Livin' in an Aosta paradise

Mara and I set out early for the Valle d’Aosta, a mountainous region located in northwest Italy. Bordered by Switzerland’s Valais to the north and France’s Rhone-Alpes to the west, the lesser-known Valle d’Aosta shares in its neighbours’ natural and cultural heritage: The region offers some of Europe’s loftiest peaks and scenic alpine landscapes; year-round outdoor activities; a hearty, robust cuisine atypical to the rest of Italy, and, remarkably, it operates in two official languages, Italian and French.

In the heart of the Valle d’Aosta lies the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso, Italy’s first national park. Created in 1922 when the Savoy King Vittorio Emanuele II bequeathed his hunting reserve to the state, the park’s early establishment preceded the emergence of the modern ski resort. As a result, it is considered to be one of Europe’s most rugged and unspoiled wilderness areas, and, as such, is aptly named.

Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Wildflowers, Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Cogne, a quiet alpine village overlooking the meadows of Sant'Orso, is the park’s main steppingstone, and from where we decided to base ourselves. After a leisurely lunch at the Bar a Fromage, Restaurant de Montagne, where we feasted on typical pastoral dishes and a whole lot of Fontina (PDO status cheese!), Mara and I headed into Gran Paradiso, and explored it on foot, and then horseback (at her suggestion, and one of my greatest nightmares come true). We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing (or, rather, recovering) at the hotel's spa and wellness centre, which included pools, baths, saunas (citrus- and hay- based), a frosty room, a saline cave and the curiously-named (or poorly translated) "Marmot's den," which was, unfortunately, and for whatever reason, off-limits to us. That night, we had a delicious dinner (and my life's fill of Fontina) at the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant, with ingredients culled from their kitchen-garden.

Cogne

Bar a Fromage, Restaurant de Montagne



Hiking, Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Horseback riding, Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Hotel Bellevue

Kitchen-garden, Hotel Bellevue

In addition to the plethora of outdoor opportunities on offer, Cogne is also known for its lace making. There are approximately 130 lace making ladies who live in the town and work in its’ cooperative, and we paid them a visit the following morning. Known as les dentelles de Cogne, they follow a tradition of lace making that dates back to 1655, working on a technique and patterns committed to memory, passed down from their mommas and their nonnas and their mommas' nonnas. Forget about crossword puzzles and Sudoku: This is the real deal for staving off Alzheimer's!

Les dentelles de Cogne

Les dentelles de Cogne

Lace

Mangiacakes in Milan

After a couple of days of chilling out Como-side, Mara and I made a move to Milan, accompanied by Rosanna. We hit up the usual suspects, including the glistening, marbled Duomo, among the largest cathedrals in Europe, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a glass-covered cathedral of commerce built in 1867, and the Teatro alla Scala, the world’s most fabled opera house and where Bellini, Puccini, and Verdi all found fame.

Duomo

Gorgeous stained-glass window (one of 146!)

The floor's intricate stone carvings

View from the roof

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Spinning "on the bull's balls", a tradition at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Teatro alla Scala

We checked out an exhibit on Guido Crepax, a Milanese comics artist, and his muse, Valentina, before meeting Seba’s brother, Stefano, for lunch, and then set out to explore the Renaissance Castello Sforzesco and its nearby Parco Sempione. 

Mara and Rosanna, Castello Sforzesco

After refuelling at Grom, the genius Slow Food-affiliated gelateria, we ventured over to Piazza Santo Stefano to take in the ossuary chapel of San Bernardino alle Ossa. The ossario is disturbingly decorated with human bones and skulls, though the room is somewhat enlivened by its vault painting. Sufficiently spooked, and wanting to get on the road before dark, we picked up our Smart Car (the only reasonably priced automatic car rental in Italy) at Linate Airport, and headed home to Gera Lario for our very own Last Supper before the trip.

San Bernardino alle Ossa

San Bernardino alle Ossa

To Canada, With Love (From Switzerland!)

Last week, Seba and I took a day-drive through the Italian and Swiss Alps, and celebrated Canada’s birthday in (Livigno) style in the mountains.

After a couple of hours’ drive through the Valtellina, a region carpeted with vineyards (and plenty of factories closing up shop—eek), and along the scenic Foscagno Pass, we arrived in Livigno. Considered Europe’s highest inhabited town, Livigno is a traditional alpine village known for its duty-free status. I always thought duty-free shopping was restricted to airports and cruise ports, so I didn’t know what to expect; but, sure enough, Italian VAT has never been applied here. While there are some restrictions on tobacco products and alcohol, our sunnies were cheap as. Fuel is also half the price here than it is in the rest of the country, meaning we actually ended up saving some cash by taking this road trip! 

Italian Alps

Foscagno Pass, Italy

 Just outside of Livigno, Italy

New sunnies!

After an unhealthy dose of pizza and pizzoccheri, Seba and I crossed the border into Switzerland via the Munt la Schera Tunnel, and drove through the Swiss National Park. Founded in 1914, it is the oldest national park in the Alps and central Europe, and the largest protected area in Switzerland. I was also surprised to learn that it is the country’s only National Park. Just one National Park? In all of Switzerland? 

At the Italian-Switzerland border

Swiss National Park

Swiss National Park

A chamois (a goat-antelope hybrid thing), Swiss National Park

Though I've never been to Canada's parks out west, I imagine they look a little something like this, and so I felt as though I was fulfilling my patriotic duty by being here on July 1. If only the Molson Canadian Beer Fridge could have found its way to me there and then!

Swiss National Park

Afterwards, we drove through the Engadin, weaving our way through the valley's time-warped and sgraffito-ed villages, before meeting Seba's friend Franco, near St. Moritz, for a drink.

Wildflowers and mountains in the Engadin

With Franco, in the Engadin

Before our drive down the Maloja Pass into Chiavenna in Italy, we pulled over at a lookout to snap some picts. We were directed to the back of the parking area, behind three identical vintage Jags and a very, very old man in a Hugh Hefner smoking jacket, and informed we had stumbled on to the set of Ich Und Kaminsky, a German production starring DANIEL BRUHL (who I did lock eyes with, but sadly, do not have a picture of). A very, very happy Canada day, indeed!

On the set of Ich Und Kaminsky, with DANIEL BRUHL