The Wednesday Mix-Up? Yup, you read that right- no recipe today, but a run down of what’s been going on here in Italy, plus some random quippings. Also, if you’re lazy and never looked up what the blog name is, it means “this sweet life”. Hence, here’s what’s new in this sweet life friends: 

I’ve been beyond uber-bogged down this week as I started a brand new job in addition to my private school tutoring duties and I’ve been doing it all senza  (without) car. I’m currently writing this post from the corner of Tommy’s Bar in Capergnanica (Crema) with a cappuccino as it is only 7am and I don’t start work for another two hours but I had to hitch a ride with Massi on his way to Milan. It’s all very #LifeInItaly. If I could snapshot…or rather, SnapChat it for you right now, the the ebb and flow of the townspeople coming in and out, saluting the barista while sipping their espresso- the ciaos and buona giornatas coming in waves, seemingly part of the Eros Ramazotti song playing the background... Yesterday I went for lunch at another bar and there were four little old men chatting around a table. Later on, I returned for an aperitivo and they were still there. Don’t you just want to hashtag that?! (In case you’re curious why I keep going to “bars”, they are actually the equivalent of a bar + coffee shop + snack stop + therapists in Italy, practically an all-ages hangout).

In other news, if you want to read my fashion staples for a weekend in Portofino, or about how to become fluent (I’m an eternal optimist) in Italian from your couch, stay tuned to Travel Fashion Girl and Pink Pangea, respectively, as those are my upcoming articles to be published external to the blog. Something else fabulous that happened this week is my podcast with Italy (and cake) Duchess, Lora of . We had ourselves quite a few laughs talking about all things Italy and food, so check that out as well as the I shared. 

This weekend is a long-weekend in Italy, and since the official “festa” is on Tuesday, most Italians get what is called a “ponte” (a bridge) which means we get the Monday off as well to “bridge” over to the actual holiday day. We will be having quite the weekend as it includes a wedding and our first trip ever to SICILY! As always, I won’t be posting directly on the blog during the trip but you can check on Instagram for updates.

Finally…my wedding dress has arrived at Kleinfelds! If we’re not Facebook friends, you wouldn’t have got to see this sneak peak swatch of the fabric...x

If you study Italian (or Spanish, or French), you know that they teach you the difference between informal and formal verb conjugations and that should you just meet someone, to address them in the formal tense. I struggle with this though not in all instances. When I'm talking with people who are clearly older than me or in a formal setting, it's fine. It's only when I meet someone who is clearly around the same age bracket as I am and they start off the conversation in Lei (the formal version of you). Things get awkward fast and I don't know why exactly. I feel really uncomfortable being addressed as Signora and Lei and there's always this inner conflict of whether I should just break the ice and tell the person to address me informally. This need to be explicitly stated by saying diamoci del tu or mi dia del tu. Someone needs to give an etiquette class on what is socially acceptable as there have been other times where I've addressed younger people (that I had just met) using the formal and got very strange looks indeed. You can't win, it's hopeless! This particular struggle is non-existent in English. I was suddenly inspired to write this pseudo-rant because this situation just unfolded fifteen minutes ago when a young fellow (not older than thirty), came to give me an estimate for replacing our overhang and continually addressed me as Signora. That's the Italian equivalent of the English Ma'am! Oh Lord help me. 

Remember when I gave you the recipe for making a bolognese sauce here? Well this recipe uses that (minus the ground beef part, that will be your chicken pieces) and essentially all you do is add some peeled tomatoes and let the whole thing simmer for 40 minutes until the sauce is nice and thick. You can modify it as like, excluding or adding certain vegetables. In the above photo, I had some spare zucchini and potatoes hanging around that I didn't want to go bad so I just threw those in as well! Catch you in the Recipes section! 

I spent the weekend on the Italian Riviera- doesn't that sound so fabulous when you say it aloud? The funny thing is that to an Italian, it's not exactly so fabulous sounding, Miami Beach on the other hand would be soooooo much cooler. The reason why I headed off to the sea this past weekend was because Massi and his crew were also off to the opposite coast (North) for a bachelor party. Michela (token Canadian friend from Toronto) and I took the train to Milan then to Santa Margherita Ligure over a total of two-hours and something, quite a quick commute to our Canadian standards. Usually you train into Santa Margherita Ligure, even if you're wanting to stay in Portofino because unless you have a private yacht that can sail right into the marina in Portofino, or a helicopter, the only way to get there is by ferry, walking, or car/bus from Santa Margherita Ligure. Portofino is small so it doesn't have it's own train station so normal people are obliged to get off at Santa Margherita Ligure first and find transportation to Portofino. We decided to stay right in the heart of S. Margherita since it's bigger and offers more in terms of restaurants, lounges, and beaches. On Saturday, after decompressing at the hotel, we headed out on a "hike" to Portofino which would take about one hour. We did this "backpacker in heels" style, Michela in flip-flops and me in my trendy New Balance sneakers that weren't exactly made for marathon runs. Alongside us were the other German/American/Canadian tourists complete in full hiking gear, backpacks, and even walking poles. Not sure who gets stranger looks upon arrival in chic Portofino...We saw the sights, enjoyed an overly-expensive aperitivo in the main piazza, spied on Speedo-clad-hair-slicked-back multi-millionaires on their yachts, and overall enjoyed Portofino. Not sure what the nightlife would be like though as we did not come across many young people that weren't part of a couple. Dinner was at Baicin back in Santa Margherita, a trattoria with unpretentious clientele and a spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) that was the stuff of dreams. I suggest reservations if you want to (and you'll want to) sit outside. We then walked off our seafood/cheap house wine-induced stupor along the water and once we were feeling level-headed, found our way to the bar for a killer glass of Da Vinci Chianti, the Reserva, which is one of my favourites. The nightlife is young-ish, trendy, wealthy; the heels of the girls super high and skinny while the skirts were so short they almost were non-existent. Be warned it's alot of tourists and the locals/Italians did not seem overly interested- I think it's gotten to the point where foreigners aren't so preyed upon, therefore if you're looking for a fling with someone who you can't understand, from my observations I think that would be unlikely- try Florence instead. The next day was beach day- the best kind of day, complete with loungers (you'll cough up 20 Euros but it comes with an umbrella and use of facilities like a pool and change rooms/showers). It was scorching for the middle of May. Lunch at the seaside is always fun because you get to have light favourites like insalata caprese (Caprese salad) and prosciutto e melone, topped off with bubbly prosecco. We had to say "arrivederci" at five in the afternoon to catch our train back to Milan and it was definitely a tough goodbye...Scroll down for photos from the weekend & some helpful tips should you want to plan your own weekend getaway.

Tips for Visiting Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino: 

• Stay in Santa Margherita Ligure, prices are better and there is more to do in my opinion (more restaurants, bars, more beach choices). 
• Make reservations for dinner if you're heading out at Italian-time (8pm-10pm) and want prime seating outside, or ask your hotel to do it for you. 
• Don't wear hiking gear on your hike to Portofino, when you get there you'll feel out of place- the main piazza is flanked by a dozen luxury shops and gorgeous people getting off their yachts. 
• Flowy materials, white cotton, designer sunglasses, and jewell-ed sandals are mainstays for your wardrobe. Pack a pair of cute closed walking shoes if you're wanting to do the hike to Portofino. 
• Forgot about the tip above? Head over to Antica Sartoria in Portofino for the most amazing cover-ups and caftans that just scream "Italian Riviera". You'll spot the Tiffany-blue bags on the arm of every second woman once you get into Portofino, trust me. 
• Listen hard to the train announcements at the station or make sure you know what order trains are coming in- alot of tourists either missed trains or got on wrong ones because even though the train back to Milan was scheduled for 17:40 and we arrived just 15 minutes before, in that span of time, at least two other trains had come and gone and could have easily be mistaken for ours if we weren't listening carefully. 

I'm pretty sure yesterday hit somewhere in the 30 degrees C range here in Bergamo. I rode around in a cotton crop top and floral skirt and was near boiling point. Today it's supposed to storm and possibly even hail, what a great start to the weekend eh? This sudden change of weather reminds me of Edmonton- it's said in Alberta that if you don't like the weather, just wait a few minutes. Here's some photographs to "cool off" that were taken by one of Massi's best friends, Simone, while him and now-wife were visiting us in good ol' Alberta. Anyways, this weekend Massi has a bachelor party and I'm off to the Italian Riviera with the fabulous Michela, a fellow Canadian and likely the ONLY other young Canadian expat currently living in Bergamo. This means we became instant friends, hence our fabulous friends trip to go ogle yachts in Portofino. See you all on the flip-side...that's Monday in my books. If you want to see what I"m up to on the Riviera without waiting for Monday's catch-up blog post, follow on Instagram and be a creeper like I am! 

Photographs taken in Banff National Park in December. 

This is a hands-down winner every time and a guaranteed crowd pleaser. It's actually available fully on David Rocco's website here: http://www.davidrocco.com/recipes/pasta-al-forno/. Go to my Ricette section for more photos of how mine turned out and I'll cut and paste the recipe for you there as well for quick reference. I don't have tons of time to write today as I"m working very hard on downing a glass of vino frizzante after spending an entire "personal administration" day out and about Bergamo on my bike running impossible errands like setting up a bank account and ordering vaccines for our cat (you can do this at a pharmacy without a prescription, how fun!). Kisses and ci sentiamo domani (we'll chat tomorrow)! 

I could have also titled this post "How to Not Gain 50 Pounds After Moving to Italy" because that's essentially what it's about- it's baffled me that I haven't become reminiscent of Peter Griffin based on the quantity of food I've been ingesting throughout the day, don't get me started on the wine which just escalates in proportion to your alcohol tolerance. I used to find myself stumbling around after a half-a-glass, now my body is so Italian-ized, I can do a good 1/2 litre and retain coherency in Italian. Actually, language skills always "improve" after some liquid courage, strange enough...! (Digression: I once had the absolute best conversation in a bar in Moscow after innumerable shots of vodka with two Russians, in Russian. My friend travelling with me at the time can confirm this phenomenon). This past Sunday, Massi and I took the bike up into the hills around the old city, parked it, and took to the winding little streets by foot. We found so many photogenic moments, I started to go definitive-Asian and Massi, sensible Italian that he is, started to get annoyed/embarrassed. I wish we had written down exactly which "scaletta" (cute stairway) this was. Let's just say I don't have any problem doing these kinds of stairs and in retrospect, that's how you need to balance your food intake: the long, stairs-filled, Sunday walk. It's besides the point that I was dreaming about a granita al limone the entire time (I made Massi take me for one after), the point is that you inadvertently exercise all the time in Italy. At least, that's how I justify this no-carb-left-behind diet...so think before you comment and kill my dreams. (All the photos in this post were taken with my trusty iPhone, FYI). 

I was so happy to be given the opportunity to share some tips for travelling Italy with The Edmonton Journal and all my fellow Edmontonians. I was even happier (ecstatic really) after realizing they had given me the honour of "Featured Traveller", as well as a blog shout-out. You can check out the full article below. Thanks a million and if you happen to have found your way here from the article, let me know in the comments! I'd love to hear from you and answer any Italy-related questions you might have. 

Since this blog is a love letter not only to my adopted home of Italy, but also to my forever motherland of Alberta, Canada, I've been curating lovely photographs taken by friends and fellow Albertans of where I used to live.  The photo above is of one of my former classmates and pharmacy colleagues, Chanelle; see more work by the photographer on Instagram . Also, yesterday, the field right outside Massi's parents' house was being worked and there were actually bales of hay and tractors in the mix. It was fun to see the Italian farmers out there, shirts off. It's not like they had the flag tattooed on their backs, but the men here somehow inexplicably exude "Italian". Maybe it was the long hair, tied back into a high-fashion-magazine worthy pony tail, the lack of plaid, or the vintage-cool tractor? Boh (that's Italian for "dunno" but ten times more fun to say, give it a try and you won't be able to stop!). Have a great start to the week and if you happen to be from Alberta and have some killer photographs to share, send me an e-mail or tweet me up and I'll share.