As Promised; photos from 2010

This is what the area around Monforte d’Alba looks like when the air is clear. The day before these photos we had rain all day; then in the morning we were treated with these views including snow on Mount Viso. This area really looks a lot like Tuscany but has the added beauty of the mountains.

A little later in the morning.

And another direction from the top of Monforte.

We enjoyed our trip and especially our visit with Giuseppe and his family. That was a special treat. Thanks for coming along with us.

Last Day at Lake Iseo

The weather has become totally cloudy, as predicted. We spent the day in Iseo. Again…..we hit Market day! This was a big market and very busy. Lots of folks shopping and having caffé in the morning. By 1 PM….all gone and like a ghost town.

The salad was huge and delicious with lots of arugula and radicchio. As promised, some photos of this beautiful apartment near Iseo. The one window is in a room that is behind a locked door; probably storage.

And our favorite room, the dining room that has a large window looking at the lake. The furnishings here are lovely with rich, elegant fabrics. All the ceilings are wood.

And 2 more funny signs seen during the month. The sign on the church pew was for men, there was another section for singers, but none for women! I guess they are allowed to sit in the unmarked pews.

Wednesday we drive back to the Milan airport area and fly home Thursday. We have been very lucky with weather as this area has had a very rainy summer….everyone talks about it. We never had our rain jackets out and only used umbrellas one day in Cuneo and after lunch today….both were light rains. But, the forecast for the next week is rain everyday; seems like a good time to leave.

After returning home, I am going to post a photo of Monforte d’Alba from our previous visit to show what it looks like in clear weather with the alps in the background.

Monte Isola

There is a large island in Lake Iseo, Monte Isola. There are 4 villages that are accessible by ferry. We chose to go to Carzano on the north shore. We walked from there up to a medieval village and also around to a village on the other side, Siviano. (25 min walk) The weather was fairly clear this morning so the photos are not too bad.

2 Village scenes.

And the surprise for lunch was a Slow Food place….an organization the emphasizes local and fresh food.

The walk up to the medieval village…did it early AND after lunch….a woman stopped to talk to me as I was sketching….she had already made the round trip 3 times and had to go back again to meet her daughter after school. Better than a treadmill!

Big Day, Short Post

Sunday was the big day that we have been waiting for since arriving. We were invited to the vacation home of the young man who stayed with us in our home while he was traveling with Rotary International several years ago. We were delighted to meet his wife and sons. While at our home he prepared a meal for us as he loves to cook and today he prepared a feast for us. After we had the pasta, I was full and thought we were done…..NO! there was still tuna baked with apples in a packet and desert. Whew! I forgot to take a photo of the tuna, but it was delicious. Then came his special tiramisu….a big pan….Some of us even had a second helping. 😃 We spent the afternoon eating on their terrace overlooking a lake. Sunday “Lunches” in Italy last all afternoon! The chef and my driver also enjoyed a bit of homemade grappa. The weather was hazy, but the photos are not bad.

This is of his lake, Endina, as we drove back to Lake Iseo.

Monforte &Iseo

We spent the whole day Friday in Monforte d’Alba. Did sketching and had lunch at a small Osteria. A very quiet and relaxing day. This area of Italy is beautiful and when the air is clear one can see the alps in the background. Unfortunately this time, the air was from the sea and hazy every day. They have begun harvesting the grapes for wine and there are tractors with trailers full of crates of grapes everywhere on these small roads.

Saturday we had our longest drive of the entire trip…182 miles, 3 hours of mostly autostrada. We arrived at Lake Iseo and checked In to a beautiful apartment furnished with a piano and a harpsichord….the owner is a music professor. (Photos on next post….we cannot imagine owning a place like this and renting it out!) We had lunch next door at a restaurant-pizzeria. Had pizzas for dinner too….along with everyone else who lives in the area. A very busy place.

After lunch we drove a few miles to the bigger town of Iseo.

Bossolasco, Serravalle & Entertainment

The day started again with the fog that rolls in from the Ligurian Sea….great for the grapes and it burns off about 11. We read that the village of Bossolasco was one of the prettiest in the area. Yes, it is, but it has been fixed up for their summer tourists. It had the feel of Tuscany.

Serravalle, on the other hand, is very small and very little has been fixed up. We spent most of the day here. There was a “mini market” in the square when we arrived, but did not make a photo. There was a vegetable vendor, one with cheese and sausage and the unusual one that had live birds, mice, gerbils, turtles in various sizes and one snake. Never seen that in all of the market days we have been through.

This is where we had our late morning espresso; nice little place with only 3 tables. They also had a trattoria that looked nice so we returned there for lunch.

Our evening entertainment was just in front of our hotel where 6 roads come together….all are narrow. We heard a lot of commotion, looked out and saw a huge truck trying to make his way through, but there was some problem that would not allow cars to turn right down another street to allow him through. Finally they figured it out, everyone got moving. He let a bunch of cars go past that had been following him for a long way…..I counted at least 35 and quit counting. His truck was way too big for these roads.

Castle Towns

Our first stop was in Serralunga and then on to Castiglione Faletto. Both are tiny towns with massive castles built in the 1300’s.

This is Serralunga from Castiglione. From one villagecan see many of these villages surrounded by vineyards. They all,have a tall tower or tall church steeple. The green areas in this photo are all vineyards.

The church in Monforte is beautiful. A lady was working in the church and offered to turn on the lights so we could make photos. The crystal chandeliers are gorgeous. She said once a year they are lowered for cleaning; what a job that must be! The frescos are very rich. This area, because of the wine industry has a strong economy.

We chose a very tiny place for lunch in Serralunga. Inside there was seating for 10, 2 tables in the piazza, and a few tables on a terrace in back. It was like eating in someone’s home. This lady and her chef are the only ones preparing delicious food. She makes the deserts and Gian Carlo does the rest.

To Barolo Wine Country

It was another PLAN A – PLAN B day. We left Laigueglia for an easy drive, less than 2 hours and mostly on 2 Autostradas. All went well until about 4 miles before the junction of the 2 Autostradas. There was a notice on the board, “A 6 closed, Accident, Seek alternative route.” 😳 EGAD, 4 miles to figure this out and 1 mile was in a tunnel when reading the map was impossible. But, being the good GPS that I am, chose what looked “doable” although it meant driving right through the heart of Savona, a busy port town of 62,000 people. Lucky for us, we found the Blue signs that pointed to Turin (Autostrada signs are Green)…..did not miss any turns, and continued on “red” road that parallels the Autostrada until we were allowed back on. This added 1 hour to our journey; 108 miles….3 hours. Found out later that a truck hauling logs had the accident but no one was hurt badly.

We arrived in Monforte and planned to have lunch before checking in at the hotel….1st place, closed on Tuesday….2nd place, same story….found someone to ask. All restaurants here closed on Tuesday. What???? But you can drive 5 minutes down this road for lunch. Turned out to be a new place run by a young man and lunch was very good. At the table in the photo there were 5 priests and 2 laymen….and they really enjoyed a huge lunch and lots of the great wines of the area. It almost sounds like it should be a joke…..”5 priests and 2 laymen walk into a restaurant…..”

At 3 PM we went to the hotel to check in……hotel closed on Tuesday. What???? A hotel closed???? A phone number on the door, but owner was inside cleaning and let us in. Just so interesting how things work and how flexible one must be. After all that, we went across the street to a bar and had a caffé. It was crowded with a few local people. The ladies that were next to us had left before I got the photo. It was also an Enoteca and we bought a bottle of Barbera d’Alba to take to our room. After tasting all the types of wines from this area, we like the Barbera best.

This is Monforte from our room.

Albenga-Monday

PLAN A: Take 9 min train ride to Albenga. Go to machine at station, coins or credit card. Good; enter info, push PAY button, insert card….nope. No Chip. Not enough coins. PLAN B: Cancel machine, get in car and drive 15 miles, park by old town. Visit Albenga. Train fare for 2, €8.40; Autostrada toll, €4.60.
We could not believe there was a festival on Monday; it was a carry over from Sunday. Beautiful day.

My favorite photo of the 3 weeks here. Pop! she jumped and did it.

After looking around old town we walked about a mile through a residential district to the beach where we found a great place right on the water for lunch. We have a theory, “follow the suits.” The local business people know where there is good food…..this time we were there first, then the “suits” came in.

When we finished lunch, there was a gathering of teenagers on the beach. Not bad; go to school, then go to beach. Not bad.

As we approached the toll booth coming back to Laigueglia, this car was in front of us…..a Lamborghini. Only cost between $350,000 and $385,000. When he sped away it sounded like the Indy 500…..then our little car whinnied as it went from 1st to 2nd gear. Ah, well….