Well, this is new
On launching a website, local elections, and life updates from Venice
Welcome to Dash of Prosecco, a newsletter about good food and life in the land of Venice. If you haven’t subscribed yet, here’s a handy button for you.
Hello hello,
I know I said I’d be sharing my recipe for easy ricotta dumplings last week but actually, it’ll have to wait a little longer — sorry!
Life has been super full lately, but in a good way.
After seven months of work in between school runs and everything else, my new website is finally online 🎉 I’ve been doubling down on wrapping things up and it feels almost surreal to think that it’s now out in the world.
This space is going to be the home for my work and all the projects, writing, and ideas slowly taking shape behind the scenes right now (there’s a lot brewing) — a place that will grow and evolve with me over time.
There’s also a little welcome post in the “journal” section (fancy name for “blog”) if you feel like having a browse.
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably already know this, but I don’t think I’ve ever gotten around writing about my blog here.
A week before my due date, and right after putting this newsletter on pause before giving birth (because “I need a break”), I went and started a little blog on Blogger — I know! I was craving a creative space that allowed me to move in new, uncharted directions. Or perhaps I just wanted to be able to write about anything and everything at a time of huge change in my life, without the pressure of pushing “send to all contacts in your mailing list”.
I enjoyed writing in my blog so much. I was able to keep up a good publishing rhythm throughout my first year of motherhood (and caregiving), which still amazes me a little. Achieving anything besides keeping yourself and your newborn baby alive is in fact a miracle — although the real miracle is simply keeping yourself and your baby alive!
Giving myself permission to experiment with creativity and writing is the best thing I could’ve done, I see now. I understood things about myself and what I love doing that I’m now carrying with me into this new season of life. A lot has changed in how I experience life in the kitchen, too, but I’ll write about this later on in a separate essay.
So, it’s also thanks to my little old-school blog that today I’m launching a website that from the outside might look “minimal” (admittedly, there’s not much in it yet), but which is built in a way that allows growth with great ease. A container that can shift and stretch according to my needs. A step in the right direction.
Do let me know what you think of it, or if you have any questions about the mechanics of it all (maybe you’re in the process of building your own website), just leave a comment/question via the button below or here.
MORE NEWS…
Besides launching a website and doing a million other things, there’s something else that’s impacted my ability to work on recipes lately — and something I’m quite excited to tell you about.
My partner, Pier, is running in this month’s local elections.
On May 24-25 we’ll be voting for a new mayor and municipal government in Venice, and Pier is standing as a councillor for the mainland borough of Mestre.
Over the past decade, rents have gone up so much that adequate affordable housing is becoming harder and harder to find. Living in and around Venice has become increasingly difficult for many families and vulnerable individuals. A friend of mine has a five-year-old who’s lived in a mouldy rented room since he was three. I doubt he remembers what it feels like to wake up in a normal apartment. More and more often, it feels like the city is becoming impossible to build a life in.
This is the reality many people around us are trying to push back against. Pier is one of them.
This is his first foray into politics, so it’s been a pretty steep learning curve for both of us.
As a family, this has meant sharing the load in a new way to free up time for the many commitments a campaign entails. In other words, I’ve been mothering solo way more often than I’m used to… with the result that yours truly is pretty shattered. It’s for a good cause, though. So on we march.
This is all from me from Venice, my friends.
Thank you for following along, and I’ll see you soon with a new recipe — promise!
Baci,
Sinù xx
About Me
My name is Sinù Fogarizzu and I’m a food and slow living writer from the mainland of Venice, Italy. I write Dash of Prosecco, a newsletter about good food, local cuisine and life in and around Venice. You’re welcome to read more about this newsletter, browse past posts, or come say hi on Instagram.
Love the immediacy of your blog. Congratulations I really enjoyed it and best wishes for hubby
Wow! Exciting news on many fronts, Sinú !