Italy – Destination NOW

San Candido and The Dolomites

Before we boarded our bus to drive to San Candido, I couldn’t resist two last Bolzano shots. The Grief Hotel had the very best breakfast of the trip (at least so far). I LOVE fresh fruit.

I also enjoyed the beautiful poppies in front of the cathedral, almost as much as the bees did.

Our first stop was at the stunning Lake Carezza. On the ride there, Luca told us the story of a beautiful fairy who was looking for a handsome man (aren’t we all?). The ugly old wizard, who was quite smitten, changed himself into a handsome suitor, but the fairy figured it out, changed him back, then pushed him into the lake, which became a veritable rainbow of colors.

She didn’t even bother to determine whether he had redeeming qualities! I was ready to write her off as a superficial witch until I saw this at the lake, which offered a very different perspective. Maybe there are multiple sides to every story!

Which legend do YOU prefer?

The twisty mountain ride through the Dolomites ensured everyone on the bus got an excellent view. If the view was on the left, no problem, because around the bend, it will be on the right. I’m very glad I don’t suffer from motion sickness!

Believe it or not, I took the next two photos from a moving bus with my new IPhone 17.

Well, at least I am impressed by the phone’s capabilities!

Our hike gave us plenty of “Kodak Moments”, like these:

For THIS hike, we were offered options: a short hike and a long one. Susan and I got outvoted, so we took the short hike, which was still very picturesque.

The photos can’t possibly do the vistas justice. You just have to come to the Alps to see for yourself. (Or watch a PBS special).

San Candido is another glorious village that I never would have found on my own. Thank you, OAT, for this little gem.

We occupied every single room in this boutique hotel. Because every room is decorated differently, it feels like you are staying in someone’s home.

The main attraction of the area is hiking. That’s what we came for, and that’s what we did. This time, we all did a short hike around the lake, then those of us who wished could continue around the lake for what Luca described as “more challenging”.

Because Susan and I have been the speediest hikers, Luca looked directly at us when he said “whoever gets to the beach first needs to find us a picnic table”. As you can see, we took the assignment very seriously.

For the challenging part of the hike, we were joined by our buddies, Dan and Jodie.

Once again, for our final day in San Candido, we lucked out with the weather. Fortunately for us, the weather forecast was much worse than what we experienced. But the forecast resulted in the optional ($220 per person) hiking trip in the Dolomites to be cancelled.

Instead, Luca substituted a (free) beautiful morning hike by the river, and it was GREAT!

Susan and I decided to take the forecast of rain starting at noon seriously so we hightailed it back to the ski lift. No way were we missing the chance to ride up to the top of the mountain and take the “fun bob” down. It was every bit as AMAZING as we anticipated!

Dan and Jodie surprised us by positioning themselves so they could capture our descent.

I was so focused on my path under the bridge

I didn’t even notice Jodie standing on it with camera readied for us!

Admit it. You didn’t spot her either!

The rain DID fall, but by then Susan and I were seated under an awning, enjoying our lunch.

What does one do on a rainy day in a ski/ hiking town? Well if “one” is me, you invite your favorite travel companions to a party in one’s suite. The local grocery store carried Franciacorta wine, which is not sold in the USA. What’s special about it, you ask? Ms Google describes it this way:

“Franciacorta is a premier Italian sparkling wine from Lombardy. Crafted using the Metodo Classico (identical to Champagne’s bottle-fermentation), it is the first Italian wine to earn DOCG status. It offers incredible complexity, fine bubbles, and rich tasting notes of brioche, citrus, and toasted nuts. “

Dan discovered yet another( very practical) use for my bidette.

After that, we were more than ready to walk through the hailstorm to dinner !

Next stop Innsbruck!

Bolzano

Although Mike and I visited Bolzano in 2018, I had absolutely no memory of anything except Otzi, the Iceman. And because I wasn’t traveling solo back then, I didn’t blog as often, — Mike tended to distract me —so I couldn’t even consult my “on-line” trip journal.

So, I’ll just have to wait till I get back home to see whether the photos on my computer jog my memory. Oh, a mind is a terrible thing to lose.

This time, the trip to Bolzano included a morning stop in the lovely village of Monza where the Carabinieri were having some sort of a convention.

The main attraction was supposed to be (what else?) the Monza Cathedral, which houses the iron crown that was used for Charlemagne’s coronation. The Italian policemen were an unexpected bonus.

This is a replica. The real deal is locked up below.

So what makes this crown so special? Well, in 324 AD, St Helena, mother of Charlemagne, traveled to the Holy Land. The enterprising locals quickly recognized an opportunity to make a few shekels, so they told this gullible woman that they found a nail that was used to crucify Jesus (in their grandpa’s attic, no doubt). Oh, and by the way, if she wanted—and had enough money—she could also purchase a piece of the cross on which Jesus hung. (She did. It is a relic someplace else—I forget where).

The centuries old nail was melted down and made a part of the interior of the crown. No photos of the relic were allowed, but that’s okay, because the crown made it into the cathedral’s brochure.

Must have been a really big nail to circle the interior of the crown. Something tells me it will never be carbon dated.

Theolinda’s chapel was totally covered with visually impressive frescoes, but photos were only allowed to be taken at a distance, outside the chapel.

Who was Theolinda, you ask? Well the frescoes tell the story of her life. She was a Bavarian princess, who outlived her two Lombard husbands ( no small feat, back then). There is more to her story than that, but I’ve forgotten the details. Supposedly, she is buried in that chapel.

It wouldn’t be a Catholic house of worship without an image of a gruesome death, and this cathedral was no exception: John the Baptist’s severed head was prominently displayed.

We had time between our cathedral tour and lunch, to explore Monza. Here are a few of our sights.

It’s a good thing that the morning was so delightful, because we spent the remainder of the day stuck in traffic, arriving at our hotel around 9PM.

We were lucky that our bus was super comfortable, we all had our entertainment centers (otherwise known as cellphones) and all bus seats had charging ports. Plus, we pulled into a comfort station to load up on snacks when it became apparent that we needed to cancel our dinner reservation. Fortunately, everyone rolled with it, without complaining.

As usual, we started our day with a local guide who pointed out what makes Bolzano special. Our tour ended at the archaeological museum, where we could visit Otzi. Although the iceman was fascinating, Susan and I had already seen him, so we chose to roam the streets of Bolzano instead.

Though we only two nights in Bolzano, we packed a lot into our brief visit, including a hike on the Freud Promenade. To get there, we had to take a train that strongly resembled NYC mass transit during rush hour, which was definitely not a highlight. Like everything else in life, when you travel ya gotta take the good with the bad.

But the NEXT part of our journey more than made up for the crowded train ride. This fabulous gondola provided 360 degree views of the beautiful countryside.

The walk was lovely, the weather was perfect, and by the time we finished, we had worked up quite an appetite.

Once again, Luca chose a fantastic restaurant, where we were served our choice of three courses. I had delicious barbecued ribs, and ended up so full, I began to wonder whether I’m going to exceed my usual five trip pounds gain!

Our next stop will be in San Candido. I sure hope the weather report continues to be wrong, because it is predicting rain for all three days that we are there.

Biella, Italy

What?! You never heard of Biella? Before this trip, neither had I. That’s one of the many reasons I choose to travel with OAT. Their itineraries include places I didn’t know I wanted to visit until I got there.

Our hotel, the Agora Palace, is across the street from a beautiful park. Unlike the USA, Biella has public sources of pure mountain water, like this one, from which you can fill your water bottle.

Also near our hotel is a small mall with a grocery store and an inexpensive clothing shop. Because the weather has been unseasonably warm, and we were ALL expecting cold temperatures, most of us went shopping for lightweight clothes. For 30 Euros, I got a tee shirt, shorts and a long skirt. I wasn’t crazy about the slit in the long skirt, but that’s all Piazza Italia had in stock. (That’s the name of the store).

Before we arrived, Luca explained Biella is a quiet town, without much going on, so we were a little surprised when we encountered this:

Turns out, an “old car” race with over 100 cars was taking place that night. We were a little puzzled by the cars departing one at a time, but we learned it was a TIMED race, and unlike most “races” , the speed was not the point. It was actually an opportunity to show off your old car. Supposedly, the race went on all night!

Babes, band & cars — in a “sleepy” town??

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we were unable to visit the ice cave in Chamonix, so Luca negotiated with the OAT office to replace THAT activity with vermouth tasting at a historic bar.

We were all quite delighted with the change in activities!

Our second day in Biella started with a guided tour of the city’s highlights, namely churches, including this baptistry.

We’ve all seen churches, and the remainder looked like every other church I’ve visited, so I took no photos.

We then hopped onto a bus, which whisked us up to the old section of Biella, where we toured La Palazzo La Marmora. Here’s another reason I love OAT. The palace is normally closed on Sunday, but it was opened just for us.

Our guide, the marquis, was a member of the illustrious family, whose tree adorned the dining room wall.

To say the artwork and antiques were interesting would be an understatement.

The matriarch who commissioned the following family portrait gave birth to 16 children. The girls all moved away after marriage, so the artist had to visit the homes of the daughters to create “sketches” that he later incorporated into the portrait. Of course, the gathering of all surviving children portrayed in the painting never occurred. (Was this the forerunner of Photoshop or AI?)

I thought I could figure out who was who by matching the clothing, but apparently the artist preferred different outfits.

The 4 sons on the upper right were all generals in the Crimean war. So what do you do when a cannonball almost kills you? Why, if you are a member of nobility, you bring it home, melt it down and recycle it into a chair.

One final example of the artwork, before we move on.

For some unknown reason, the marquis didn’t point out this mural on the dining room wall. Perhaps he didn’t want to have to explain what his ancestors were thinking about while they were munching on their Cheerios?

After the tour, most of the group chose to take an optional cooking class, but Susan and I decided to skip it. Instead, we had lunch in upper Biella at the “Hasta La Polenta” restaurant. How could we resist a restaurant sporting a plaque that said ( in Italian) “Ernest Hemingway never was here”?

I absolutely LOVE the Italian sense of humor. Take a look at the English translations on their menu.

Of course, after our entree, we HAD to have dessert. Here’s Susan, showing off her selection.

After our wonderfully filling lunch, Susan and I worked off some of our dessert by walking back to the hotel.

By then it was time to get ready for a “home hosted” dinner with Marcelo and Claudia in their historical home, built in the 1800’s.

Our group of 14 split up to have dinner with 3 different families.

For final day we visited a cheese farm, to partake in what OAT calls “A day in the life”. As the name suggests, OAT travelers are given an opportunity to experience the area’s daily life. The best part? We walked part of the way there — and the weather was perfect!

We all got a chance to “make” cheese, while we learned more about Elisa, our host. Although she has a degree in economics, Elisa decided she preferred to take over her grandparents’ cheese making business.

OAT group at a Day in the Life, with our hosts

We ended the day with a visit to (what else) the church complex at Oropa.

This “new” church was built for a papal visit

The original church incorporated this rock into its wall, presenting the perfect backdrop for yet another group photo.

Dinner was on our own, so four of us went for pizza at Doppio Zero. It was very good, but very different.

Next stop Lugano, Switzerland.

Goodbye France, Hello Italy

OAT made the right decision to start this adventure in Chamonix! Our hotel, the Lykke, was ideally located. We could walk to the many restaurants, bars, trails and attractions. And we DID.

Not only that, but if you needed down time, the hotel’s pool/ whirlpool /sauna complex was the ideal spot to relax and recharge. I visited there twice during my four day stay.

The MAIN attraction of Chamonix, however is the mountains in general, and Mont Blanc in particular. During our stay, we rode the classic cog train to view the glacier which either starts or ends at Mont Blanc. I forget. But really, who cares?

Unfortunately, the gondola was not accepting passengers, but we saw its practice run.

We were SUPPOSED to ride the gondola to an ice cave, but because of climate change, the cave was closed. A new ice cave had to be built nearer to the glacier. Because the pace of warming is escalating, our guide told us over the last few years, a new ice cave had to be constructed every year.

I find it hard to understand how someone cannot “believe” in global warming and climate change. Yes, I know, our planet has been through ice ages and warming trends, but those changes took centuries to occur, not years. But enough on that topic. For those of you who will never visit Chamonix, here’s what you would have seen.

The vertical arrow shows the current position of the glacier. The horizontal arrow near the bottom of the photo marks where the glacier ended four years ago.

And if you were lucky enough to get Luca as your guide and Francois as the local guide, this is who you would have seen it with.

It wasn’t a problem that we missed out on the gondola ride, because the next day, we rode two huge gondolas to get to the Mont Blanc viewing platform.

60 of us were jammed into the gondola. It felt like a NYC subway, minus the hanging straps.

The photos can’t possibly capture the grandeur of the mountains. But those of you who have been following this blog know I’m going to try!

Yes, those ARE clouds in the photo below. That’s how high we were.

Although WE rode the gondolas, others chose a different method for getting to the top.

None of us had a death wish, so that’s why we chose the safer, more boring option. We DID manage to walk through an ice cave, AND we made it to BOTH viewing platforms shown in the header of this post, which required us to mount several flights of stairs.

Luca, our guide, emerging from the ice cave

If we wanted, we could stand in line for about an hour to step into “the void”, which was a transparent cube that allowed you to see to the bottom of the mountain. I imagine that on one’s instagram feed, it would look like the poster was suspended in mid air. The photo taking was undoubtedly why the wait to enter the cube was so long!

One of the MANY photos this couple took!

Since none of us have an instagram feed, we skipped that experience.

Instead, we used our eyes to take in the spectacular views.

The views from the gondola , on the way up and down

Before we leave Chamonix, one last photo of almost all of the single ladies at dinner at the Rose du Pont

Me, AB, Stephanie, Susan and Kay. We are missing Gail, the photographer

Although we ended up in Brielle, like most OAT trips, our bus ride was broken up by a stop in Aosta, a charming town along the way. Mike would have LOVED Aosta, because it was chock full of ancient Roman ruins. Back then, it was called Augusta Praetoria, shorten over the ages to Aosta.

He heard there was gold in them thar hills, so he decided to “ veni, vidi, vici”.

The original arches are 32 steps below the surface of the modern city. I don’t recall why or how they were preserved, but I’ll bet you don’t care either.

After sharing a half a bottle of this

with my new friend Sarah, I decided to press send without proof reading.

Biella deserves its own post, and once I sober up, I’ll get to it. But until then, happy reading and thanks for coming along.

Three Nights in Palermo

First, let me say that right now I’m having an absolutely wonderful time. I’m with great friends, the sun is shining, we are drinking Prosecco. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Yesterday, however, was a different experience. You know that old saying, “you ain’t seen nothing yet?” Well, that’s what came to mind when we arrived in Palermo. Remember the bad food in Ortigia? The 59 steps in Modica? The “terrifying” ride? Well, we got ‘em all in Palermo, and then some.

That scary ride I described in my last post? Well, yes, that road was indeed narrow and winding, but it wasn’t lined with trash cans, and there were no motorbikes, pedestrians or oncoming traffic on it. Palermo had all that — and more. I would still be recovering from PTSD if I’d been driving, or if Mike had been driving, one of us would probably have filed for divorce. But once again, Diane amazed us all with her calm, proficient driving.

It was MUCH worse than this. People were also flying by on scooters.

After driving down what WE would call alleys, but Italians call streets, we arrived at the “meeting point”. We succeeded in effectively blocking traffic, while we waited for Giovanni to find us. He then guided three of us (with our luggage) to the “bed and breakfast”, leaving Diane blocking traffic until he could return to guide her to a parking lot.

Meanwhile, our three heroines were confronted with 59 steps (the exact number of steps as Modica—if my grandmother had been alive she would have called her bookie to “play” that number). Once again, I was grateful to the exercises classes at the Y, because we carried our own bags —and my two weigh about 27 pounds. But the best is yet to come. After our trek, we discovered that Sally and I were not only sharing a room, we were also sharing a bed. Fortunately king sized, but still.

I’ll confess, I was NOT happy. (Neither was Sally). For a brief period, I turned into the Ugly American, muttering, frowning and using my phone to search for alternative lodging. But the thought of carrying those bags DOWN 59 steps, and then someplace else gave us all pause.

My three traveling companions found solace in the cafe across the street, while I, knowing how drunk I would get on an empty stomach, dug into the cheese and salami we’d brought with us. Lo and behold, when I tried to join them, I discovered I couldn’t unlock the lobby’s front door. And I was alone. All alone.

The instructions SHOULD have read “push the button in the middle, wait till the light stops circling and forms an upside down horse shoe shape, grab the handle, then PULL.

After trying every single combo I could think of, except the correct one, I finally called Karen, who willingly walked up those 59 steps to rescue me. I owe her BIG time!

Our dinner that night could not be described as delicious, but the chef acknowledged the lack of culinary excellence by offering us free lemoncello. We ended a rather challenging day on a positive note, and after a good night’s sleep, everything seemed MUCH better!

Time for some photos of the GOOD stuff:

The main altar in the cathedral at Monreale

Mosaics along the walls visualize biblical stories. Check out Eve telling Adam to eat the apple so he’d get smarter, Adam and Eve modeling the latest fig leaf fashions, Abraham getting ready to kill his son and Rebecca at the well.

The best seats in the house are, of course, in the “royal box”. We got a glimpse during our tour of Teatro Massimo, the third largest opera house in Europe.

This fountain was created in Florence and reassembled here in Palermo. Check out the expressions on the statues’ faces.

One full day left until we leave for Taormina.

Three Nights in Modica

We had just gotten the hang of Ortigia, easily finding our way around, when it was time to hit the road for Rick Steve’s recommended stop on our way to Modica.

After picking up our rental car, we headed for Noto, following (or trying to follow) Rick’s directions. How many iPhones does it take to get us to the right place? Well, with us, the correct answer is three…using a combo of google and Apple Maps. I’m recommending Diane for sainthood, because she kept her cool driving down impossibly narrow streets, while getting conflicting directions from her three passengers.

We all felt better after our fantastic lunch at Marpessa Restaurant, so we forgave Rick for being somewhat vague with his directions. The restaurant was next to Noto’s historic theater and was the starting point for the little tourist train, so of course, we had to experience both.

That pair singing a duet looks very familiar

It wasn’t a hop on/hop off. It just circled the town. Was it worth it? In my opinion, Hell, no.

Because of our late start, and a few wrong turns, we arrived in Modica much later than expected. Our rental was billed as an elegant private retreat close to St Georgio’s cathedral in the historic center of Modica. All true, although “center” was a bit of a stretch. Equally true, but unsaid, was the fact that everything was just “steps” away… 59 steps, to be exact, UP from the cathedral (where we were instructed to park) to the little lane where our rental was located. I know, because I counted.

Like many Italian towns, Modica is built into the hillside. We were grateful for the occasional flat surface between the steps. We are on our way to the restaurant 268 steps below

Fortunately, we had all agreed to limit ourselves to one carry on, plus one personal item (backpack/small duffel/large purse, as allowed by ITA). Good thing we all are relatively fit, because although the rental agent helped with 2 of the bags, we carried the remaining 6. Guess what? Roller bags don’t work well on stairs.

Our vacation rental in Modica is absolutely beautiful. The three level patio has a hot tub, dining table and lots of chairs for lounging. And we are undoubtedly ladies who lounge. We also eat and drink wine. Lots of wine.

Our home for three nights has some rather exotic features, like my round bed, with a jacuzzi located right behind it.

After frolicking in the jacuzzi, you don’t have far to go to have a different religious experience. Check out how close we are to the cathedral. You can see the dome from our patio. Not only that, but you can HEAR the bells ringing — at 8 AM, noon and 8 PM. Some church bells are lovely. These are not. They sound like someone threw multiple metal instruments into a washing machine and pressed SPIN.

This is what the dome looks like from the inside

Lorenzo, our rental agent, and new best friend, has been a regular visitor. Why? Because four reasonably intelligent, well educated and relatively successful women were unable to: unlock the front door (after returning from dinner our first night), start the dishwasher (our second night), and get the dryer part of the combo washer/dryer to actually dry our wet clothes. The clothes got HOT, but were still wet. How can that be???

It looks like we may have a trifecta of Lorenzo visits, because after heating for two days, the hot tub is actually only a warm tub. We leave for Enna tomorrow morning, so this evening is our last chance to use it.

Despite a few minor glitches, I have to say I love this place and will be sorry to leave it tomorrow. We had fun grocery shopping, cooking together (mostly done by Karen and Diane with Sally and I being a grateful and appreciative audience) and just hanging out.

The Four B’s: Brixen, Bressanone, Bolzano, Bassano del Grappa

There is something about a snowy day in New Jersey that gets me thinking about our Northern Italy trip, which is a good thing, because those days wandering among these “B” towns definitely belong with my on-line memories.

Our base for our last days was the Goldene Krone Vital Hotel in Brixen/Bressanone. Yes, the town has two names, an Italian one and a German one. Like a few other areas on our lovely planet, this ground had been fought over many times, with the conquerors imposing their language and customs on the conquered. For the current inhabitants of German/Austrian ancestry, the preferred name is Brixen. The Italians opt for Bressanone.

Regardless of what you call it, the town is absolutely charming. We were lucky enough to be there during some kind of street fair. There was music, food and of course, lots of beer.

This alpine town is famous for its very realistic wood carvings. Admit it, if you look quickly, doesn’t this man and his dog look real? I was almost fooled. (But then, that’s not all that difficult to do.

At night, the streets quieted down, but the shops and restaurants were still open and within walking distance of our hotel. We took advantage of a “dinner on our own” night to enjoy a fantastic wine cellar type meal with two of the new friends we made on this trip–Julie and Roger. My only regret is I didn’t write down the name of that fantastic restaurant!

Our first hike, oh so many days ago, was in the Swiss Alps. Now we were given the opportunity to experience the Dolomites. We could either ride a lift way up the mountain to a station hiding in the cleft between the two peaks on the right, or we could go for a hike –but we clearly wouldn’t get as far up. Mike rode; I hiked.

It was hard to believe that it had snowed two days before we arrived, unless you chose to walk–then you were slipping and sliding on a trail that was quite muddy. Any guesses as to who ended up with a muddy butt?

This was the first year the trip was offered by OAT, so the itinerary was still being modified, based on feedback from prior travelers. One wonderful addition was a visit to the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, home of Otzi, the “ice man”.

Otzi was found by two German hikers in 1991. What the archaeologists have been able to learn from that discovery is truly amazing. From his remains, they were able to recreate a model showing what they believe Otzi looked like. His tools, weapons, clothes and even the contents of his stomach were incredibly well preserved–for about 4,000 YEARS! Yikes.

The exhibits are accompanied by interesting explanations of what you are viewing. I apologize for the crooked photos that follow. I didn’t want to be a jerk, blocking the exhibits while I attempted to grab a perfectly centered, nicely squared off photo, but I figure you’ll get the idea.

The researchers finally determined Otzi was murdered, and that he probably bled to death from the arrow wound in his shoulder. But Otzi didn’t give up without a fight. From DNA analysis, scientists determined that there were traces of blood from at least four other people on his knife, coat and an arrowhead. Can you tell I really loved that museum?

Fast forward several thousands years to Bassano del Grappa. Over all those centuries, man’s inhumanity to man hasn’t changed.

You can still see the bullet holes in some of the the buildings in Bassano del Grappa’s old town from WWII, when the Italian partisans battled the Nazis.

This plaque tells the story about what happened along the river in 1944.

The trees from which the young Italians were hanged have been turned into memorials.

We all know how devastating WWII was, but when you see the long row of trees, each festooned with photos, names, dates and flowers, you get a feel for the very personal pain felt by the families in this area.

The town of Bassano del Grappa is also noted for (guess what) grappa, and we got to sample some after lunch at the Nardini Distillery. I’ll be honest. I didn’t like it. I’m more of a Franciacorta girl.

Overall, this was a wonderful trip to a part of Italy that I knew very little about. Next trip– to a different continent!

Mantua and Trent

Well, we are getting ready to hit the road (the one that leads to the airport) soon, so I figured if I had anything further to say about last fall’s trip to Northern Italy, now is the time to say it.

My last post was about the city of Verona. Although it was a lovely city, it was a bit crowded, so when we had the choice of spending another day in Verona, or going on an optional trip to Mantua, we (and everyone else on our tour) opted for the optional, and we were glad we did.

Yes, Mantua had the requisite castle, with beautiful frescoes, but the castle also had something I’d never seen before — a moat with lovely sculptures plopped in it. Were they ballerina or fairy costumes? I have no idea; either one works for me.

Mantua also had the mandatory clock tower, but this one was so beautiful, I felt compelled to include two photos of it- the one below to give you a sense of its placement and scale, and the one atop this post to show the beautiful craftsmanship. Just think how amazing it must have been before the frescoes were damaged.

Can you tell this tower has been repaired more than once?

Like other cities, Mantua has an object, which, if rubbed, promises thAt the rub-ee will grant the rub-er good luck. In Verona, it is Juliet’s right breast. In Mantua, it is Rigoletto’s hump. We avoided the fake Juliet balcony and statue, but we ladies couldn’t resist Rigoletto.

What was MOST memorable to me, however, was the “relic” in the Basilica of Saint Andrew. According to the plaque, the soldier that stabbed Christ (Who later became a saint –Longino– but not all that popular, because I’d never heard of him before. Had you?) was prescient enough to know that the blood soaked earth was worth preserving, so he did. For thousands of years. Quite a story, and I’ll leave it at that.

The artist’s interpretation of the event

Our next stop was Trento, the site of the Council of Trent, where Catholic bishops got together and did something important that I learned about in high school but have since forgotten. Here too, we encountered a magnificent cathedral. Could this be The Stairway to Heaven that Led Zeppelin sang about? Take a look. It sure doesn’t seem to lead anywhere else. If you took a tumble from the top, Heaven may be where you’d land, but probably only if you went to confession first.

Right outside the church, beside Neptune’s fountain, it was quite festive. Lots of young people holding flowers and plaques, wearing laurel wreaths on their heads were milling about.

Our group is nothing, if not astute. We immediately figured this was some kind of commencement celebration. I’ll tell ya, if I had been given the choice, I definitely would have gone with the laurel wreath instead of the mortarboard monstrosity we had to put on our heads.

If this cold weather continues, I may get it together to do one final post: the last days of our trip in the Dolomites and Alpine villages. Ciao!

The Land of The Lombards

When you think Italy, what comes to mind? Art in Florence, Rome’s colosseum, the Amalfi Coast? Bet you didn’t immediately think of the Lombard region, and that’s too bad, because it is pretty special. This post will introduce you to three gems of Lombardy: one well known, the other two less so.

Lake Isola
Remember Christo, whose 2005 spectacular Gates in Central Park had New Yorkers smiling even during a frigid February? (If you don’t, that’s okay. It isn’t essential to the post. I just happen to have fond memories of the event, so why not throw it in?)
Well, in 2016, he created the Floating Piers in Lake Isola. So, ya gotta figure this area must be pretty terrific for Christo to travel all the way across the Atlantic to Italy to create one of his massive installations.

These posters give you an idea of the scope of Christo’s project.

Even though our visit was post-Christo art exhibition, it was still worth spending time in the Isola Lake area. Check out what the little island looks like “unwrapped”. It was once a monastery, but now it probably is privately owned, by someone who is fantastically wealthy, who wants to escape people like us ogling his/ her (probably his) property.

Franciacorta
Almost everyone has heard of Prosecco. But what about Franciacorta? This sparkling wine, made from the Franciacorta region’s grapes, is equally delightful. I suspect that, like the Lombardy region, it just hasn’t been successfully marketed.

We walked through the Berlucci Vineyards, to their winery, where we enjoyed a tour, wine tasting and a great lunch.

Our hotel, the Relais Franciacorta was absolutely beautiful. It was rather far out, in the countryside, which was fine with us. We loved the gardens and all the hotel’s little nooks and crannies, one of which was the perfect venue for sharing the bottle of Franciacorta purchased at the vineyard.

And, as a bonus, a huge motorcycle group was holding an event at the hotel, giving us an opportunity to view totally unique bikes, like this one. I’m guessing that’s the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) riding shotgun (or would that position be called “front gun”? They didn’t have motorcycles during those Wild West days, so who knows.)

Verona
One of the big attractions in Verona is “Juliet’s Balcony”. Yeah, Shakespeare’s Juliet. There was a long line at the entrance to the jam-packed courtyard where Roméo was supposed to have stood while gazing at Juliet, who was above, on that legendary balcony. But this “balcony” was actually a movie set, created several decades ago. We figured if we wanted to see movie sets, we could go to Universal studios, so we skipped that attraction. Instead, we visited the Juliet Society.

The Juliet Society is a group of volunteers who answer letters written to Juliet that come from all over the world, like the one below.

Still, even we couldn’t escape Hollywood’s reach. You see, the Juliet Society was used as inspiration for the movie, Letters to Juliet.
Okay, I’ll confess, when I got home I borrowed the movie from our library, and it was really, really sappy. It’s all about a letter that had been lost for several decades, was found by a volunteer, who then went on a mission to find and reunite both the writer and the intended recipient of the letter. I don’t have to tell you how it ends. I’m sure you just know.

The actual site, the one WE visited, bore no resemblance to the movie set. For the movie, the Juliet Society was housed in a gorgeous villa, complete with mamas in an adjoining kitchen, cooking great lunches for the volunteers. How surprising that Hollywood’s “take” is so very, very different from reality.

When in Italy, I usually find it difficult to decide which meal was THE BEST and which restaurant experience was THE BEST, but this time I had no problem proclaiming that Il Punto Rosa Hosteria deserves both titles. This little gem is on a side street, and it isn’t very big, but between Google and Trip Advisor, I’m sure you’d be able to find it. If we ever get back to Verona, you can bet we will be having dinner there!

Time for a couple of random photos of Verona, a heartfelt confession, and we’ll call this post done.

First the confession. I am a lazy blogger, who lives the Quaker philosophy of “when the spirit moves you“. (Okay so that’s one of the only two things I know about Quakers. The other being that they are pacifists. Oh wait. I just thought of one more. Richard Nixon was supposedly a Quaker. But I digress.) The point of that digression is I blog when the spirit moves me. And it didn’t move me last October, during the second half of our trip. It took a frigid January day in New Jersey to get me hankering to revisit those glorious Italian fall days. What could be better than reliving wonderful days in Italy when it is icy outside? Nothing, right?
We were in Verona on day 9 and 10 of a 15 day trip, so who knows? If it is cold again this week, we may just taking another trip down memory lane, to Brixen, Bassano del Grappa and the Dolomites.

Okay, so here are those random Verona photos I promised earlier.

We walked past the mob waiting to get in to see the fake Juliet balcony. What’s with the sticky notes, you ask? The sappy movie erroneously led viewers to believe that the Juliets pluck them from the wall, then answer them. They don’t.

As with most Italian cities, Verona has its share of beautiful buildings, and statues, but hey, just look at what else you can experience while there.

Verona has it all. Go shopping for cannabis “light” first, then wander down to the Colosseum. Yes, Verona has one too. If you get wasted enough, you might actually believe you are in Rome, doing battle with gladiators. One more thing to cross off your bucket list.

Speaking of bucket lists, I sure hope Lombardy is now on yours.

Torino and the Bernina Express

Why visit Torino, a charming little town close to the Swiss border? How about vineyards, apple farms, lakes, mountains, a beautiful cathedral, archaeological sites, cobbled streets and a train station from which you can board a single gauge train? Are those reasons enough?

Enroute from Milan, we stopped at Orrido di Bellano, to view the gorge and waterfall,then headed to Varenna for lunch alongside Lake Como. Dinner was in the wine cellar of a restored old Torino villa.

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The first two days were great and action packed, but the BEST day was the third, when we boarded the Bernina Express. Theoretically, we could have ridden it all the way to St. Mortitz, but instead we disembarked in Diavolezza to take a cable car part way up the mountain to a terrace and restaurant.

The view was spectacular from there, but some of us wanted an even better glimpse of the glacier, so off we went. I was very glad I had packed my hiking boots, because we had to get past a couple of icy patches to reach the summit.

245294A1-0624-4CF4-B5B5-ED6B0DCED501 — From left: me, Ellen, Julie and Elisa. Can you figure out which one is the guide?

What a great place for a photo op!

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