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Arrivederci, Italia!

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(Torino, Italy)

My last two days in Italy were blessed by brilliant sunshine. The first, in Sestriere, was a rather unplanned day off the slopes…but I did enjoy exploring the town and indulging in some local pastries.

Sestriere is a “purpose-built” resort with an unusually high number of cylindrical buildings. Not much character, then, but looking up into the surrounding gleaming mountains does compensate somewhat for the lack of history.  There was an unexpected fireworks display on the last night:  although it is difficult to capture it on camera, it really was impressive to see the fireworks reflecting off the white snow.

One of Sestriere's cylindrical hotels. Note the spiraling windows!
One of Sestriere’s cylindrical hotels. Note the spiraling windows!

We traveled to Turin (Torino) for the final full day in Italy.  I was expecting a city similar to Milan, but I found Turin to be a little more accessible.  There were more affordable indulgences and more elegant architecture:  many streets had arcades to shield you from the sun…something I didn’t see much in the more commercial and hectic Milan.  In a nutshell:  there were lots of appealing opportunities for gelato, pastries and focaccia!  It was only March 19, but for lunch we were able to eat our pizza outdoors.

Dining al fresco in Turin
Dining al fresco in Turin

Dinner was a special treat.  We found a “locals only” restaurant a few streets away from our hotel.  It was family run:  the parents were running the show and the (adult) children were handling the customers.  After 12 days in Italy, I was feeling bold enough to do all of the ordering in Italian.  This was partially out of necessity:  there was no English menu here.  We also lived on the edge, as we didn’t necessarily know what we were ordering. I knew enough Italian to avoid trippa (tripe) and our appetizer of insalata verde (green salad) was obvious enough…but we didn’t truly know what would show up for our main courses.   No worries – our pasta dishes were delicious and we had lots of the real parmigiano reggiano cheese to go with them.

My pizza capricciosa; I was so hungry (and it was so good) that I ate it in about 30 seconds after taking this picture
My pizza capricciosa in Turin; I was so hungry (and it was so good) that I ate it in about 30 seconds after taking this picture

For dessert, we took an even more daring approach.  Reasoning that the most expensive dessert would also be the best, we threw caution to the wind and ordered the mysteriously-named (so mysterious that I cannot remember it) house specialty.  Great call:  we enjoyed a phenomenal dessert with hazelnut liqueur and dark chocolate in various forms.  How much did we enjoy dinner? I completely forgot to take pictures of the food!

Downtown Turin
Downtown Turin

While we were only there for about a day, we left with a very positive impression of Turin…even if that was based mostly on the food.  The only negative was that people seemed to smoke a lot here:  no smoking was permitted inside but some of the more crowded areas downtown were a little unpleasant after being in the fresh air of the Cinque Terre and the Italian Alps for nearly two weeks.

I didn't expect to come across a tango festival in Turin!
I didn’t expect to come across a tango festival in Turin!

Thus endeth another Italian ski adventure.  On our last night in Sestriere, we had a meeting and decided on the venues for next year’s ski camp.  I’ll keep it a secret for now…however, given how much we enjoyed Cortina d’Ampezzo and Val Gardena, I am reasonably certain that next year’s choices (in two different countries) will be great as well.

Stay tuned for some Canadian content!

Posts from the road

Skiing Italy’s Milky Way – Part 4 (The Final Chapter)

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(Sestriere, Italy)

The stage was set:  after exploring the Milky Way ski region for 4 days and confirming the logistics involved, our 5th day would be spent on an epic round-trip journey on skis to Montgenevre, France.

But it wasn’t.  We awoke to yet another snowstorm and made the difficult decision to stay closer to Sestriere.  It just didn’t make sense to ski all the way to France without being able to see anything.

Pausing mid-morning before resuming an attack on the "Kandahar" Olympic downhill slope
Pausing mid-morning at a plateau before resuming an attack on the “Kandahar” Olympic downhill slope

Instead, we returned to the nearby Borgata area and set about exploring some of the pistes that we hadn’t seen back on Day 1.  Something cool happened:  while the top of the mountain was shrouded in snow and had essentially no visibility, the bottom half (which could only be reached by skiing all the way down from the top) was actually relatively clear even though it also had been blanketed with tons of fresh snow.  Thus, if you were willing to endure some blind skiing up top, you were rewarded with amazing conditions at the bottom.

The Club Med village at Pragelato
The Club Med village at Pragelato

We stumbled upon the “Kandahar” (Banchetta Nasi) piste early and took the plunge.  This was the 2006 Olympic men’s downhill course and the buckets of snow made it an exhilarating ride.  We returned to it often, thoroughly enjoying conditions that are rarely associated with on-piste skiing.

We decided to ski to the village of Pragelato for lunch.  The lone piste to the village was a winter wonderland; nowhere near the Kandahar in terms of difficulty but nonetheless incredibly scenic as it slowly wound through the snow-blanketed forest to the valley.  Alas, Pragelato turned out to be a Club Med village…with very formally dressed staff and steep lunch prices for non-guests.  We ate instead at a more humble place back on the Borgata slopes.

My lunch: potatoes, bacon, cheese, egg...
My prototypical Alpine lunch: potatoes, bacon, cheese, egg…

While the Kandahar piste remained excellent for the rest of the day and we returned to it periodically,  the sun eventually emerged over the entire area and my posse found even more stunning deep powder conditions on pistes that had been marked as closed or had simply been overlooked by everybody else.   When looking at the next two pictures (as well as the photo at the very top of this post), remember that these pistes had been groomed overnight:  these photos were all taken in the afternoon!   As you can see, there was nobody else around.

Believe it or not: this is on-piste in the afternoon above Borgata
Believe it or not: this is on-piste in the afternoon above Borgata

Access to this kind of skiing is usually only by helicopter…and yet, we were able to have the same experience for the price of a simple lift ticket.  We were incredibly fortunate.

And then, on the last run of the day, shadows began to fall on the slopes.  I was within sight of Sestriere village when I planned a turn through what I thought was yet another stash of powder.  Alas, the low light was playing tricks on me and it was not powder at all.  I didn’t realize this until the last second and took an awkward stumble.  To make a long story short, I decided that I should not risk a more permanent injury by skiing the next day with a stiff shoulder and neck.

More on-piste (!) skiing in the sunny afternoon above Borgata...begging to be captured on film for posterity
More on-piste (!) skiing in the sunny afternoon above Borgata…begging to be captured on film for posterity

I was more than a little frustrated at the time.  However, as I type this, I realize that I did have a remarkable 5 days of skiing…and it was probably equivalent to 10 days of skiing in “normal” circumstances.  Taking it easy the next day also ensured that I could enjoy the last two days of my holiday.

Stay tuned for the final post from my trip to Italy!

Posts from the road

Skiing Italy’s Milky Way – Part 3 (Another Blizzard!)

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(Sestriere, Italy)

Day 4 on the Milky Way slopes was set aside for a journey by skis to the resort of Claviere on the French border.  It all made sense: we would speed through Sansicario (familiar to us from Day 3) and travel through Cesana Torinese on the way to Claviere, thus setting the stage for a trip to Montgenevre (in France) on our 5th day of skiing.  There was just one thing we did not count on:  another blizzard.

Old house near one of the lifts above Cesana Torinese
Old building near one of the lifts above Cesana Torinese

Everything looked good at first:  we roared down the familiar Olympica piste at Sansicario and at Cesana Torinese we enjoyed the novelty of taking a chair lift above both a major river and a highway.  However, by the time we got onto the 3rd (and final) chairlift above Cesana Torinese, we couldn’t even see the chair in front of us.   Amazingly, it got worse.

At the top of the Claviere area, several lifts (including the 3rd lift from Cesana Torinese) converge and several pistes branch off in various directions.  The problem:  we couldn’t see *any* of them.  We had to walk in a big circle to figure out where the pistes were located…and then figure out which one went down to the actual resort of Claviere.

This piste just above Cesana Torinese was easy enough that we could take pictures while skiing...but at least we could see!
This piste just above Cesana Torinese was so flat that we could take pictures while skiing…but at least we could see!

Skiing blind in whiteout conditions on slopes you’ve never seen is not ideal.  Presumably because my jacket’s colour is “creamsicle orange”, I was nominated to lead the way.   Well, skiing blind is a very good way to remember to bend your knees.  It is essential because you do not know if you are going to hit a mogul (or encounter any change in pitch) until after you’ve hit it.  If your knees are not bent for shock absorption, you will become involuntarily (and very ungracefully) airborne at the first unexpected bump.

This is about halfway up the mountain at Claviere...the visibility got worse at the top!
This was taken at lunchtime, about halfway up the mountain at Claviere.  Yes, this picture is in focus…and the visibility got worse at the top!

It wasn’t all bad.  As we descended the abandoned slopes toward the village, we naturally found lots of deep powder and even gained a tiny bit of visibility.  Despite skiing a number of pistes, however, we cannot truly say that we have *seen* the slopes of Claviere.  We only *felt* them.   We decided to take an early lunch, in the hopes that the blizzard might clear while we were eating.  No such luck…but we made an excellent choice for lunch!

Claviere's excellent La Coche restaurant
Claviere’s excellent Baita La Coche restaurant – nobody eating on the sun terrace today

We ate at Baita La Coche, a family-run restaurant approximately one-third of the way up the mountain from the base of Claviere.   I saw polenta e salsiccia on the menu, although I was skeptical that it would live up to my expectations.  Wrong!  It was even better than the one I had on the first day of skiing!  I had a cioccolato calda (hot chocolate) to go with it, as I had a bit of a chill from the blizzard.  It was deliciously dark chocolate and warmed me up very well, but it certainly couldn’t wash down my polenta:  it was more like hot pudding.  My spoon couldn’t reach the bottom because the chocolate was so thick!

Another delicious lunch of polenta e salsiccia...with some seriously thick cioccolato calda!
Another delicious lunch of polenta e salsiccia…with some seriously thick cioccolato calda!

Because the visibility at Claviere seemed to be getting even worse, we decided to be prudent and return to Sansicario (which kept us close to our base in Sestriere).  We didn’t want to miss the last lift home in conditions like these!

Back in Sansicario, the blizzard still raged but the visibility was a little better.  With the slopes here also being empty, we enjoyed some absolutely brilliant (and on-piste!) deep mid-afternoon powder.  This is unusual in itself, but almost unheard of in the latter half of March when ice and unwanted moguls can predominate.  Once again, we whooped and hollered like little kids as we sliced and bounded through the somewhat visible snow.  There’s nothing like fresh snow to keep you young!

My posse climbing over the pass from Sansicario to Sestriere at the end of the day
My posse climbing over the pass from Sansicario to Sestriere at the end of the day…it is still snowing heavily!

Stay tuned for more:  would the weather clear so that we could actually see Claviere and then finally make it to France on skis?

Posts from the road

Skiing Italy’s Milky Way – Part 2 (Here Comes the Sun!)

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(Sestriere, Italy)

After two days of snow, we awoke to a brilliantly sunny sky for our third day of skiing.  Today’s mission:  to thoroughly explore the Sansicario ski area, located to the northwest of Sestriere.

Isolated slopes above Sestriere
Isolated slopes above Sestriere

Looking at the piste map, the main attraction here was the Olympica – the women’s downhill course at the 2006 Olympics.  As we had hoped, this long piste was steep, straight and still covered with lots of fresh snow.   Even though it was the most direct route down to the actual resort of Sansicario, it was wide enough to accommodate substantial traffic and still retain abundant stashes of untracked powder.

Our lunch venue above the resort of Sansicario
Our lunch venue above the resort of Sansicario

While this was our favourite run today, the day was really devoted to enjoying the beauty of the snowy Alps under a brilliant March sun.  There were long pistes winding through the woods…where we would be the only skiers for 10 minutes or more.  It is hard to imagine this happening in North America:  we certainly did not expect sunny silence and isolation at a major resort that had recently hosted the Olympics.

Lunch al fresco under Monte Rotta, overlooking Sansicario
Lunch al fresco under Monte Rotta, overlooking Sansicario

Lunch was at a strategically situated restaurant about one-third of the way down from the top of the mountain.  We were able to get an outdoor table at the edge of the balcony, gleaming in the sun and overlooking the rest of the area.  The food was simple (“Milanese”, better known as Wienerschnitzel) but satisfying.  We ate at a very leisurely pace, thoroughly feeling as if we were living la dolce vita.

Taken before the last run of the day, just above Sestriere
Taken before the last run of the day, just above Sestriere

Despite the leisurely lunch, we must have skied on virtually every Sansicario piste by the end of the day.   While we cut loose a little bit when we skied on Olympica, we didn’t work too hard for the most part.  We did, however, manage to scope out the next day’s route:  in order to ski to France, we would have to ski beyond Sansicario through Cesane Torinese and then Claviere.  Given the distances involved (the French resort of Montgenevre lay beyond the Italian border town of Claviere), we would not be able to make any navigational mistakes if we were to ski to France and make it back to Sestriere before the lifts closed.

Stay tuned to see if we will achieve our goal!

Posts from the road

Skiing Italy’s Milky Way – Part 1

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(Sestriere, Italy)

We will be spending six days on the slopes of Italy’s Via Lattea (literally, the Milky Way), a huge ski area connecting 6 resorts in Italy and France that hosted the skiing events of the 2006 Winter Olympics.  Our base is the purpose-built resort of Sestriere, located at the eastern end of the Milky Way.   The Sestriere/Borgata ski area is right above the resort; from the resort itself, you can also take a gondola to the top of the Sauze d’Oulx and Sansicario ski areas.

Continuing west from Sansicario are the Cesana Torinese and Claviere resorts in Italy and finally the Montgenèvre resort in France.  This is a huge interconnected ski area, all for a fraction of the cost of skiing at one of the major resorts in western Canada or the U.S.A.  Our challenge was to conquer the area and, conditions permitting, complete at least one international ski circuit.

Commemorating the 2006 Winter Olympics in Sestriere...still some fog!
Commemorating the 2006 Winter Olympics in Sestriere…still some fog!

Our first day was spent primarily in the Borgata area.   The weather conditions could best be described as “snowy and foggy”:  there was lots of powder on the slopes, but it was difficult to see much more than a few feet ahead.  Even more difficult was skiing with improperly fitted bindings!  I always bring my own ski boots to Europe, to prevent blisters and other discomforts, but I usually rent my skis for the week in the resort.  Unfortunately, as my boots kept sliding out of my bindings, I had to return to the rental shop after only a few minutes on the slopes.  The owner was very apologetic and recognized his staff’s error immediately.  It was a bit of a frustrating start but, on the other hand, skiing was extremely easy once the problem had been fixed!

Some of the apres-ski scene in the later afternoon at Sestriere
Some of the apres-ski scene in the later afternoon at Sestriere

The visibility was a little better on the lower slopes, where the fog was not quite as heavy, and I enjoyed a hearty lunch of polenta e salsiccia at a mountain restaurant.  I find ordinary polenta somewhat bland, but this dish combined polenta with a tasty tomato sauce and some local sausage.   The afternoon’s skiing was better, even though (or perhaps because) it continued to snow heavily, and we all looked forward to waking up the next day to deep fields of powder and brilliant Southern Alps sun.

Polenta e Salsiccia
Polenta e Salsiccia

Our second day of skiing took us to the Sauze d’Oulx ski region.  Alas, neither the snow nor the fog had lifted:  as a result, we struggled with visibility near the top of the resort but enjoyed some epic powder runs (on-piste!) at slightly lower elevations in the morning.  This was my kind of skiing:  snow flying with every turn but a complete absence of any scraping or skidding.   These definitely were not eastern Canadian ski conditions!  While we went off-piste a little bit, the conditions really were excellent on the pistes themselves and it wasn’t truly necessary to leave them.  As with many resorts, the Via Lattea slopes are less busy on weekdays…especially when the sun isn’t shining.

The fog starts to clear at the end of the day, above Sestriere
The fog starts to clear for the posse at the end of the day

Well, we did leave the officially open pistes once more in the late afternoon when the sun finally appeared.  As we were riding a lift to the top of the Sauze d’Oulx area, an allegedly closed piste emerged from the fog and demanded that we give it a try.  Try it we did…and we immediately declared Piste #25 (“Canale Colo”) the current holder of the Traumpiste (“dream run”) title.   There was joyous whooping and hollering as we attacked the deep, soft and virtually untracked snow.  It was an exhilarating late-day surprise and we resolved to return later in the week.  Surely the newly-emergent sun would return the next day, so we could enjoy these fabulous conditions from top to bottom with spectacular views as well?

Looking towards Sestriere - our hotel is at the top left of the village
Looking towards Sestriere – our “cruise ship” hotel is at the top left of the village

Stay tuned to find out what happens on our journey to Sansicario…and beyond!

Posts from the road

From Vernazza to Sestriere

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(Sestriere, Italy)

My last dinner in Vernazza was an adventure.  I went to a local restaurant called Antica Osteria il Baretto that specialized in traditional cuisine.  However, the traditional specialties here are seafood (particularly acciughe, or anchovies) and pesto.  Those of you who know me will appreciate that a garlic-laden sauce such as pesto is not something I typically enjoy.   While I will eat shrimp, fish and chips, and perhaps lobster or crab, I really don’t eat much seafood at all.

View of Vernazza, near the start of the trail to Corniglia
View of Vernazza, near the start of the trail to Corniglia

However, I was determined to eat local and decided to order a fritto mista (mixed fry) of local seafood.  This consisted of deep fried squid,  anchovies, and some kind of miniature octopus.  The sum total of my previous experience with those foods was having a couple of pieces of calamari on one occasion.  Before I could reconsider my choice, the plate was on my table.  Armed only with a large wedge of lemon, I dived in.

My bold adventure in Cinque Terre cuisine: fritto mista
My bold adventure in Cinque Terre cuisine: fritto mista

I felt like “Mikey” from those old TV commercials for Life Cereal.  As it turned out, the anchovies were not the harsh and salty ones to which North Americans have become accustomed.  They were actually quite mild and went well with the lemon.  I completely cleaned the plate, save for a couple of anchovy tails and a lemon rind.

Being somewhat proud of my achievement, I decided to try the Sciacchetrà dessert wine that had tasted so good in my gelato a couple of days before.  It was served with some biscotti (for dipping!) and was an absolutely delicious way to end my adventurous meal.  If you enjoy white port, you will almost certainly enjoy Sciacchetrà.

Grape harvesting "monorail" on the terraces high above Vernazza
Grape harvesting “monorail” on the terraces high above Vernazza

Evenings are quiet in the Cinque Terre, in the off-season at least, as relatively few tourists actually stay in the towns.  In order to capture the tranquility of this time of year, I took some photographs from the harbour as the sun went down:  there is one at the top of this post.

The next morning, I went to the local bakery and loaded up on pastries and focaccia.  It was going to be a long journey from Vernazza to Sestriere:  I would change trains in both La Spezia and Torino before transferring to a bus in Oulx.

Another view of the Cinque Terre coast, from the hiking trail between Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza
Another view of the Cinque Terre coast, from the hiking trail between Monterosso al Mare and Vernazza

I was expecting some drama on this odyssey, as my train into the Cinque Terre had been more than 2 hours late.  However, the train journeys ended up being uneventful and on time.  There was some mild excitement in Oulx as the bus ticket had to be bought from a coffee shop and there was no information on which bus was actually going to Sestriere…but it all worked out in the end and I enjoyed being the only passenger.

This is the first picture I took in Sestriere: it is from the balcony of my hotel room
This is the first picture I took in Sestriere: it is from the balcony of my hotel room

In Sestriere, I am staying in the Palace Residence 2:  I liken it to going on a week-long cruise on a very large ship.  There is entertainment every night, a bunch of social activity organizers, reserved tables for meals…the only thing differentiating it from a cruise is the fact that I will be skiing during the day instead of taking shore excursions.

This is also the point where I met up with my ski posse for the next week.  We’re all very happy to be skiing again in Italy and are all looking forward to some extensive slope time over the next six days.  Let’s hope the weather cooperates!

Posts from the road

The non-tower parts of Pisa (and a quick visit to Lucca)

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(Lucca, Italy)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is not the only reason to visit Pisa.  I quite liked the city:  it is about the same size as Kingston and has the same “old college town” vibe.  It is located in the Tuscany region of Italy and many parts of the old town are reminiscent of Florence.

The Leaning Tower is located at the Campo dei Miracoli (“Field of Miracles”) at the northern end of downtown Pisa.  Amazingly, the Leaning Tower is not the only leaning building here:  the Baptistery building also leans visibly, although the tilt is much less than that of the Tower.

The (only slightly leaning) Baptistery on the Campo dei Miracoli, Pisa
The (only slightly leaning) Baptistery on the Campo dei Miracoli, Pisa

The third major building in the Campo dei Miracoli is the Duomo.  Admission to the Duomo was included with my ticket to the Tower, so I went inside and took a look around.  It is filled with art but it also has a massive and intricate pulpit.  Although it was not apparent to me, it is said that the Duomo also leans slightly.

After leaving the throngs of tourists at the Campo dei Miracoli behind, I headed back to the true downtown core of Pisa.  Along the way, I admit that I temporarily abandoned my pure Italian diet and had a “Panino Kebab” for lunch.  However, I redeemed myself by stopping at La Bottega del Gelato on the Piazza Garibaldi.

The Duomo with the Leaning Tower in the background
The Duomo with the Leaning Tower in the background

This was the best gelato I’ve had so far in Italy.  I chose a cone with cioccolato and liquirizia (chocolate and licorice) flavours and enjoyed it on the sunny (but not too hot) piazza.  A three-piece acoustic band, playing in the style of Django Reinhardt, provided the musical entertainment.  It was one of those “classic” travel moments that you often read about but rarely actually experience:  slowly enjoying a gourmet gelato in a Tuscan piazza to the accompaniment of unobtrusive local musicians.  Time slowed down for me and everything seemed to be absolutely perfect.

La Bottega del Gelato - awesome gelato in Pisa
La Bottega del Gelato – awesome gelato in Pisa

After I finally finished the cone (and briefly contemplated getting another one), I wandered over to the site of a vinyl record shop.  As with many shops in Italy, it was closed from 1:00 until 4:00 p.m.  I decided not to wait until it reopened; instead, I went to the train station and played “transport lotto”:  I would visit another local town, based entirely on where the next train from Pisa was going.  The winner?  Lucca, just a few miles to the northeast.

Street musicians on the Piazza Garibaldi, just opposite La Bottega del Gelato
Street musicians on the Piazza Garibaldi, just opposite La Bottega del Gelato

Lucca is another Tuscan town that shows up in a number of travel guides.  There are no “bucket list” sights here but the old town is completely surrounded by an immense fortified wall.  This wall probably explains why the historic old town is so intact:  Lucca was never attacked despite being within striking distance of both Pisa and Florence.

One of the streets just off the Campo dei Miracoli in Pisa, Italy
One of the streets just off the Campo dei Miracoli in Pisa, Italy

The key Lucca experience is to walk around the old town on the wall.  It is somewhat like the Great Wall of China that way, except that walking on Lucca’s wall appears to be much easier:  once you are on top of the wall, it is essentially flat all the way around.  Lucca’s old town is quaint but difficult to photograph:  the streets are very narrow and most of the buildings have several storeys.

Walking on top of the wall around the old city of Lucca, Italy
Walking on top of the wall around the old city of Lucca, Italy

After walking most of the wall, I cut through town on the main shopping street.  Stores were opening up after the mid-day break and it might have been a good place to do some non-touristic shopping…had I needed anything.  However, I am traveling light on this trip and any shopping will have to be last-minute.

Stay tuned for my last night in the Cinque Terre and my journey to ski country!

Posts from the road

Climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa!

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(Pisa, Italy)

I decided to take a break from the arduous climbing in the Cinque Terre to go to the big city…and do some more arduous climbing!

Pisa is not very far from the Cinque Terre.  Although Pisa is a beautiful city and has an extremely old university…it is best known for an engineering misadventure. I had to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa for myself, to see what all the fuss was about. I had also heard that you could go to the very top of the tower.  Wouldn’t that be something?

The Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Rather than be tied down to a specific time (you can buy a ticket for a specific time slot in advance), I decided that I would just show up.  March is the off-season, so I decided to let fate have its way.  If it was meant to be, then I would do it. Even in the off-season, Pisa gets thousands of visitors a day and they cannot all climb the tower. To balance supply and demand, there is a relatively steep fee. Having come this far, I decided that the fee was worth it.  How many other people would reach the same conclusion?

The belfry (upper) and main (lower) observation levels of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
The belfry (upper) and main (lower) observation levels of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

It was 11:30 a.m. by the time I got to the Tower site. I asked if there might be any tickets left for the rest of the day, expecting that I would be assigned a time slot of something like 4:45 p.m. However, much to my surprise, I was told that I could go up at 11:45 a.m.! I had no time to think about it – the time was now!

The Baptistery and the Duomo, as seen from the Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Baptistery and the Duomo, as seen from the Leaning Tower of Pisa

My first impression was:  is this for real?  It is *really* leaning and it is also very tall (around 57 metres).  It is tall enough that the “lean” is about 15 feet!  The lean became apparent during construction:  the culprit was soft land on one side that was insufficient to hold the tower’s weight.  As there were also a number of delays (construction was in three stages and took almost 200 years), new architects became involved and you can see that the 4th tier from the ground was intended to correct the tilt.

Looking down on the people in the Campo dei Miracoli, from the "low" side of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Looking down on the people in the Campo dei Miracoli, from the “low” side of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

After an airport-style security check, I was climbing the tower.  The first thing that became apparent is that the entire tower is crooked…including the stairs.  They are made from marble and are rather slippery.  They also have been “grooved” from the many people who have climbed the tower over the years.  It was quite disorienting to climb it:  I caught myself laughing a couple of times because it was such an unusual sensation.

Looking down the main stairs inside the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Looking down the main stairs inside the Leaning Tower of Pisa

When I reached the main observation level after climbing about 300 steps, I was a little concerned about the fact that there was no solid wall or barricade.  There is only a (presumably strong) wire fence, which is great for views  but also reinforces that you are about 50 metres above the ground and that the floor is significantly tilting. The deck is also only a few feet wide.   The “up” side wasn’t too bad but the “down” side felt very unnatural and, yes, rather scary.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a prime location for "selfies"...this one is on the "higher" side of the tower
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a prime location for “selfies”…this one is on the “higher” side of the tower

The views were striking but there was more:   the stairway to the belfry was also open.  These stairs were even narrower.  The belfry level has better views but is even scarier, as the “deck” is actually terraced and each “step” is probably only about a foot wide.  Scariest of all was the “down” side of the belfry level.  I walked around twice, with very careful steps, and retreated to the relatively secure main level.  I stress “relative”.

The Leaning Tower and the Duomo
The Leaning Tower and the Duomo

After a few more circuits around the observation level, I was craving level ground and descended quickly to the linear and perpendicular world.  It’s incredible how disorienting even a slight tilt can be.  I’m so glad that I climbed the tower and experienced an iconic structure in such a direct way…but I also emerged with a newfound respect for engineering and proper planning!

Posts from the road

Hike from Vernazza to Corniglia

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(Vernazza, Italy)

On the same day that I punished myself by walking from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare…and back again…I decided to make the trek from Vernazza to Corniglia. In retrospect, the logic is not clear. However, the best I can do is say that if Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare was the most difficult section, I probably thought the next most difficult section would seem like a piece of cake.

Wrong. The sun was still very warm overhead and the first segment out of Vernazza ended up being nasty. It might have been slightly more gradual, but I’m sure that it went higher up. To summarize: it was a hot, endless climb that made me think a reward of gelato was not going to cut it this time.

Cactus extravaganza between Vernazza and Corniglia
Cactus extravaganza between Vernazza and Corniglia

To be fair, I didn’t make it easy on myself.  As with the day’s previous hikes, I ended up doing the trail faster than the “standard time”.  However, I also thought that if I stopped for too long, my legs would stiffen up and I wouldn’t be able to get moving again.  I decided to press on…forgetting that this would merely delay the stiffening to another time.

Clementine tree (left) and my first lemon tree (right), just outside Corniglia
Clementine tree (left) and my first lemon tree (right), just outside Corniglia

The terrain was definitely different from the Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare section.  I was treated to an impressive display of cactus, followed by a variety of citrus trees.  I’ve never seen lemon trees before:  I certainly made up for it on this segment!  I commemorated the occasion by taking a photograph of a lemon tree and a clementine tree standing beside each other.

Approaching the village of Corniglia, just beyond the lemon trees
Approaching the village of Corniglia, just beyond the lemon trees

Although it was little more than an hour after departure that I reached Corniglia, it seemed like much more.  I wasn’t expecting much:  my guidebook drew an analogy betweeb Cinque Terre and the Beatles…and suggested that “Corniglia is Ringo”.  However, I thought it was a charming little place with crazily winding and narrow streets and an abundance of gelato.

It was hard to decide on a reward but I ultimately remembered my fascination with the lemon trees.  When I saw one of the gelaterias also offering a “granita of local lemons”, I was sold.  The granita was like a slushee but with a proper fresh lemon flavour.  It was delicious and I was seriously tempted to buy another one.

My local lemon granita and the place it came from (Corniglia, Italy)
My local lemon granita and the place it came from (Corniglia, Italy)

I also needed to get back to Vernazza for dinner…but there was no way I was going to walk back.  That’s just crazy talk!  While Corniglia has a train station, it is located below the village.  How much below?  Well, Corniglia is the only Cinque Terre town that is not located right on the water.  So there are *365* stair steps leading down to the train station…plus an inclined street or two.  At least I had the sense to take the train from Corniglia rather than to Corniglia…I would have had to climb those 365 steps before even starting my hike.  I passed some very sad looking people on the way down.

How cozy is Corniglia? This, looking straight ahead, is the main street!
How cozy is Corniglia? This, looking straight ahead, is the main street!

As a base for the Cinque Terre, Corniglia loses points for its poor transit connections (although you can take an inexpensive  shuttle bus from the main square to the train station).   But it is still appealing, especially if you really want to get away from it all.

Looking away from downtown Corniglia to the suburbs
Looking away from downtown Corniglia to the suburbs

After all of that walking, a dinner treat was in order.  I went to Trattoria da Sandro and had a vegetable-filled ravioli in a walnut sauce.  I had never had walnut sauce before, let alone on pasta, but it was very good.  Given the calories burned during the day, having apple cake for dessert just seemed like the right thing to do.

Coming soon:  the ultimate vertigo experience!

Posts from the road

Hike from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare

(Vernazza, Italy)

“Go Big or Go Home” is a phrase that has come into vogue recently. Perhaps the Zeitgeist was affecting my decision-making, as I decided to tackle the most challenging of the Cinque Terre trails first. I set off from Vernazza for the neghbouring village of Monterosso al Mare, knowing only that it should take about 90 minutes and that it was very difficult. If it was only 90 minutes, how difficult could it be?  I often walk for hours when I am traveling.

First glimpse of Monterosso al Mare from the coastal trail
First glimpse of Monterosso al Mare from the coastal trail

Answer:  Those 90 minutes could be very difficult indeed.  While both villages are on the water, there are very large cliffs in between…thus necessitating the “Haute Route”.   This means ascending very very steep slopes in a very very short distance.  The trail is narrow and rocky with all kinds of dangers.  It’s fun but you really have to be on your guard.

I crossed this ancient stone bridge shortly before arriving in Monterosso al Mare
I crossed this ancient stone bridge shortly before arriving in Monterosso al Mare

As I hiked in 2014 from the entrance of Machu Picchu to the Sun Gate in the very same shoes, I can attest that this was much more challenging (even without the Andean altitude playing a role).   The sun also plays a factor:  while there was absolutely no danger of rain to make things more slippery, the heat made the endless steep stairs (most of the hilly portions are on uneven stone “stairs”) even more difficult.  It reached a high of maybe 16’C today; I cannot imagine how anybody could tackle this hike in the summer when temperatures are regularly in excess of 30’C and the trail would be much more crowded.

This is one of the easiest parts of the trail!
This is one of the easiest parts of the trail!

And yet…seeing the next Cinque Terre town for the first time is kind of like seeing Machu Picchu for the first time.  You’ve worked very hard to get to that point and you are finally rewarded.  By the time you can see the next town, you are also (probably) going mostly downhill and the heat doesn’t play as much of a role.   Another older catchphrase comes to mind:  No pain, no gain!

The inland part of Monterosso al Mare
The inland part of Monterosso al Mare

Monterosso al Mare is larger than Vernazza and there is actually some vehicle traffic.  While not quite as “quaint”, it was nice to spend some time here to recover from my hike.  I took the opportunity to grab a quick lunch at a “Focacceria”…like a take-out pizza place, but for focaccia.  I tried one with olives and cherry tomato slices at Il Massimo della Focaccia.   I also stopped by the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista (Church of St. John the Baptist), which employs the same black-and-white-striped trim that you’ll see in Florence.

One of the beaches at Monterosso al Mare
One of the beaches at Monterosso al Mare

I then made a questionable decision – rather than take the train (as most people would do), I elected to hike back to Vernazza.  I thought that it might be easier on the way back.  Well, it might be…if the sun had not been directly overhead.  I also knew that there were gelaterias in Vernazza; I could reward myself when I returned.

Inside the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista
Inside the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista

Well, it was probably even worse on the way back because the initial steps were, impossibly, even steeper than those out of Vernazza.  The views were still great and it was thrlling to see Vernazza emerge after about an hour.  However, I was vulnerable when I finally reached the village.  I opted for three different flavours of gelato: pine nut, lemon and “Crema Cinque Terre”.  This last flavour had “Sciacchetrà” (a local dessert wine), whole hazelnuts and chocolate.  The other flavours were good but this one was spectacular.

You’d think that this would have been enough hiking.  But no!  Stay tuned for more!