot of ideas and I have so much fun with her!
I am going to Bologna for a 3 days course of Sfoglina, will keep you posted.
I am also finishing my Restorative Yoga Teacher Training and planning a couple of yoga events, one in Tuscany and one in Abruzzo, as well as working on our upcoming Yoga Retreat in Puglia.
I am exploring different yoga studio to find some new inspiration as well as trying so many restaurants!
Observing and having an open mind are such a big part of growing!
I am having so many ideas of things I would like to do back in Knoxville!
I guess that's a very big sum up of my first month in Milan.
Please let me know if you have any comment or anything you would like me to show you while I am here!
Con amore,
Amalia
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