Tag Archives: italy

VIP Priest

21 Jun


Apparently the brother of a local VIP was ordained as priest last week and it has turned out to be the event of the year in my small town.  Everywhere you go there are floral decorations hanging from balconies, from street lamps and from house to house.


Last week-end they held some sort of congratulatory mass service (I think) and there were nuns and priests wandering the streets at all hours of the day in various coloured habits and robes.  In the end I’m not so up-to-date on the church happenings around here but I do love the joy and atmosphere that such an event brings to our small town.

Spirits were pretty high around this little town to say the least.

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Lago d’Orta

3 May

The other day we took a little day trip to a small local lake called Lago d’Orta (30 minutes from our house).  We visited the charming little town of  Orta San Giulio that is located on the eastern bank of the lake.  

The town is full of narrow cobblestoned streets lined with old stone building and beautiful courtyards.  The town’s main piazza looks over the small island Isola San Giulio which is located in the middle of the lake.  In the main piazza there are a few outdoor terraces where you can sit and have a meal or a drink and watch the boats and tourists.  

There is a lovely little walk along the lake which leads out of the town.  From there you can also walk up to the Unesco Heritage site Sacro Monte di Orta (literally the Sacred Mountain of Orta) which is located at the top of Saint Nicolao hill.  As you walk up the hill you can visit the 20 chapels that were built in the 1500/1600’s and are full of beautiful artworks.  From the top there are wonderful views of the lake and surrounding hills and mountains.

If you want to visit Lago d’Orta and stay in style, you definitely have to stay at the luxurious Villa Crespi.  They even have a 2 michelin star awarded restaurant. The villa has a colourful facade and an exotic middle eastern style of architecture (with minaret an all!).Looking towards Isola San Giulio.The colours of Orta San Giulio.

Stone house with wooden roof beams and windowsill plants.

(ps…the season finale of cylce 15 of America’s Next Top Model was shot in this little town. Like you wanted to know that, right?  And why oh why do I know that?).

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La Vecchia Polveriera

23 Mar

So much sickness in our house the last week!  I can feel it’s starting to get better but it has been a long haul.  All of us with various ailments…sore throats, fevers, stomach aches (and all that comes with that…), headache and lots of coughing.  You name it, we’ve had it.  But better now than in a  week when we leave to go to the other side of the world.  I may have even deliberately sneezed on a kid last week so that they’d get it sooner than later.

When my kids stay home sick I usually try to get them outside for some fresh air (it drives the locals nuts – I have been scolded by more than a few old ladies).  Yesterday my daughter and I went for a very long walk in the woods close to our house.  We made our way over to an old abandoned gunpowder factory which we’ve been visiting for years.  It’s an enormous property full of hundreds of old derelict buildings covered with 50 years worth of vegetation.  It’s really beautiful.  And pretty creepy as well.  Right now the leaves are just coming out so in about 2 weeks time it will be an absolute jungle.

In 1935 there was a big explosion that killed many local people.  It was and is one of the worst local tradgedies and it is still talked about today by a lot of the older townfolk who used to work there.

They are now slowly clearing the whole area and have plans to start building houses, apartments, stores etc.  It’s in times like this that I’m grateful for Italian bureacracy and the length of time they take to organise any such project (in other words, I’ll be long dead before any of it actually starts to happen).

Funny to think that I used to walk these same paths almost ten years ago with 2 weeny little babes in baby bjorns (one in front and one in back).  Now I can stroll along with them hand in hand and have philisophical conversations.

Oops.  We saw this on our way out…

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Moleto

4 Mar

This week-end we discovered an amazingly beautiful place that is only 1 hour and 15 minutes from our house.  Some good friends invited us to join them for a day of walks in the vineyards and lunch in the small antique town of Moleto (near Monferrato in Piemonte).  This area is referred to as the Tuscany of Piedmont due to it’s rolling hills, old farmhouses and wonderful landscapes.

After driving through fog as thick as pea soup for about an hour (on the autostrada) we made our way up the hill on narrow curvy roads.  As we approached the little borgo the sun broke through the haze and clouds and we enjoyed a day in the warm sun.

Moleto has a population of 18 and is in the process of being renovated and restored to it’s previous glory.  We visited some of the old houses and the stone floors and ceiling frescoes are absolutey stunning.  All of the houses have a maze of underground caves and grotte which were (and still are) used to age and store the wine produced in the area.

They have opened a great restaurant in Moleto which serves delicious local fare.  We lunched in their outdoor courtyard under a surprisingly hot sun for the 3rd of March (sun umbrellas were needed).  My mother, who is visiting from Canada, kept saying she felt like she was in the middle of a film set because everything was just so idealic.  The food, the weather, the surroundings – the perfect Italian dream image.

The kids loved running around exploring the area on their own.  The grownups loved the 3 hour lunch with delicious food and wine and great company.

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The Tea Party

22 Jan

This morning I noticed that my twin daughters were busily cleaning up and organising their room.  I heard furniture being moved, saw dishes being stolen from the kitchen and noticed their little hands rummaging through our party decoration box.  This is what I found when I finally went upstairs to see what all the commotion was about.Apparently they had decided to have a tea party for their two friends who live next door.

They decided that Pumpkin Spice cake was to be served  (and baked together with their invites). The guests arrived, baked, played then ate.  And were all very happy.  A perfect Sunday afternoon.

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Ghiacciato

22 Jan

The other day I was driving on my way to do some errands and came across this scenery in Piemonte.  The whole countryside was white, frosty and covered in a thin layer of ice.  I felt like I could have been on a back country road in Quebec in the middle of winter.  These photos were taken 15 minutes from my house where it was sunny and no ice or snow was to be seen.

As you can see, the risotto fields are covered in frost and ice.  I don’t know if this will affect the crops this spring but in any case it was a beautiful sight to see.

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Mercatino Usato

17 Jan

Today I discovered, with the help of a friend, a new mercatino usato (second hand shop).  Amazingly enough it is only a 15 minute drive from my house.  Why did I not know of this place this past 10 years!?  It is absolutely gigantic and filled with everything under the sun.  There are buildings upon buildings jam packed with old accordians, wrought iron bed frames, antique cameras, hand painted eggs, ceramic vases, horse saddles, crystal glassware, fireplaces, wash basins, wooden closets/desks/drawers/beds.  Among all the garbage there are treasures to be found.  At one point we were poking through one of the derelict warehouses to find an actual tree growing in the middle of it and poking out of the roof.   Here are a few photos I took incognito while wandering around (never know if these shop owners appreciate people taking photos of their wares).

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