lombardy lakes/piemonte peaks
13 april 2002

italian birthdays are the best! i've decided this after spending my birthday in that incredible country for the third consecutive year. it's now officially a tradition. here's how it came about. in order to ease the pain of turning 45, gary promised to take us somewhere on a last minute fare offer. in case nothing of interest appeared, we would go to london since he was due to work there the following week. as it happened, london also came up but we opted for milan. we had to - it's italy. a few hours after he booked our non-refundable tickets, we heard from a friend that there were four italian cities on alert for possible terrorist attacks over the easter weekend. that list included milan. true to my worrying nature, i immediately panicked, cursing the world for being in such a state of unrest. gary, however, refused to buy into it and insisted that we carry on as planned. besides, we didn't necessarily have to stay in the city; we could rent a car and be mobile. So we got out the maps and books and other applicable materials and started to formulate a route. milan has two airports and we saw that malpensa {the one we were flying into}, is actually nowhere near the city. perfect. we would conveniently be able to go to the northern italian countryside. in fact, we were right near lombardy, a region of supposedly beautful lakes, which sounded like a heavenly getaway.

booking a room was not so easy, as it was a holiday weekend and obviously some other travellers had the same idea. so we would go with the flow and figure it out upon arriving. i still don't love this idea but i've gotten a lot more relaxed about it over the years and i have to remind myself that it always works out. it does, you know. at malpensa, we sauntered immediately over to the tourist desk and within a few minutes, the friendly woman there {remember: customer service doesn't exist in holland so we appreciate this when we can experience it}, booked us into a room with a view of lake maggiore, at the foot of the lake in a town called sesto calende. we rented some wheels and it took about a half hour to get there. big score!! this was a great hotel and we were definitely in the best room. actually it was more of a suite and you can't forget you're in italy when you have a black marble floor in your foyer. five minutes later, we called the desk and asked to have it for 3 nights. being surrounded by antiques, with hues of red and gold, and a chandelier, with the lake directly opposite was reason enough to stay put. it was a great base from which to venture forth.

in spite of the grayish mist that hung over the town on saturday morning, the view of the lake was breathtaking as we flung open the balcony doors. the promenade along the lake was buzzing with people strolling and the houses across the lake were most likely villas. italians are serious about strolling and this little town wasn't as sleepy as we first thought. as we stepped out of the hotel, there was a huge plastic giraffe set up for kids to play on and the locals were sipping cappucinos and greeting each other on the street and in the square next to our hotel. by the way, cappucino is only to be drunk before noon; after that it's expresso. gary learned this while working in bologna last year and now wouldn't even think of breaking that rule. for me, it's only tea these days. the town was abuzz, all the shops open, and the cafes had their outside tables ready, welcoming the early spring.

our journey took us along the length of the lake at a moderate pace with views on both sides. lakeside there were boats and paths and benches for observing, and occasionally we spotted a picturesque island just floating in the middle of the water. on the other side of the road, which was actually the side of a mountain, there were many impressive looking villas and the foliage was already out in spite of the altitude. i don't think it was that high but compared to holland, every tiny hill seems like altitude. forsythia was in abundance in the brightest shade of yellow i've ever seen for that bush and there were other bushes teeming with blooms that resembled roses in various tones of reds and pinks. we knew it was too early for roses and i have yet to find out what the name of that elegant flower is. i've never seen it anywhere else so maybe it's specific to the lombardy region of italy. in general the landscape was very different than other parts of italy, although when we stopped in some of the small towns, there were reminders. we ate lunch in a charming lakeside town called connobio, where we had first tried to book a room, and then we walked through the cobbled streets and winding alleyways. we also strode along the promenade, which replaces the piazzas of the larger italian cities. it felt great to fill our lungs with the fresh, yet crisp air of the afternoon. this town had its share of tourists so we didn't regret having to stay in sesto. but it was well worth the drive and it goes without saying that the food was excellent. i still don't know how they do it!! i'll take italian food over french any day of the week. before leaving connobio, gary researched the necessary maps since we were about to get serious and do a hike. we were, after all, in the alps, and ever since we were in the states last year and didn't get around to it, i've wanted to go to the outdoors and just walk. my wish was about to be granted.

we were now in the piemonte region and drove a few short kilometers to a tiny town called st. bartolomeo, where we wound our way around narrow corners and found a parking place next to the church. it was late afternoon and ever so quiet. the air was still cool and the sun still hadn't appeared but it was a nice temperature for walking. the trail took us behind some houses and through verdant woods, which still afforded a grand view of the lake. i couldn't sniff enough of that clean air and felt incredibly energetic as I always do when i'm in the midst of mother nature's treasures. i have truly missed this!! i stopped often to take pictures of those rose like flowers i was fascinated with and when i got the photos back today, i felt the thrill all over again. we only walked for about an hour but it was enough to liven the spirit. this area offers many such trails and i was excited as i knew we had one more day to explore them.

as it grew dark, we drove farther north. we wanted to drive around the lake and our route would take us through switzerland. we crossed the border and there we were in another country. we altered our plan slightly as we somehow managed to lose the lake. we saw that the town of lugano was in the direction we were heading and I remembered hearing something about how nice it was. why not detour? it was completely dark as we arrived but the moonlight spilling onto the lake constrasted beautifully against the black of the night. the lights of the town were twinkling everywhere. there was a mosque like building sitting on the edge of the lake and we weren't sure what it was exactly but it was enveloped in a rich golden light drawing attention to itself. it was fairly serene for a saturday night, even as we walked on the pedestrian mall. we had a light dinner in a comfortable café; our waiter was friendly and entertaining. double whammy. it took us much longer to get back to our little town because we got lost. suddenly the roads were unmarked and we ended up driving through some tiny streets in a town whose name we weren't sure of. but gary has great instinct and my navigating was actually more of a help and less of a hindrance than usual. we eventually got home to our suite and drifted quickly off to sleep.

as I opened my eyes on sunday, the sun was beaming in through the window. i rushed to the balcony and saw the lake bathed in spring sunlight. i somehow knew the birthday gods were smiling down on me and it would be a great day. we parked ourselves at the café next to the water, the sun gloriously warm on our faces. briefly we considered spending the day just hanging out watching the easter scene but i had the ache to get up into those mountains again. we drove on the same road as the day before, the scenery even more impressive with the sun shining. turning off that road and we were climbing already, heading into a massive valley dotted with small villages. up and up we went, zigagging until we got to our starting point, a place called falmenta. from there we walked behind some houses and as they disappeared, we found ourselves in a thick forest just waking up from the long winter. it was not yet green at all and the rocky trail was covered with leaves. to the left, the majestic mountains were still visible. along the trail we found a plaque {in english} telling us that in earlier times, women would come to the area in early spring and graze animals, staying in huts for weeks at a time and then bringing their goods to the lower villages in order to sell or trade. many of these structures are still standing. i kept thinking how alive i felt and the apprehension of aging another year melted away on that trek. i don't think gary was having quite the epiphany but still enjoyed the hike, especially after we reached the top. it was much colder up there but we spent some time taking in the scenery and consulting the map. we could go in many directions to reach other villages but we headed back, blissing the whole way down.

there was still plenty of daylight since we had changed the clock the night before. so we continued through valle cannobina by car, passing through lovely villages situated in the hills. i was wondering why the guide books only mention the hill towns of central italy in tuscany and you don't hear much about this part of the country. it's a great find and if i were writing a guide book.......but then gary had a good point. we should keep this as our secret, otherwise it will become tourist ridden. but i'm telling everyone- this region is definitely worth exploring! the next order of business was very important- stopping for gelato. i had my usual vanilla and pistachio, which would tide me over until dinner. we wanted to go back to sesto calende so that after eating, we could just meander back to the hotel. dinner was scrumptious as expected; pasta with shrimp and grilled veggies. gary had veal with lemon, which he said was to die for. how do they do it? it was the topper to the perfect day.

another beautiful morning inspired us to rise early. i left myself enough time to take a refreshing walk by the lake and through some of the cobbled streets of this gem of a town. we hated to have to leave having discovered what a special region this is. now we know. the feeling and memory of that trip remains with us.

.......here's an update on the house. we closed on 27 march and now we officially own it so we can knock down walls legally. most of the construction work is done and the kitchen has been installed and looks wonderful. our new moving date is 8 may and hopefully it won't change. the latest pics should be up by this weekend. i've been furiously cleaning out closets and getting rid of stuff and that's a good feeling! spring cleaning.

happy spring everyone,

love, deb