After Germany, my next stop was Italy. My dear friend and Italian/English language partner, Laura, lives in Trento, which is the capital of the Trentino-Alto-Adige region of Italy. This region is located in northern Italy and it borders Switzerland and Austria. It is one of the five autonomous regions of the 20 total regions that make up Italy. This means that the regional government pays for more services rather than the national government.
Anyway, let's get to the travel fun. I left Germany on October 27th at 9am and I got to Trento on the same day at 4pm. I took two trains -- one from Stuttgart to Munich and another one from Munich to Trento. When I arrived in Trento, Laura and her family picked me up from the train station and brought me back to their house in Grumo San Michele, which is the village they live in that is about 20 minutes from Trento.
The view during my train ride from Munich to Trento
For the next week, until Wednesday, November 3rd, I spent a lot of time with Laura and her family, from eating all my meals with them to seeing the beautiful region of Trentino-Alto-Adige with them as well. It was a marvelous stay. And speaking of meals, I sure did eat. For breakfast (la colazione), I usually had a coffee, juice, and a few cookies. In contrast, lunch (il pranzo) is the Italian's biggest and most sustaining meal of the day. So for this meal, I usually ate salad, some vegetables, pasta, and some form of protein. Dinner (la cena) is similar to lunch, but a little bit lighter. We usually ate pasta, pizza, soup, panini's, or salad for dinner. After lunch and before dinner, we would have a snack --usually it was tea and cookies. All that is to say, Laura is an amazing cook, and we were very much prepared for all of our adventures across Trento.
Laura's neighborhood. She is surrounded by the Alps and vineyards.
The day after I arrived, October 29th, Laura took me to downtown Trento. We went to the Buonconsiglio Castle Museum (Buonconsiglio literally means "good advice") and afterwards we got some gelato and ate it outside the Duomo di Trento.
The Duomo di Trento (Basilica Duomo di S. Vigilio) and my gelato (I got the hazelnut and caramel flavors.)
Piazza Dante in Trento
The next day, October 30th, I went to Lake Tovel (Lago di Tovel) in Trentino with Laura, her husband, and one of her sons, Samuele. This was probably the most beautiful lake I have ever seen in my entire life -- the water was so clear and blue! And in fact, this lake used to be red. In the past, cows roamed on the nearby land and when their faeces got into the lake water, an algae bloom happened and the water turned red.
One day, Laura and I went for a walk in her town, Grumo San Michele. I thought all the houses were so pretty with their bright colors. The bottom left photo is the bridge that separates one part of the town, called Grumo, from the other part, called San Michele. The middle photo of the bottom row is the Adige river, which is the second-longest river in Italy. And the top right photo is a small chapel located in the mountains of Trentino.
On another day we visited the Pyramids of Segonzano Trento (Piramidi di Segonzano Trento). Believe it or not, these pyramids were formed completely in nature fifty thousand years ago when glacial sedimentation was eroded by the combined action of running water, rain, and wind. The drops of rain, when they hit the ground, churn the various particles, exerting a corrosive action that increases with the steepness (some of them reach 20 meters of height). The ground is not completely removed because of the mixed composition of the material that was disposed chaotically by the ice. This phenomenon shows how these structures can protect themselves against the mechanical and erosive action of the water. In 1932, some scholars suggested, and later totally denied, that the pyramids already existed and the water would have no other function but to dig into them.
Let's take a break from the nature for a moment and talk about food again, specifically chestnuts (le castagne). Monday, November 1st was All Saint's Day, which is a holiday for all Italians as well; they do not work or go to school on this day. Because of this festive day, I spent most of the day at Laura's house with her family. We ate traditional Italian food, which included what you see above: chestnuts! I hardly ever eat chestnuts alone (usually if I eat them, they are cooked in another food or dessert), so this was new for me. Laura put them in the oven for some time and they we peeled the chestnuts and ate them. They were warm, sweet, and quite delicious!
Another cup of gelato I got with Laura and her family. This time, I choose the flavors biscotti and Raffaello (coconut and almond).
On my last full day at Laura's, November 2nd, we went to another beautiful lake: Lake Molveno. This lake is located at the foot of the Brenta Dolomites (a section of the Alps). The lake is 4.4 km long and 1.5 km wide, and it is the second biggest lake in Trentino. Its maximum depth is 123 meters (403 feet) and its icy waters give shelter to many ichthyic (fishlike) species. It is also a touristy area in the winter for skiing and because of this, the nearby town, Andalo, is made up mostly of hotels.
With Laura at Lake Molveno
My view on the train back to France
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