We Like Trento!

Our day began with a walking tour of Trento led by our local guide, Martin Rossi. He made a point of introducing himself as a true son of Trento, with a typically Italian last name and a completely germanic first name. It was his illustration of Trento (or Trent) as a borderland with 1000 years of heritage as part of Austria, followed by the last 100+ years of being an Italian city. That was the theme of the tour.

Trento was long ruled by a series of prince-bishops, who derived power both from the Pope and from the Holy Roman Emperor. This dual, ecclesiastical and political rule gave it special status. Trento continues to be one of a handful of "autonomous" provinces of Italy, with special exemptions from Italian national policies and taxes. Its proximity to the border has also provided advantages as a place "in between."

One symbol of Trento's strategic importance is the presence here of a large palace built by Jakob Fugger, the patriarch of the famous banking family that supplanted the Medicci. Fugger is considered to be one of the richest persons of all time, and was well known as Jakob Fugger, "The Rich." At its peak, his wealth is estimated to have been 2% of Europe's entire GDP at the time. His little cottage here, far away from the family home in Augsburg, Germany, had "only" about 20 bedrooms(!).

It's no accident that the famous Council of Trent, that formulated the post-Reformation Roman Catholic Church, took place here -- in a place "in between" where Popes and Emperors shared power and bankers pulled strings quietly in the background.

Trento was strategic in the late Middle Ages and Early Modern period, but not so much during the World Wars of the 20th century. Good for Trento! The lack of strategic importance meant very little bombing or battle damage. Thus, the city remains a treasure trove of buildings dating back to the 13th century and after. The city's current prosperity means that all of them are clean, restored, and beautiful.

There are beautiful frescos everywhere: In the duomo, on the sides of commercial buildings, on ancient palaces, etc. Although there has been some restoration, most are the real deal.

When we checked into the hotel yesterday we were given "Trentino Cards," a tourist discount card that I'm sure we paid for as part of our tour. At the conclusion of the walking tour, using the cards, we rode on a cable car to the top of a mountain for a view of the city.

The city is very compact and walkable, so from the cable car we strolled through a nice park, then back to our hotel for a potty break.

Then we were off to the castle of the prince-bishops -- a monstrosity begun in the 10th century and then added onto over and over again. Our expectations were low, but the museum exhibits were much better than we anticipated, and the collection was much more extensive.

The theme, like that of our tour, was of Trento as an "in between" place. It was demonstrated in architecture, artifacts, and artwork spanning the pre-Roman period up through the First World War. We spent more time there than we had planned.

After a snack in the castle gardens, we returned to the city center, taking a peek into the church of St. Pietro (Peter) that had some lovely stained glass windows.

We visited an underground exhibit of a Roman street, with emphasis on the 2000 year old water and sewage systems. This exhibit was also much more extensive and better presented than we had expected.

When we presented our Trentino Cards at a museum adjacent to the duomo, a woman who spoke no English essentially kidnapped us and hauled us next door to see the crypt of the duomo. Again, our cards got us in free. And again, it was more than we expected, seeing foundations of an 1600 year-old basilica over which the current church is built.

We returned to the museum we had started to go to, but by that time we were beginning to feel a bit of fatigue, so we gave the first of three floors a once-over, and called it good. We relaxed back at the hotel with the rest of a bottle of wine we had purchased the previous day.

In the evening, our group reconvened at the hotel to walk to a restaurant for an included dinner.

Olive Oil

After an early breakfast we took one last walk along the shore of Lake Iseo in the morning haze. This will be a travel day, with lots of time on the bus. So we wanted to walk a bit before starting.

One last photo of Lake Iseo

Lake Iseo was in the rear view mirror today as we headed southeast toward Lake Garda, the largest of Italy's northern lakes. Along the way, we stopped in the very touristic town of Desenzano, on Lake Garda's southern shore.

In Desenzano, we stopped at a small bar and were served a mid-morning shot of limoncello, a very high octane liqueur made from the peelings of the lemons grown in this area. The shopkeeper came out to our sidewalk tables to explain the process of creating the drink, with Luca translating.

Monument to the end of fascism

We then had a bit of a walk along the lakeshore, and some free time to look around the town. We visited the duomo (cathedral) and found it quite plain. 

A duomo so plain it almost looks Protestant

Then we walked to the castle (or what's left of it) which offered some nice views, but little else. Then we were back on the bus, heading north along the western shore of Garda.

View from the castle

Our next stop was Frantoio Manestrini. In Italian, a frantoio is an olive press. And Manestrini is the family name of a father and daughter who own the company. The father is long retired, but we met the daughter.

We had a young woman as a company guide to take us out into the olive trees and then through the pressing and bottling areas. She began by telling us it was her first tour, so please be kind to her. We thought it was a joke, but as the tour continued I began to believe that she really WAS inexperienced.

Fortunately, the tour didn't last long. We went into the shop, where tables had been set. We had a tasting of five different olive oils. Some tasted differences, but to me they all just tasted like olive oil. We did, however, get a very nice lunch after the tasting, including bread with olive spread, olives, meats, cheeses, wine, and a couple different salads.

Back on the bus, we retraced our route going south again, then around the lake and up the east side, The Autostrada (motorway, like our interstate highways) did not go near the lake. But we traveled across a flat plain that was very agricultural. It could have been Illinois, except that instead of cornstalks, there were grapevines as far as the eye could see. Field after field of grapes, off to the horizon!

As we traveled farther north, the plain gave way to hills and low mountains. We arrived in Trento, a very nice and prosperous city that is only about 100 km (60 miles) from the Austrian border -- about 100 miles south of Innsbruck.

Trento was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I, and the germanic influence is very visible here. So are the German-speaking tourists who were crowding the streets this Saturday afternoon.

Our hotel here is very nice and very centrally located. We walked the neighborhood only briefly, as we'll get a full tour tomorrow. Because we had such a nice lunch, we shopped a nearby supermarket and snacked for dinner. We also learned that, even if you buy a very cheap bottle of wine in a grocery store, the nice man at the hotel bar will be happy -- not to loan you a corkscrew -- but to open the bottle for you!

Montisola

Montisola is the large island that dominates Lake Iseo. With a total area of 12.8 square kilometres (4.9 sq mi), Montisola (sometimes Monte Isola) ranks as the largest lake island not only in Italy, but also in South and Central Europe. The peak of the island at 600 metres (1,969 feet) above sea level is 419 metres (1,375 feet) above the average surface elevation of Lake Iseo (181 m (594 ft), making it one of the highest lake islands in Europe.

We took the three minute boat ride from near our hotel across to the village of Carzano, which is on the northeastern tip of the island. Part of our group elected to walk the flat road along the lake, about a mile and a half, to another village called Peschiera Maraglio. Some rented bicycles and rode a loop of 9 km (less than 6 miles) around the circumference of the island.

But five of us, along with our tour leader, Luca, paid 2 Euros each to take the local bus (a small van just barely narrow enough to squeeze between buildings on the narrow roads) up to the village of Cure (KUR-ay). From the bus stop at Cure, we set out for Santuario Della Ceriola -- a little church at the highest point on the island.

The sign said 800 meters from Cure to the Santuario -- just less than half a mile. Easy, no? No! In that 800 meters of distance the elevation rose 140 meters, making for a rather steep grade.

We all reached the top. The chapel was very pretty, in 17th century Baroque style. The view was spectacular, and the restrooms were free! We spent a few minutes enjoying the spot before heading down.

We took the long way down. All the way down, no bus. It was less steep, but also not paved. It was a long walk, somewhat hard on the feet and knees, but at least we had gravity on our side going down. And we arrived in Peschiera Maraglio at about 1:45 p.m., where we almost immediately ran into the other group members who were enjoying lunch at an outdoor cafe.

Luca had made reservations for us at another restaurant that seemed a very long walk down the lake shore from the trail's end. But it only seemed that way. We sat and enjoyed an excellent meal. Some had wine, but after the long walk, I was ready for a beer. They had a good one -- a local red lager called "Goofy."

On the way back from the restaurant, Luca introduced us to two interesting friends. The first was a net maker, who ran a small shop on the lakefront. With Luca translating, the man explained that the island has had a tradition of net-making dating back hundreds of years. While fish nets were the origin, he now produces handbags, hammocks, decorative holders for hanging plants, etc. 

However, during the war, many men were exempt from military service because they were needed on the island to produce camouflage nets. In fact, he had recently completed and shipped several such nets to Ukraine.

A second friend was an 84 year old woman who ran a bakery, also along the lakeshore. The building was very poorly marked, so it would be easy to miss. We remarked that she could increase sales with some signage. But the bakery has been there since her father founded it more than 90 years ago, and it is well known to the locals. 

She gave us samples of a famous local cake called "spongada." Both of these visits gave us some unique insight into the local culture. The tourist industry has only taken off here in the last decade, but things are changing fast.

We rode another ferryboat from Peschiera Maraglio to Sulzano, a village on the mainland that is just a few miles south of our hotel. Luca had arranged a van to take us on the short ride back, where we enjoyed some rest.

Having already had a large lunch, we walked the short walk to Sale Marasino, the village just north of our hotel, in the evening to dine on a gelato.

Southbound

After three days near the Swiss border, there was only one way to go if we were to remain in Italy. This morning we got on the bus to head south, toward Lake Iseo.

We traveled through the Camonica Valley, which is not as wide, as long, or as prosperous as the Valtellina Valley in which Tirano is located. But it was still quite scenic, especially as we neared the lake and the region known as "Franciacorta."

Franciacorta is known as a region for sparkling wines, and we visited a vineyard and winery there. First we toured the vineyard, then the fermenting tanks, and finally the aging cellars. It was an interesting tour.

After the tour, we were taken to a dining room for a "blind" tasting. Three different sparkling wines were described, then we put on blindfolds, and samples were poured into three glasses in front of each person. Only two of our 15 group members were able to correctly identify all three wines. Budding sommeliers we are not.

Despite our failure, we were nevertheless served a very nice lunch before continuing on our way. We got a nice view of Montisola, the large island that dominates Lake Iseo. It's right outside our hotel room window.

After walking along the lake, we returned to the hotel for dinner with the group.

The Red Train

The Bernini Red Train is the only railway in the world to be designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We met a local guide, Roberto, just outside the station, about 20 yards from our hotel. We had a reserved car (actually half a car, but separated by a wall) on the 9 a.m. train heading to St. Moritz.

The narrow gauge train is operated by a Swiss railway, out of a separate station next to the main (standard gauge) Italian railway passenger station. Since we are just over a mile from the Swiss border, and since one needs their passport to get on the train, one is essentially in Switzerland as soon as one steps into the station.

The train climbs a mountain called Diavolezza, which roughly translates as "She-Devil." Around countless switchbacks and at least one loop-de-loop over a bridge that crosses its own tracks, the train climbs from an altitude of 429 meters (about 1,400 feet) at Tirano to 2253 meters (about 7,400 feet) above sea level.

We got off the train at the next station after the continental divide, so actually slightly below peak elevation. At the Bernina Diavolezza ski area station we disembarked the train.

We could see St. Moritz in the valley ahead of us, but as Roberto told us, it's an overpriced tourist trap. Instead, we walked a short distance to the base of the Diavolezza ski slope gondola.

Each gondola car holds more than 100 people, most of them with skis and associated gear. And we crammed in next to at least that many skiers for the ride up to the top at 2,978 meters (9,770 feet). It's a long ride, more than 2 miles horizontally, in addition to the climb.

The views along the train ride, and from the top of the gondola, were too spectacular for words. Even the dozens and dozens of photos we took (far too many to publish here) don't do justice to the actual scenery. We were fortunate to have ideal weather, as well.

Even the local guide was taking photos, despite the fact that he makes this trip five days a week, because he said he seldom has such clear, blue skies.

After a nice lunch, we retraced our route back down the mountain. The views were no less spectacular. With typical Swiss precision, the train pulled into the Tirano station right on schedule at exactly 3 p.m. and we said "ciao" to Roberto.

Luca, our tour leader, took us all to a gelateria to enjoy some local ice cream. Then we were free for the rest of the afternoon. We opted for a walk around town, following a tourist map for walks in some of the old, narrow streets. 

We popped into a couple neighborhood churches -- nothing special, just 400-year-old buildings full of beautiful art. Typical Italy. It was very pleasant, but I managed to get us lost and it took longer than anticipated to get back to the hotel.

In the evening, it was time for this trip's "home-hosted dinner." We and one other couple were assigned to the home of Salvio and Lea. Their home, on the side of the mountain just outside of town, had wonderful views of the town, surrounding vineyards, and distant, snow-capped Alps. Lea was raised sometimes in Milan and sometimes in Reno, Nevada, so her American English was equal to ours. She was also a very good cook. We enjoyed a most pleasant evening with them.