Mommy and I spent much of this past year in France fixing up an apartment Daddy bought in Paris near the Picasso Museum -- but we can use it only when it's not rented to tourists! That's a bummer! Anyway, we were put in charge of the décor and this meant that Mommy and I made three trips to Venice!
[MOM: PLEASE CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR APARTMENT.]

We were very lucky to see the parade of boats from the window of our apartment on the Grand Canal! (I heard Mommy tell Daddy on the phone that it wasn't expensive.) I can't decide what was the most fun though, the decorations or the music and dancing on the boats as they floated past our apartment window. Actually, the most fun was waving to the boats as they passed by and to have the people wave back with big smiles and shouting “Ciao!”

I love to visit Sergio Boldrin, our mask maker, and try on his amazing masks at his shop and help Mommy pick out new ones for our store back home.
[PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR NEW ONLINE GALLERY OF MASKS HERE .]

Then we went to a fancy art opening for his paintings. It was a little boring for me and very hot because it was very crowded. And I was the only kid. Mommy finally found a painting for our new apartment in Paris and I like it too! We also found a ton of new masks with beautiful scenes of Venice painted right on them and brought them back for sale in our shop. Mommy calls each one a work of art! (AND NEWS FLASH: I heard Mommy talking on the phone that she wants to try and get Sergio to Seattle for a show of his paintings!)

I love the boat ride to the Island of Murano, where Mommy visits with the Gianni and Nichetto families. This is where she finds all the beautiful seashells, beads and wine bottle stoppers for our shop. (NEWS FLASH: Mommy thinks that the wine bottle stoppers make great hostess gifts!) And, to her surprise, there was a new shop of glass art jewelry opened by Gianni's wife.
[MOM: THIS WONDERFUL NEW SHOP IS CALLED ART BIJOUX, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE A SAMPLE OF WHAT IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW.]

We are back home now AND I am very happy to back with my friends at school. Mommy and Grandma have been busy making more pillows and placemats from a selection of tapestries we brought back. The pillow designs include scenes of Venice, flowers, and the statue of David. But I like the one with gondolas best, because it reminds me of the fantastic boat festival I saw this summer.

This year, we are putting out only Italian sweets for Santa - boy will he be surprised! Mommy says the cookies are especially yummy when eaten with a Illy Espresso and I like to help her make coffee in our stovetop espresso maker-it's a no brainer to use.
[MOM: WE OFFER AMARETTI LAZZARONNI, RICCIARELLI FROM SIENA, AND CATUCCI-LITTLE BISCOTTI FROM MIGLIANA; AND WE CARRY BOTH THE ESPRESSO MAKERS AND THE COFFEE.].

Now, I am really, really tired. Mommy says to tell you that all I want for Christmas are my two front teeth - but what I really, really, really hope is that they will be grown in by spring when we plann on returning to Venice AND to our new apartment in Paris!

Ciao! Francesca