What is it like sending your kids to local school in France and Italy – part 2 Our move from Northern France to Italy in 2014 was mainly driven by Anita’s job as export manager for AD Fashion, a family owned clothing producing company based in Torino. She had been working for them remotely for […]
Sending your kids to local school in France and Italy – part 1 We moved to the Aosta Valley in Italy with our two boys, Olly who was then aged 11 and Marty aged 18 months in September 2014 from a small village in the Pas de Calais, France called Inxent. Inxent is located 10 […]
Thanks to Richard Noble, owner and manager of Villa Ribota guesthouse in the Langhe for this topical guest blog…. Undeniably a good question, especially when you consider all the political manoeuvring that’s going on… but I want to focus on the dreaded Coronavirus for now. At the beginning of the pandemic, almost a year ago […]
The job of a school group ski instructor… In the winter of 2018/19 I did the BASI level 1&2 ski instructor course with Interski in Pila, Aosta Valley. Having somehow or another managed to pass the course I have so far done 4 week’s paid work with Interski as an instructor, looking after school groups […]
Although it’s not yet official, everyone we speak to locally seems resigned to the fact that the Italian ski resorts might now remain closed for the rest of the season. As is the case all over Europe at the moment, the rules in the Aosta Valley and in the rest of Italy are changing almost […]
It was the best euro 2,000 I ever spent and the wisest decision I ever made when I bought our burgundy red, 10 KW Ravelli wood pellet stufa back in 2014, when we moved into our apartment in Gressan. Sitting there reassuringly in the corner of the living room, next to the tele. He […]
Everyone deserves a little luxury and pampering in life, a little break from all the rushing around. The thermal spa at Pré Saint Didier, in its beautiful Alpine surroundings close to Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley, is just the perfect place for it. I have to admit that before I discovered Pre Saint Didier I […]
Skiing doesn’t have to be all downhill I have never been a skiing virtuoso. I am more than a little bit afraid of speed and I haven’t really had proper lessons. At least not from anyone who actually knows what they are talking about (sorry Ian). My skiing motto is “relax and enjoy the view”. […]
After two months of lock-down due to the COVID virus, we couldn’t wait to get back out into the nature again. As soon as we were allowed to, we headed up the road to beautiful Valsavarenche, at the heart of the Gran Paradiso national park, for a hike. We decided on this area for our […]
The other day Anita and I, together with our friends and neighbours Tom and Lorna, hiked all the way from our homes in Gressan up to Pila. It took us 3 hours 45 minutes and Tom’s gadget recons we did 20,000 steps. Our ‘frazione’ where we started is about 600m above sea level. The arrival […]
What is it like sending your kids to local school in France and Italy – part 2 Our move from Northern France to Italy in 2014 was mainly driven by Anita’s job as export manager for AD Fashion, a family owned clothing producing company based in Torino. She had been working for them remotely for […]
Sending your kids to local school in France and Italy – part 1 We moved to the Aosta Valley in Italy with our two boys, Olly who was then aged 11 and Marty aged 18 months in September 2014 from a small village in the Pas de Calais, France called Inxent. Inxent is located 10 […]
Thanks to Richard Noble, owner and manager of Villa Ribota guesthouse in the Langhe for this topical guest blog…. Undeniably a good question, especially when you consider all the political manoeuvring that’s going on… but I want to focus on the dreaded Coronavirus for now. At the beginning of the pandemic, almost a year ago […]
The job of a school group ski instructor… In the winter of 2018/19 I did the BASI level 1&2 ski instructor course with Interski in Pila, Aosta Valley. Having somehow or another managed to pass the course I have so far done 4 week’s paid work with Interski as an instructor, looking after school groups […]
Although it’s not yet official, everyone we speak to locally seems resigned to the fact that the Italian ski resorts might now remain closed for the rest of the season. As is the case all over Europe at the moment, the rules in the Aosta Valley and in the rest of Italy are changing almost […]
It was the best euro 2,000 I ever spent and the wisest decision I ever made when I bought our burgundy red, 10 KW Ravelli wood pellet stufa back in 2014, when we moved into our apartment in Gressan. Sitting there reassuringly in the corner of the living room, next to the tele. He […]
Everyone deserves a little luxury and pampering in life, a little break from all the rushing around. The thermal spa at Pré Saint Didier, in its beautiful Alpine surroundings close to Courmayeur in the Aosta Valley, is just the perfect place for it. I have to admit that before I discovered Pre Saint Didier I […]
Skiing doesn’t have to be all downhill I have never been a skiing virtuoso. I am more than a little bit afraid of speed and I haven’t really had proper lessons. At least not from anyone who actually knows what they are talking about (sorry Ian). My skiing motto is “relax and enjoy the view”. […]