Surprise, surprise: it's in Italy. I seriously cannot find a place in that country that I don't like, and it seems to only get better and better. Two weekends ago, we took the bike down to Chiavenna, which is just north of the lake district, down at the bottom of a lush little Alpine valley. From Zürich, it's on the other side of one of the most harrowing passes I've ever seen, but also the most spectacular (super sheer drop to the bottom, super tight hairpin turns, and lined with unfairly picturesque little stone villages). For all the effort it took to get there, we should have stayed at least two nights...and now we know that for the next time, 'cause we are going back. Especially since--and you may or may not actually believe this--we went into exactly ZERO museums, churches, or other cultural institutions. IMPOSSIBLE, you may be thinking, but it's true. We had to be outside, 'cause look at this place.
This is the view from our hotel room (!). The bell tower and buildings to its right are the church of San Lorenzo.
The main shopping street. With gigantic mountains at the end.
16th-century castle facade on Piazza Castello, plus some hilltop fortress-y ruins.
Ugh...it's almost too charming.
Interior of cutest shop EVER. (I was so overwhelmed by its cuteness that I didn't even get its name. I can tell you where it is, though, if you want to visit...)
Table full of old Barolo. (I think the oldest--in the center rear box--was from 1949.)
Another atmospheric street, ending in splendiferous mountains.
So striking.
Did I mention that the Mera river runs right through the center of town?
'Cause it does.
Lots of the street-level shops were in these amazing vaulted spaces. Most of the buildings along this main street date to the 16th and 17th centuries.
St. Peter's church, right next to our hotel. The bell tower dates to the 13th century.
As it turned out, our visit coincided with Chiavenna's White Night celebration, which means that there were several live bands playing, people everywhere, and shops open until the middle of the night. As curmudgeony as I can be, it was SO fun to be in a place wherein everything was hopping until the wee hours. We were looking for some local grub, of course, so after roaming the streets for a couple of hours, and catching some aperos in the main square, we headed to Crotto Torricelli for dinner. Culinarily speaking, Chiavenna is primarily famous for its bresaola and for its crotti, little restaurants set against--and into--the cliffs along the valley, and whose cellars, then, are perfect for curing and storing meats, wine, and cheeses. My fantastic meal began with a small plate of bresaola (easily the best I've ever had--so soft and buttery!); next was a plate of pizzocheri (sorta a cross between pasta and wee irregularly-shaped dumplings, and also a local specialty) drenched in cheese, with chunks of potato, and sprinkled with black pepper (YUM, YUM, YUM); and finally a plate of pork cuts with gravy and polenta. Mike started with an opulent meat plate with bresaola, salami, and prosciutto; then had a risotto with bresaola; and finished with a serving of local sausage with potatoes. What a meal, and afterwards, we headed back into the center to participate in the White Night festivities.
Concerts! Shops! Dancing! Fashion shows! Dance halls! Art exhibitions! Entertainment and much more, the whole night! From 3:00 in the PM until 3:00 in the AM. Love it.
There were this many people in the streets.
These guys were good, and we also saw a pretty decent blues band; a traditional music trio with a (really good!) squeeze box, keyboard, and singer; an Irish band that couldn't quite get their act together and only managed to play two songs (also good, though); and men in drag (in silver sequined dresses, no less!) dancing to 'Gangnam Style' on the main square. We ran into the super friendly proprietor of the aforementioned cute store, then caught some gelato and called it a night. A really good, really fun night.
The next morning, the view from our hotel was this:
So pretty...so dramatic...but not a terribly auspicious view in terms of our ride home, so we grabbed a quick cappuccino and elected to drive down the valley to Lugano, then head north, rather than attempt Splugen Pass again. Naturally, this ride, too, was gorgeous, through several lovely little villages and towns, past church towers and stone buildings, along valley lakes, etc., etc., etc. It was all strikingly lovely (despite a light, but not uncomfortable, drizzle), and I actually had a few pangs of genuine sadness as we were leaving Italy...so not ready to go!*
As is probably obvious, I was completely and utterly charmed by Chiavenna. This trip was far, far too short, and I hope Mike knows how serious I am about going back (ahem), spending more time, actually visiting the churches/parks/palaces/museums (seriously!)/hiking/eating (and more eating)/everything else. Italy, you have yet to disappoint.
What we're watching: Game of Thrones. Ugh. Seriously, do we have to kill off everyone good? You better unleash those dragons, and soon, to continue making this worth my time. Win Win, a movie about love and desperation and doing the right thing... a funny little piece that made me squirm a bit, but also had a surprisingly heart-warming ending. Really liked it. So You Think You Can Dance, my favorite summertime TV indulgence. (As it turns out, some of these people really can dance. They're downright spectacular.)
What I'm reading: finished off Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International series, and tried to get back into nonfiction, but realized I wasn't quite done with magic and monsters, so I started in on his Grimnoir books, which I think I like even better. They sorta have the basic premise of X-men--society as inhabited by both "Normals" and "Actives," who come with many varieties of magical powers, and the conflicts that arise as a result--but follow a group of particularly powerful Actives who've sworn to use their powers only for good. Thus far, the books are far more interesting than my weak little synopsis here, and extremely creatively and thoroughly imagined. (And wicked violent, just like the last books, but still super entertaining.)
Up next: a trip to Modena...solely based around a single meal. We all saw this coming, didn't we.
*...And then I remembered that we already had plans to go back to Italy the following weekend. That was a load off. (Heh...living in Europe. This is what you do.)
