Hi there! How’s it going? Hope you all had a great Easter! It’s still pretty much freezing here in Chicago, but instead of running away from the cold and heading south like many of my friends did this past week, last week I spent an amazing weekend getaway in Stowe, Vermont. My family and I spent a couple of days skiing there and I absolutely loved it! I love spending time on real mountains from time to time. (sorry, Wisconsin. Can’t call those hills mountains!) Stowe really is a snowy hidden gem, and if you do get the chance, I highly recommend visiting the town! Here are some of the things we did there!

Okay, a great thing about Stowe itself is that it’s not too far from Burlington VT, which you can easily access from Chicago (O’Hare). I flew there on a Friday evening, the actual flight was less than two hours and then my parents picked me up at the airport to drive to Stowe. I believe the ride was about an hour (including a much needed stop at McDonald’s). So, not too bad.

Not sure if I have mentioned this already, but my parents live in Providence, RI, so Stowe isn’t too far from them either; in fact, it’s about four hours.

The Lodging

Once we got there, we stayed at the Stowe Motel and Snowdrift. Here it is:

Fun fact: while I got out of the car to take this picture, my mom broke the car door. But then she also fixed it after we all panicked for like five minutes straight. So it’s all good. Anyway, the place is pretty much exactly how you’d expect it, with cozy, old looking wooden furniture. I thought the apartment-like rooms looked super cute, but maybe it’s because I love that rustic, old mountain lodge feel, and those simple, yet hygge, small bedrooms.

On top of that, the Motel offered breakfast – nothing extraordinary, but all I really need to start my morning is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

My favorite part, however, was a basement room that was very close to our room and that I would define a Game room for lack of a better term.

My brother and I spent hours playing ping pong there, and since the room was empty most of the time, we were able to play our own music while playing – I doubt other customers would have enjoyed Italian trap music as much as we did/do.

Day One

The best part of the trip was the skiing. As you probably know by now, I really love the Winter Olympics (so much that I wrote not one but two articles on the Games!), so I very much enjoy skiing and pretending I’m Sofia Goggia or Lindsey Vonn when coming downhill. Stowe was a great place to do so!

I love fresh, powder-like snow and steep but smooth slopes, which is what I found in Stowe. However, on the first day we also went and did moguls, which I hate with passion. I like smoothness. Not hills. Not hills. But we were out skiing with my dad’s friends, so I couldn’t say no! I basically almost died, but here I am telling the story!

And here’s a picture of my brother Lorenzo who also did not injure himself. Win!

In any case, I survived moguls and earned a lunch at the Alpine Clubhouse, the country club my dad’s friends were members at – I know, he hangs with all the cool people.

After lunch, we did some more skiing on our own, then went back to the Motel.

For dinner on Saturday night, we went to Swiss Fondue by Heinz, and I hope you’re ready to hear all about it.

This is one of my favorite places on the planet. The owner is an old Swiss man who settled in Stowe, VT after traveling all around the world. He opened up his fondue restaurant with his Chinese wife, and imports his cheese straight from Switzerland. He loves to chat with his customers and share some of his stories. Plus, the food is incredible. You’ll be full and happy!

First of all, we ordered a Raclette plate: Raclette is a Swiss cheese that melts like magic. At Swiss Fondue by Heinz they not only put it in their cheese fondue, but they also serve it as an appetizer: we had to have it.

After that, we ordered two cheese fondues, made of a blend of three cheeses and some alcohol, and three Chinese beef fondues, where you cook your own beef meat in boiling broth and eat it with a set of sauces.

Needless to say, everything was delicious and high quality. The imported cheese, the tender meat… and, for dessert, the chocolate fondue, served with fresh fruit, marshmallows and pound cake. Yum.

Swiss Fondue by Heinz is a super cozy, hygge, tiny restaurant – maybe 10 tables total? All that to say, if you’re in Stowe and want to know the one place where you have to get dinner, this is it.

Day Two

The following day, we went back on the slopes. We skied some more, the weather was even nicer. We definitely had a great time! The snow was just perfect.

We did have to go back to the motel early and pack our bags to drive back to Providence. However, before we left Stowe, we stopped to eat some great pizza at Piecasso, a pizzeria worth visiting – even if just for the pun in their name.

Their name is not the only amazing thing about them: their pizza is also bomb. To my Italian friends: no, this is not really Italian pizza, but it’s closer to it than a lot of the pizzas I’ve had in this continent; it’s also still great. To my American friends: this is one of the best American pizzas I have ever had.

I ordered the Tree Hugger pizza: tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh spinach, fresh basil, tomatoes, fresh garlic and red onions. Delicious. Can’t believe I ate a pizza with that many toppings, but the more the merrier, am I right?

But honestly, the Piecasso pizza is also very good. My dad got it. We traded a slice.

And here’s me hanging out in the Piecasso bathroom and looking like a total snowboarder. Just kidding. I’ll never sell my soul to the devil. Always an alpine skier, sorry not sorry.

 

Oh, and here is the Von Trapp beer. Like the Von Trapp family from The Sound of Music. Apparently Stowe is where they were actually from or something. It’s probably a long story that you can read in this book. In any case, I guess they make beer now.

Overall, this was such a great weekend! I love going to Stowe, it was my second time there and I enjoyed myself even more than the first time. I honestly cannot wait to be back! Have you ever been there? Let me know in the comments!