Two Little Gems...Lago D'Orta and Ghemme

We have spent the last few days of our adventure visiting Sarah Colombo and her family....her partner Francesco, daughter Giuditta and mother, Franca. FYI....Sarah spent a year with us as an exchange student when our daughters, Sarah and Maia were 17 and 12. So yes....we have an Italian daughter and granddaughter. Sarah and Francesco are wonderful guides. They always choose special little corners to show us in either Piemonte or Lombardia. This trip was no different! The day after we arrived in Gallarate, we drove north and slightly west to a small lake, near the more famous Lago Maggiore. Lago D'Orta is a lovely jewel of a lake surrounded by summer houses and villas. We parked outside the little town of Orta which is situated on a peninsula. In the center of the wooded peninsula is another Sacra montagna...or mountain. In my last post I mentioned that the significance of these "sacred" mountains is that in medieval times they were part of a network along the pilgrimage walk to the Holy Land. There is also a public path around the perimeter of the peninsula, that winds past villas, forests and gardens. We took this lovely path and eventually found our way to the center of Orta... a beautiful piazza, narrow winding streets, lovely shops, bars and restaurants all overlooking the lake and its small jewel of an island, Isola San Giulio.

From the piazza, we took one of the many water taxis to the island.

Here, there is another little church and an ancient convent. We took the Cambio d' Silencio or walk of silence around this small island. It is a meditative walk with little signs highlighting the many benefits of being silent..... very zen. Later we enjoyed a delicious lunch in an Enoteca which is a wine bar, sometimes but not always, specializing in local foods and wines.

It was a lovely way to spend a warm Saturday in September. On our way back to Gallarate, we drove to the top of a small mountain/ ski area where, from the top, we could see 5 surrounding lakes as well as the Swiss and Italian Alps. After all, this is considered to be the Lake district in Italy.. The drive to the top of the mountain is a favorite motorcycle road as well...John particularly enjoyed watching the motorcyles dodge around us as we negotiated the many switchbacks and corners.

Imagine a ski area so high it seems as though you will ski right into a lake.....not only is it a ski area but it is a summer grazing area for local sheep, goats and donkeys.

On Sunday we had a special treat! Francesco's hometown is a little town in Piemonte called Ghemme. Ghemma is known for its very delicious and famous Nebbiolo red wines, its Erbe Luce white wines and its Grappa. These wines are recognized by the Vatican as well as the Queen of England as being very special. The wines, particularly the Nebbiolo, have won many European awards. Each September the local town elders organize a walk through the vineyards that cover the hills surrounding the town. There are stops along the way where the vineyard owners speak and local musicians play traditional songs.

Just imagine all the townspeople.....and I mean people whose families have lived in this town for many generations, gathering in the center of town and slowly walking through the vineyards. In the very center of the vineyards, we found tables set up, wine being passed out as well as local cheeses and salamis.

Mattia and his neice, Martina enjoy the walk through the vineyards.

After this aperitivo, the risotto arrived along with fresh bread, water and of course more wine. Children played among the tables and raced through the surrounding vineyard rows, grandparents chatted, mothers and fathers tended babies, the local musician played his accordian, several couples got up to dance and men arm wrestled and horsed around..... It was a lovely experience, especially as the Americani, we were especially welcomed to the town....that was us!!! Pictures of us were taken for the local paper and we were interviewed! Oh my..... Our language skills..put to the test. Of course Francesco's entire family was there, including his younger brother, Mattia, who spent three weeks with us in August, as well as his mother Serena, father Amadeo and his sister Madelana and her young family.

Late in the afternoon we returned through the vineyards to the village of Ghemme. Along the way Mattia and Francesco...longtime mushroom hunters, spotted some beautiful mushrooms to take home. Mushrooming is a skill passed down from parents to children and Autumn is certainly the season of mushrooms.

Francesco stopped to show us a beautiful view of Ghemme from the surrounding hilltops. It was a typical Fall day, warm with a haze obscuring the beautiful mountains in the distance. But in the air was that delicious smell of ripening ......yellow jackets sipping on fallen apples and grapes hanging in heavy bunches from the vines.

We appreciated this very special experience, spending time with Italian families and friends....not too many American tourists enjoy an experience such as this. It was a wonderful way to spend our last day in Italy. Thank you, thank you .....grazie mille to all of our Italian friends. We'll be back for sure.

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Traveling By Train.....Italy, North by Northwest

Early Tuesday morning, we left the sweet village of Santo Stefano, heading north by northwest to Torino. After closing up the apartment....Shutting off the water and gas, cleaning out the fridge and leaving the apartment spotless, we walked down to the main road...Via Aurelia, to pick up the bus to San Remo. As far as we know, the train no longer stops in Santo Stefano. The old tracks have become the lovely Pista Ciclabile....bike path. Here is a pic of Via Aurelia, a route that has been in existance since Roman times.

The local bus runs along the coast and is usually full. Sometimes it is a squeeze to fit our bags in between our legs. But now, of course we are traveling with fewer bags!

Next stop......San Remo train station where we muddle our way through purchasing tickets.....I have finally discovered that if I write my request on a slip of paper, my destination, the time etc. that the ticket agent, who speaks no english, ..... is much happier with me!

The train from San Remo to Torino heads north through the Alpi Maritime and along the French border. It becomes mountainous very quickly. We pass trough tiny villages clinging to the sides of steep cliffs. We pass through tunnel after tunnel, sometimes chugging quite slowly and then speeding up. We can tell that the track is going in a circular pattern as the train climbs higher and higher. We see other tunnels in the distance and fortress ruins on mountain tops. This area was virtually destroyed during WW2. The tracks and roads were rebuilt after the end of the war. Sometimes the villages are quite picturesque and sometimes they look pretty darn scarey!

Translation: don't cross the tracks!

Finally we are up and over the Alpi and descend into the Po valley, passing through Cuneo, Fossano and Carmagnola before arriving in Torino. Our friend Fabrizio meets us at the station.....we drop off our suitcase....only one now! And immediately head out to visit a sight!

Fabrizio's family has lived in this region and in particular, in Torino for .......well, let's just say from the 1100s, give or take a few years! He is an expert on the history as well as historical sights in and around the Piemontese region. He is a wonderful guide, very informative and knowledgable and he has a great sense of humor. He took us to Parco Valentino along the Po and to a very interesting, recreated....(he called it an Italian disneyworld), medieval village. It was made especially for an exposition in the late 1800s. It included shops, a church, a castle as well as gardens....all authentic copies of buildings around the Piemonte region. Here is a quick peek!

Looking at the outer walls.

Walking the village streets.

The kitchen of the castle.

This is the lord's antechamber where he would have listened to requests and problems brought to him from his villagers as well as other people who lived in his region.

Torino has marvelous museums, historical houses, churches, large piazzas and 11 miles of covered sidewalks. It is one of the only Italian cities with a Roman gate still standing ( above ). Torino is also the location of the Holy Shroud which is kept in the church pictured below...notice the remains of the Roman wall that at one time surrounded the city.

Fabrizio kept us busy with several " field trips" . The next morning we went to the Egyptian Museum which houses the second most extensive collective of Egyptian art, tomb articles, statues etc. in the world. It is hard to imagine a society so fixated on death and the afterlife......but the articles were amazing to see. In the afternoon we drove up into the Vall Susa which is one of several valleys leading into France. There are many little villages, each with a castle perched on the highest spot. This area has been invaded off and on for many hundreds of years. We visited one of the Sacred Mountains......a path of churches and shrines that pilgrims followed to the Holy Land. The initial construction began in 1500AD and was built on the top of a mountain. To reach it, we had to drive up and around to the very top of the peak. Notice on the second picture that the walls are built right on the mountain cliffs.

The views from the top were incredible.

We have been busy visiting friends this week and so I have not had much time to write for the blog. We arrived in Gallarate, just outside of Milano..yesterday. Today we spent the day visiting the beautiful Lago d' Orta which is just to the west of Lago Maggiore. Tomorrow we are going to what I think will be a fall vineyard festival in the town of Ghemme ....a little bit east of here. These festivals are put on by the towns..... My guess is lots of delicious foods and a wee bit of wine tasting. I am hoping to write a few more blogs on our way home on Monday....so check back, I will have a few more stories to tell.

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So Good To Be Back In Santo Stefano!

It is great to be back in Santo Stefano al Mare. It is a little village that hugs the sea along the western Ligurian coast. Here is the little piazza where the old people of the village sit in the evening and families stroll before and after dinner. Kids run and play among the narrow pedonales or walking paths and friends call out to each other.

Around the corner you will find the Verdura and Frutta Negozio, the Macelleria, the Salumeria and the Panetteria. In other words the vegetable and fruit shop, the butcher, the dried meat shop and the bread baker. You will also find a gellateria and a pasticceria or ice cream and pastry shops. Food and drinks are amazingly inexpensive here compared to the US. A good bottle of wine ....4 €, Yesterday we bought a cantelope, 2 carrots, lemons, lettuce, bananas, zucchini, and a bottle of wine for 12€. Even eating out is less expensive.... a delicious dinner for two, including wine.....maybe 30€.

Each little village has a special market day when vendors come from all over to set up their stands. Friday happens to be market day in Santo Stefano. The aroma of cheese is thick in the air, salamis are hanging, just waiting to be cut, shoes, dresses, underwear, tablecloths.....there is a wonderful variety of goods to look at.

Here is our favorite fish monger. He is quite the character! And he sells freshly caught calamari, arselle or tiny clams as well as fish.

 

Here we are heading up the alley to the apartment.

A lovely pista ciclabile or bike path runs through the center of town and you can ride from San Lorenzo to the east all the way to San Remo to the west. The communities along this stretch of the Medditeranean are busy turning the old railway line into a continuous bike path. From the bike path you can access all the beaches along this stretch as well as the little villages that line the shoreline. It is a wonderful way to explore this area of Liguria.

Here is the view of Santo Stefano from the bike path.

On Tuesday we take the train to Torino to visit two dear families....Fabrizio and his wife, Jolanda and then Paolo's sister Carla, her husband Alberto, their son and his wife and new baby. Carla and I drove around northern Italy during that glorious summer when we were both 18. Next Friday we will again get on the train and head to Gallarate, north of Milano to visit, Sarah Colombo, Francesco, their baby Giuditta and Sarah's mom, Franca. Our camera charger was stolen along with lots of other stuff so I will not be taking many pics in the next few days.... We fly home on September 24th.

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When Things Look Up, It's Time to look Out!

Or In other words, a brush with the dark side.....

OK, so you are probably wondering about my title today and I will preface this post by telling you that we are both just fine! .....so now I will tell the story.

Here I am getting ready to leave this lovely little B&B run by a kind and generous englishwoman. This was our last day in Sardenia. We had to check out by 10am but our ferry to Genoa didn't leave until 9pm. Our plan was to say goodbye to Paolo and take off to explore the area known as Costa Smeralda, home of the rich and famous....millionaires, sheiks, fashion models in other words, the jet set.

We spent the morning driving around the northeast tip of Sardenia. The day was glorious as we climbed up and around, along the sea through Baia Sardenia and towards Porto Cervo. Porto Cervo is home to some of the largest boats I have ever seen. It just happened that the Rolex Cup Regatta was taking place this week. These are mega sailboats....some as big as 130 ft. One racing class was the Swan class. These boats are spectacular sailboats with crews of 15 to 20 people. Their masts are about 100 ft tall. When they raise the sails it is an extraordinary sight.

 

Heading out to the start of the race.

Take a look at this boat......There were several docked in the harbor. That's a 100 ft Swan next to it.

We continued on, past Porto Cervo to Porto Rotundo.....and enjoyed a great lunch in the little harbor. Along the way, we passed this resort complex.

Later we stopped at a beach called Golfo Marinella to enjoy a few hours at the beach....the water was the beautiful aqua blue that Sardenia is famous for, stretching far out into the harbor....sparkling and glittering, the sand beneath...so white. Swimming is such a pleasure when the water is just the perfect temperature, no rocks, no dangerous critters........we thought...., as we enjoyed the afternoon. But little did we know that the dangerous creatures were in the seemingly safe, parking lot. Two hours later, we walked back to our rental car and found the rear window of our little Smart car smashed, both suitcases....gone, our iphone in John's pants tucked under the seat....gone, as well as his pants. We literally were stunned. Recovery mode kicked in and I called Paolo, who said he was on his way immediately, from the other side of the island. Meanwhile he told us to call the Polizia, which we did with the help of a kind Italian couple. Then we took stock of what was left. We still had the bag I carry everywhere when we travel. It is literally attached to my shoulder 24/7. It contains all our documents, passports, wallets, ipad, camera, italian phone, money etc. Usually the iphone is in it as well but ....our big mistake was we had become complacent. Yes, we were feeling too safe and thought, what can happen in an hour. Now, we all know something like this can happen just as well anywhere in the world, including our safe little state of Vermont. But we were far from home and not too proficient in the language or procedures. We were told to drive to the police station, which we did. Paolo met us there to lend a hand. We had to fill out a report etc. meanwhile another couple, young and from Lithuania came in. Their rental car had been broken into at another local beach.....they lost everything, clothes as well as all their documents, money and credit cards. If this happens you have to go to your embassy and apply for another passport etc, etc. This incident put things in perspective for us. We at least had our important stuff..minus the iphone of course. Paolo accompanied us to the car rental agency. Yes, we had added the extra insurance package..then to the mall to buy some essentials like toothpaste, underwear and for John....pants as well as chargers for our itaIian phone and ipad.. Then he took us to the ferry. We made it to our cabin and managed to eat dinner on board before the ferry left at 9pm. Our cabin was on the 7th deck. There were hundreds of people on board returning from their vacations in Sardenia. You can reserve a small cabin with bathroom or choose to sleep anywhere on the decks. People race to set up their sleeping bags and air mattresses in favorite spots...or sleep in deck chairs. They stay up late playing cards or doing kareoke. In general they are having a wonderful time together. I have to admit we were exhausted and wired....worried, a little scared and still jittery from our afternoon nightmare. We kept reminding oursleves how lucky we were and how grateful we were to our friends for their help. We spent some time just walking the decks, enjoying the air and the sound of the boat underway....steaming toward Genoa. I always think of the movie, The Black Stallion, when I am on a huge ferry in the middle of the Mediterranean. Luckily, unlike the movie, our trip was uneventful...we really couldn’t handle another major event.

We arrived in Genoa at 9 am and took a taxi to the train station....all the while feeling very tired and concerned about our iphone being stolen. Luckily we had contacted Matt as well as our friend Laura. Matt had the phone stopped so that solved most of our worries. Clothes and shampoo we can buy but we did loose all the gifts we had bought for our grandkids and the gifts we had carried from home for our Italian friends....so sorry everyone....please forgive.

So here we are, at last, in our favorite little Italian town of Santo Stefano between San Remo and Imperia. This is where we spent so much time last year. It's good to be back. Here is a pic of me with the only clothes I have left. And my bag, of course! John bought a pair of Italian pants yesterday. Wow! Tomorrow we shop for a few more clothes....we might just return to Vermont looking Italian!

 

a big thank you again to Paolo and Sarah, our dear friends.

 

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A Full Day

It is tough to go to the market and then to the beach....but that is what we did today. The woman who owns the B&B told us this morning that we just couldn't miss market day in Cannigione. Town market day in Italy is more than a farmer's market. For sure there are plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, locally grown and delicious looking. But also you would expect to see an abundance of cheeses, soft and hard, dried meat such as salamis, bresaola and something called speck which is a hefty looking bacon, roasted porchetta... roasted pork loin all ready to eat, honey and jams, oil, olives, wine and even land snails....uummmmm, delicious. Crawling around.. Like the ones below!

Not only would you find all kinds of food but you would see stalls full of tablecloths, dresses, underwear, jewelry, kitchenware, shoes, bathing suits, collectors knives, t- shirts.....seriously, anything you might want to buy and all at good prices. Today the market was packed with several busloads of tourists as well as the locals. The sun was shining and the sky was blue...Una buona giornata.... A beautiful day!

If you take a look a map of the Mediterranean Sea, you will see two large islands. One is Corsica and belongs to France. You have heard of Napaoleon Bonaparte....he came from Corsica. The other is Sardenia which is south of Corsica. Between Corsica and Sardenia is an archipelago of islands belonging to Italy. These are th e Maddalena Islands, now an Italian National Park. You will notice several large islands but there are dozens od small islands as well. For many years there was a US Navy base on the largest island of Maddelena. Today we took our little Smart car and hopped on the ferry to Maddelena Island. Can you see us?

The crossing to Maddelena from Palau is a major boating channel and this week there is a world class sailing regatta taking place. These boats are big....approximately 100 feet. Through my camera lense, I could see about 15 crew members on this boat.

A vIew of the little harbor of Maddelena Island.

Maddelena is the largest island in the archipelago. There is one main road around the island and Maddelena is connected to the island of Caprere by a causeway. Caprere is where Guiseppi Garibaldi, father of the unification of Italy, lived and is buried. These islands are solid granite. The rock formations are interesting and sometimes amazing. Over thousands of years the wind and water have shaped and sculpted the rocks. These little islands are quite high with cliffs and steep rock formations. As we left the village, we drove past several old forts and ancient stone walls.

And gradually climbed to the top of the island. The views were stunning.

It was a lovely ride around the perimeter of the island. The road was steep and winding and very narrow. We saw lots of bicyclists.....crazy but true. The views made us want to get out for photos at every turn.

We had heard of a small beach on the little island of Caprere, linked to Maddelena by a causeway.

The island of Caprere is more wooded than Maddelena. Pine trees here remind me of umbrellas....they are quite tall and the branches and leaves form a flat, curved umbrella at the top.

As we drove along, the road became more and more narrow with sides dropping down steep cliffs and embankments toward the sea. Finally rounding a curve, we saw cars parked alongside the road and a beach off to the side. This was Calle Portese.....calle means a small bay. Aqua water stretched away out to sea and the sand curved around to form a lovely beach.

Tomorrow we return our rental car at 5pm, then wait around in Olbia....dinner etc., until our overnight ferry leaves at 9 pm. We arrive in Genoa at 8 am and catch an 11 am train to Imperia, then a local bus to the little town of Santo Stefano on the Ligurian coast west of Genoa. It will be a long and complicated day for sure but we will finally get to the little village where we spent so many lovely weeks last year.

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