by Krista | Oct 7, 2011 | Fabulous Friday
This morning I woke to shrieking wind and quivering window frames as a humdinger of a storm blew in to Bologna, Italy.
I pulled back my curtains and opened the windows in time to hear thunderous booms and see bursts of lightning as the skies opened and pelted the thirsty ground with much needed rain.
It was a lovely way to wake up. I wrapped a Pashmina around my shoulders and crept out to the kitchen to brew some coffee while the rest of the household slept. Soon I was back in my room, tucked under my fluffy white comforter and watching the storm with a cup of strong Italian coffee to keep me warm.
I’ve had influenza the last couple of days, and my friend Maddalena has taken such good care of me, bringing me fresh fruit, homemade minestrone soup, and letting me rest for hours on a lounge chair in her garden. After a solid ten hour sleep last night I’m feeling much better.
Bologna is Maddalena’s hometown and I have never met anyone so delighted by where they live. Exploring Bologna with her is like having your own personal tour guide, history professor, restaurant critic and best friend all rolled into one.
I can’t wait to tell you more about this place, including why it’s become one of my favorite cities in Italy. In the meantime, here are a few shots of an afternoon stroll we took through this marvelous medieval city.
Where is your favorite place to take people in your hometown?
by Krista | Oct 6, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
As I walked through the woods in Italy with my friend Maddalena, I could hardly believe my eyes at the thousands of wild Cyclamen carpeting the forest floor.
I loved their delicate blossoms pushing up through layers of sharp pine needles, looking so cheery and sprightly against the sea of brown leaves.
They are my happy thoughts as I rest today, taking naps, sipping coffee, and sitting quietly in the sunshine.
What is bringing you joy today?
by Krista | Oct 5, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
There are moments in travel that give me such pangs of happiness and contentment that it almost hurts.
This morning was one of those times.
A treasured snippet of tranquility found in a sun-dappled Italian country garden where I lingered long over breakfast with a dear friend.
I met Maddalena online one day when she found my blog and sent me an email telling her story. Our friendship has grown ever since, fostered by a shared love for a travel and a shared YIPES as we attempt to forge paths for ourselves in this topsy-turvy world.
I was so excited to finally meet her in person this month, and a long, companionable breakfast in the unseasonably warm sunshine was the best way to get all caught up.
We talked of grand adventures and hilarious mishaps as we munched on crispy toast slathered with butter and lingonberry jam.
We discussed books, history, and the best way to grow tomatoes and cabbages as we nibbled sugar-topped pastries and sipped cup after cup of strong Italian coffee.
We spoke of family histories and personal heartaches, cheering each other on as we shared fears and hopes for the years to come.
Then we left our comfy perch in the garden and went for a stroll around the property, delighting in the ground carpeted in tiny purple cyclamen, the sun turning the grape vines a rich gold, and the cozy nest of brown crunchy leaves the pet turtles had made for hibernation.
Although I love exploring the enchanting alleyways of Italian cities, craning my neck to look up at medieval towers, there is something infinitely more precious about a morning in the country and a heart-to-heart talk with a good friend.
What is your favorite way to get caught up with a friend you haven’t seen in a while?
by Krista | Oct 3, 2011 | Bootstrap Monday
Brilliant blue skies and blazing sunshine greeted me and my friends Margo, Katy, Kathy, and Kate as we boarded the train in Domodossola, Italy bound for Switzerland.
I confess I felt quite giddy about our adventure. As a little girl I read about train travel in Europe and my youthful imagination flourished with dreams of wearing tweeds and jaunty hats, sipping tea in the dining car and carrying a carpet bag as I made my way from one fairytale town to the next.
Our journey was nothing like my British-book-inspired dreams, but every bit as wonderful.
We chugged along past flower-trimmed houses, through lush valleys bordered by soaring peaks, and emerged at our first stop: the village of Santa Maria Maggiore.
It is such a pretty little town with the most delightful alleyways leading off to hidden gardens, quiet courtyards, and vegetable patches picked clean of their summer bounty.
There are so many vividly colored buildings in S. Maria Maggiore, covered with richly detailed frescoes and paintwork. In the morning sun they positively glow.
Behind high walls and wrought-iron gates sit elegant manors with perfectly tended gardens, windows shuttered against the glare of early morning light.
I moseyed down a side street and found a walled courtyard filled with crunchy brown leaves and a window that peeked into the back of a lovely old church.
Before long we succumbed to the lure of mid-morning coffee and found a table at a cheery cafe filled with village men gossiping and watching the passersby. Those men had a good thing going! It was the perfect spot for people-watching and the coffee was strong and delicious.
Fortified and rested we continued our wanderings through town, finding more alleys, homes and quirky townsfolk to delight us.
What is your favorite mode of transportation when traveling?
by Krista | Sep 29, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
It emerged out of the haze above us like a mystical castle, its tower etched against the skyline beckoning us to brave the steep, twisting road to find out what it was.
There wasn’t a soul around as Margo, Kathy and I crept tentatively up the unmarked gravel road somewhere high above the wineries of Barolo, Italy. We kept our eyes peeled for ferocious dogs that might be lurking behind a crumbling stone wall ready to pounce on unwanted interlopers.
Thankfully no such beasts appeared so we breathed sighs of relief and continued on our way up to this clearly abandoned and oh-so-enchanting castle, villa, or manor house.
We crossed the ivy-covered and rosemary bordered bridge to the locked metal doors and I peered in a rusty hole to see what I could see.
How I longed to unbolt that door and walk down that tunnel to the courtyard beyond. I wanted to adopt this place, restore the missing windows, tidy up the overgrown gardens, and soften the brick rooms with cozy rugs and overstuffed, comfy furniture.
At last I tore myself away from such dreams and stood on the bridge in awe of the stunning view. A few moments earlier we’d been down in the valley watching folks fill a bright yellow hot air balloon, and there it was! Soaring cheerily over hillsides lined with vineyards.
The building was fronted by wildly prolific brambles and massive fig trees, as well as a tiny vegetable and flower garden tended carefully by someone. Perhaps little Italian elves. 🙂
I wouldn’t mind picking weeds so much if I had this view to look up at. 🙂
All too soon we tore ourselves away from our discovery and headed back down the hill, wondering what this place had been, who had lived there, and what stories those walls held.
What do you think this place was? 🙂
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