Phoetry: La Settimana Bianca

This is the second in a series of collaborations with fellow blogger Orna O’Reilly of Orna O’Reilly: Travelling Italy, where we marry her original poetry with my original photos and, sometimes, vice versa. Regardless of who writes or who shoots, the end result of these creative efforts is what we’ve dubbed PHOETRY.

Next up, a settimana bianca (white week) in the Dolomites of northern Italy.

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LA SETTIMANA BIANCA

Words by Orna O’Reilly – Photos by Tom Weber

Off to the Dolomites covered in snow
Where the ski-slopes are calling, we eagerly go.
One of us skis and the other does not,
So our week and our stories will differ a lot.

The first morning dawns and the skier prepares
To head to the slopes in several layers
Of warm thermal leggings and a matching vest
To put the cold weather and snow to the test.

Feather jacket, big boots, a hat and warm gloves
Our skier’s away to the slopes that he loves.
He’ll don his helmet and bright blue ski boots
Before heading downhill on manicured routes.

Non skier has breakfast at leisurely pace
Admiring the scenery through curtains of lace.
As she eats her fruit salad and sips herbal tea
She plans her excursions – there’s so much to see.

New friends, some non-skiers, an interesting bunch
Of ladies who love the occasional lunch.
While he skis the slopes which make his cheeks glow
She heads to Dobbiaco and San Candido.

Some days we would head to rifugi so high
To meet all the skiers as they careened by.
We’d share our adventures and sit in a group
For lunch of canederli or goulash soup.

We’d meet up at Rudi’s for pickles and speck
Atop Croda Rosa we’d lounge on the deck
To soak up the sunshine, our faces aglow,
As we sat among Dolomite peaks in the snow.

Sella Ronda and Kronplatz were favourites skied
And Monte Elmo was just great, they agreed.
While the skiers come swooshing down Val Badia
The ladies are lunching above Cortina.

To Sesto for action-packed drama we went
For a day at the races – a yearly event.
The evenings were spent with a spoon and a fork
Not to mention our wine glasses – plus lively talk.

So our ski trek is over, a week of good cheer.
We say our goodbyes until early next year.
It’s to Val Pusteria we happily make
As “White Week” is Italy’s annual break.

©Orna O’Reilly | ©The Palladian Traveler

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