The Future of This Newsletter

Maternity Leave & Life in the Land of Venice (photo diary)

Welcome to Dash of Prosecco, a newsletter about good food, slow travel, and life in the land of Venice. Thank you for reading.

Summer in the city - Mestre, Venice mainland, August 2024.

Hello dear readers,

I hope you had a wonderful summer and vacation time. I’m popping in here to share a personal update. In all likelihood, this is my last message before our baby girl comes into the world, next week.

I know it's been a little quiet around here. There were no posts in July and August. Truth be told I’ve been hard at work on some exciting new content which I hoped to publish before going on a maternity break. However, it’s clear now I won’t have the time, headspace, or energy to wrap them up before the big day.

If you follow me on Instagram, you are aware that this pregnancy has had its challenges from the start.

Between daily migraines, a house reno not going to plan and borderline abusive healthcare providers (don’t worry, I got rid of them back in April), my anxiety level has gone through the roof. As if that weren’t enough, last month my mom had a stroke, of which we’re still navigating the consequences. Thankfully she's been recovering very well so far!

I hope you can excuse the radio silence as I was doing my best to keep this perfect storm under a semblance of control (not sure I managed though!).

The good news is, our baby girl is due on September 6th, so not long now before we finally get to meet her!

After everything we've just been through, all I can think of is hunkering down for an autumn and winter of (little sleep and) loads of warmth and cuddles.

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The Future of this Newsletter

Officially, I’m taking some time off from Dash of Prosecco to focus on this new phase as a family of three. I’ll be back in the swing of things in a few months, probably around next spring. (Unofficially, I may still send updates every now and then, but don’t quote me on that).

For paid subscribers: I've gifted each of you two complimentary months to cover for July and August’s lack of exclusive content (again, sorry about that). Also, your billing cycle has been paused starting today, September 1st, and will be reactivated the moment I get back to posting. Thank you so much for following along so far… your comments, engagement and support have been brilliant! I cannot wait to be back to this small but mighty community that’s been taking shape over the past months. You’re amazing.

There’s so much I want to tell you, but my brain is not cooperating atm. So I’ve added to this last (for now) post a bunch of photos from the past weeks: from an empty town (everyone left for le vacanze) to reno works—I hope you’ll enjoy this glimpse into my life in the land of Venice.

Thank you everyone for your continued support—it’s an honour to write for you.

Much love,

Sinù xx

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Life Lately - A Photo Diary

Summer in the city feels quiet and still. Everyone has left for le vacanze (the summer holidays) but we’re staying put, waiting for this baby to come into our lives. A handful of bars and gelaterie (ice cream shops) stay open during the “dead month” of August. Very much appreciated by those who are not leaving town for the beach or the mountain.

Taking the bump for a stroll along the Corso (high street). Some great pavements here.

I lost count of how many gelato I’ve had over the summer. This baby is bound to be a gelato freak just like her mom.

Smoked provola with porcini and pink peppercorns from Cortina, in the Veneto Dolomites. We haven’t been cooking much this summer, but we can always rely on my parents in law to save the day with nice food souvenirs from their many travels.

Melted cheese paradise.

…and beetroot ravioli “cjarson”—another edible souvenir from the mountains.

Cjarsons dressed in butter and cheese.

Charring eggplants to make babaganoush (recipe from Arome Cassis). A “dip and flatbread dinner” is a must in this household.

Bathing in tomato juices and summer light.

From the communal courtyard.

Crodino for me (alcohol free) and a beer for him.

Pizza night with my acquired relatives visiting from Genova, Liguria. They bring us pesto, we give them Venice.

Raw and colourful—one of the many faces of our neighborhood.

Flowers everywhere.

Always look for the details.

Old houses and mid century condos.

This car is a fixture in my neighborhood. Sometimes it’s parked outside my place, other times I see it around the block. I wonder who’s the mysterious driver.

Living close to the lagoon comes with a whole set of perks: the quiet life of a non touristy spot, the ability to pop into Venice whenever I like, easy boat rides into the lagoon and frequent inland travelling. The trade-off? All-year-round humidity. Depending on the season, this might materialise into thick walls of fog, dense tropical heat… and mouldy patches on your walls.

A dear friend of ours—an architect experienced in renovating fragile and time-ridden Villas aorund Venice—suggested we did a special anti-mould treatment and used a particular paint afterwards. Both the treatment and the paint are non-toxic (we want to give this baby a healthy start) but also a bit of a pain to apply. The whole process of emptying one room at a time and then doing all the necessary steps took us so much longer than we expected (our own fault, we can be a bit naive sometimes), with most of it overlapping with my mom’s stroke and first weeks of rehab. Hello life!

From my Instagram stories: dad and his wife lending a hand, and the Ikea team assembling the new living room tv/storage system.

Too many packs to tackle.

Escaping the reno chaos to meet up with a friend for ice cream and baby clothes shopping. Love the pavement in this spot of the Corso.

Evening magic “just like a painting”.

Good night for now.

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About Me

My name is Sinù Fogarizzu and I’m a vegetarian food writer from the mainland of Venice, Italy. In 2021, I launched Dash of Prosecco, a Substack newsletter about good food, Venetian cuisine and slow travel. Come say hi on Instagram.

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