The Dolomites!

From Malcelsine we headed further north into the Italian Alps. Along the way we made a stop in Bolzano to see Otzi the Iceman. Otzi was discovered by German tourists, buried in the ice, in the Otz Valley near Bolzano. They thought he was lost hiker, but upon uncovering his hatchet, realized he had been there awhile. Several countries did independent studies and concluded that Otzi was a mere 5,300 years old. Also preserved in the ice were his clothes, coonskin cap, contents of his stomach, lice on his head, bow & arrows, and other gear. No cameras are allowed in the museum, so if you want to see Otzi simply follow this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ötzi_the_Iceman

Back on the road we arrived in Castelrotto, a little town high in the mountains, dwarfed by the Dolomite peaks. Our apartment was in a little chalet, on a farm called Goldrainerhof. Our hosts spoke no English but luckily one of the other German families staying there spoke English and did some translating. In this part of Italy, schools teach, TV is broadcast, and newspapers are written in German. While most residents can speak Italian, English is hard to come by.

During World War I, major battles were fought high in the Alps for which control of this region was a major objective. By losing the war, Austria’s South Tirol became Italy’s Alto Adige. Mussolini tried to quickly Italianize the region, banning all German references, but fought much resistance. Residents thought Hitler would come to their aide and liberate them, but since he was closely aligned with Musolini, it never happened. Finally in 1939 Musolini gave residents a final choice; move north to become German citizens, or stay put under Italian rule. About 85% made the decision to leave, but with World War II just beginning, only about 1/3 of those actually made it out. After the war and much debate, German and Italian were both made official languages and today each town has two names (our town was Castelrotto in Italian and Kastelruth in German). This area also enjoys more local control over such things as schools, roads, and utilities than any other region in Italy.

Today the tourists here come for one thing it seems…hiking (or skiing depending on the season). The area is littered with ski lifts shuttling hikers every which direction. Each year they host a World Cup skiing event and even hosted the Olympics in 1956. Our first day out had us riding the cable car up to Alpe di Siusi, the largest alpine meadow in Europe (8 miles x 20 miles and up to 6500 feet high). While we rode to the top, we hiked down and managed to get a little lost, but that just adds to the adventure. We also headed up to the Pordoi Pass, taking the cable car there to a peak of almost 10,000 feet. It was a beautiful sunny day in the valley, but very cold and windy at the top. The kids spent most of their time huddled in the shelter with hot chocolate while I tried to grip my camera out on the ledge.

Back at the farm we were lucky to have another German family staying with two kids. The parents spoke English but the kids did not. It was so funny watching them teach Cole to count to 10 in German. Since they already knew 1 to 10 in English, Cole returned the favor by teaching them in Italian. While the kids did there own translating, the parents gave Angie and I a tasting of all the German meats they had brought with them. We also got our fill of meats at the breakfast provided each morning. I just can’t get used to a plate of cold cuts that early in the morning. To make up for all the meats though, they also served fresh milk and homemade yogurt.

The clock tower in Castelrotto.

Our chalet in the mountains.









Winding our way out of the mountains (and I do mean winding), I think between our 2nd and 3rd mountain pass, we stumbled upon a group of mountain goats and a lone donkey clogging up the road.
Too much fresh mountain air.

Malcesine

Malcesine (pronounced Mal-CHAY-zih-nay) is on the north end of Lake Garda where the terrain turns from small hills to big mountains. As you head into this mountainous region you’re in a way leaving Italy. German becomes the first language and Italian the second. (This became even more evident when we continued up to the Dolomites.) Our host, with her two braided pigtails, thankfully spoke pretty good English as well. The town sits right on the lake, with a castle to protect the shores of course. One of the highlights here is to take the gondola from town to the top of the mountain. Somehow we picked the cloudiest time to go up, as we arrived to a thick blanket of clouds (the kids thought that was pretty cool). But what we lost in views we made up for in atmosphere. When we exited the lift you could hear what sounded like wind chimes, but couldn’t see a thing. When a break in the clouds rolled through, we found ourselves surrounded by cows wearing big cowbells. (Watch out for cowpies!) Come to find out, all of the farmers march their herds up to the alpine meadows each spring and then down in the fall. The cows enjoy the cooler temps and wide open pastures. Another thing we really enjoyed about this area (and later the Dolomites) is that Americans do not vacation here. Not that we’ve become anti-American, but we found ourselves totally surrounded by a foreign land. When I asked one of our waiters what percentage of their customers were English, he just laughed.

View off the top of the castle.


Fed by water from the mountains, that water is chilly!

Ella found a little spot in the castle she could take in the views.


An evening concert in the square with the town church looming in the background.
King of the mountain!
More clouds rolling by.


Another castle nearby.

One busy day!

Well we are finally leaving Florence once and for all. It’s felt like home for the last few months but there’s more to see. With a 6:15am alarm, we were standing at the car rental counter when it opened at 8, ready to go. Not knowing how far we would get, we made no hotel reservation for that first night, and let the day unfold. We started towards Bologna where you can find Lamborghini, Ferrari, Pagani, Maserati, and Ducati (motorcycles) all within about 60 miles of each other. We started with a quick walk-through of the Pagani showroom and then headed off to a small town called Maranello. This town is all about one thing, Ferrari. The factory, testing centers, gift shops, and full F1 track, dominate the town. We were surprised to learn that Ferrari produces over 5,000 cars per year. (I thought the number would be a lot smaller.) On top of that, they employ 2,500 people of which over 800 work exclusively on the Formula 1 team. After spending a few hours around the complex we finally got our fill of fast cars. Next it was on to Verona, where we were pleasantly surprised by the charm of this ancient town. For a town over 2,000 years old, the streets were clean, wide, pedestrian-only, and full of unique architecture. The main sight here is the Roman Arena, the third largest in the world. It dates to the first century and seated over 25,000 for the great gladiator battles. Still in use today, it hosts numerous theatre and opera productions each summer. Aside from the numerous squares we fell in love with, another must-see was the homes of Romeo and Juliet. Although fictional characters, Shakespeare used two Verona feuding families, the Montecchi and the Capellos, to write his play about the Montagues and Capulets. While visiting Juliet’s balcony, we were treated to an actual scene acted out from the play. This is one town we’ve vowed to return to and spend more time. As night started to fall, we headed towards Lake Garda, landing in a little town called Lazise. From here it would be a quick 60-minute drive north along the lakeshore to our next hotel in Malcesine.

First Pagani...

...then on to Ferrari.





Four out of five people you saw walking around town were dressed in their Ferrari work uniform.
The Verona Roman Arena.


Oh Romeo...
A little Lazise sunset.

A little pool time is a must before getting back in the car.

Working in Florence

It’s always a pleasant surprise to stumble across my artwork while traveling. The other day we found a great store that didn’t have any but wished it did.  Just a few meters from the Ponte Vecchio we stumbled upon Obsequium, under the Medieval Torre dei Marsili. It is a very upscale retail setting, offering classes, tours, and tastings of some of Italy’s best wines.

Corrado, the owner, was very excited about the idea of showcasing original artwork in his store. He has wonderful relationships with many of the wineries, and was also intrigued with the idea of offering them some pieces as well. For now though, I will focus on a few original pieces that he can display and sell in his store. Needless to say, I have no trouble finding inspiration.

Finishing up in Florence

Florence has certainly come to feel like home and it will be strange leaving tomorrow.  We'll spend the next week working our way towards Venice so it may be a little bit before we are able to touch base again.  Before we go though, I thought I'd share a couple more photos from Florence that I haven't posted yet.  See you in Venice!

The Baptistery, Duomo, and Bell Tower.

Looking up from the courtyard of our apartment at night.
The ceiling in the treasure chest shaped study of Francesco di Medici.
Our local pizza man showing off.







Blogging on the bridge.

On the Ponte Vecchio at night.
Standing under the Ponte Vecchio at dusk.
"Il Porcellino" in the straw market. Rub his nose and you're assured a return to Florence one day.

Piazza Michelangelo