First Impressions of A Family’s Journey In Northern Italy

My first impressions, primarily through photographs, of our family’s journey together in northern Italy:

Trento, Italy: Castle Buonconsiglio contains some of the most significant International Gothic frescoes in the world. The twelve frescoes in the Eagle Tower (Aigle) depict the “cycle of months,” each fresco representing a month of the year in the fourteenth century; scenes of peasant and manor life changing with the seasons. The wooden-inlaid ceiling of the library, considered the most important room in the castle, held eighteen paintings of then-famous figures (at the time, Trento was part of the Holy Roman Empire, so many were bishops, priests, etc.). The Adige River and lower Dolomites mountains are magnificently displayed from the high courtyard facing north.

Fresco on ceiling of Castle Buonconsiglio

In town, we walked around the old city, amazed by the faded frescoes on many residences, piazzas with fountains, the Duomo built over Roman ruins, and the gate to a modern square designed for Mussolini, out of place in this ancient city. From the north above the city, we had the reverse view of the city below, the many bridges, skinny churches, and blue-bird skies.

View from castle across Trento to the north

Via ferrata routes are numerous in the area, cables staked into the high ridges to assist military and resistance forces during war to cross over the Dolomites in otherwise impenetrable terrain. My favorite activity of the journey was a steep, but short, hike up one of the trails above Trento, connecting to a ridge that might have been one of those used during World War II. A locked box held a book of names of those crossing the route, with our son adding our family’s name to it. The grandchildren scrambled up the forested trail and over the boulders as if mountain goats were in their genes. They were in awe of the views across the valley, high above our rental house. What joy to see them soak in the history and beauty of this place.

Hanging on tightly to the cables!

Bolzano, Italy: An hour’s drive northeast from Trento, the bustling town of Bolzano is famous for its access to the “serious” Dolomites and also the home of Özti, the Ice Man, discovered by two hikers in 1999. He is believed to be about 5,000 years old, a full skeleton with articles of clothing, tools, shoes, and weapons found near him. A significant archaeological discovery, over 200 researchers have been involved with learning more about him and the era in which he lived. The South Tyrol Archaeological Museum has a brilliant and informative display of the Ice Man and the research results to date.

Özti, the Ice Man (imagined)

From Özti to the gondola from Bolzano to the Renon High Plateau (1,000’ elevation gain) where the grandchildren marveled at our height above the ground, laughing at the dips as we swung loosely from high point to valleys. We hiked around the plateau, welcomed by 270 degree views of the sharp, steep, still-snow-covered Dolomites. Oh, I would have liked to hike them but had to be satisfied with exquisite panoramas.

View of Dolomites from Renon High Plateau above Bolzano

Verona, Italy: The purpose of this eight-day trip to Italy was to join our older son and his family (and Alex, too, from Paris) while Christopher attended a philosophy conference. We rented a house with a huge pool, one of the highlights for the children.

The author on Castel Vecchio walls above Adige River

We became acquainted with the city through a walking tour, with highlights being the Arena (an open coliseum at least thirty years older than the Coliseum in Rome), where we would attend an opera later in the week, the “Juliet balcony” (along with many stories about the myths of the story of Romeo and Juliet), the Jewish ghetto during World War II, the destruction of all eleven of the bridges from the city of Verona across the Adige River when the Nazis retreated the city at the end of WWII, the Castel Vecchio, the Duomo, the wool market square, piazzas, more frescoed buildings, and so much pasta and gelato!

Verona Arena, historic coliseum once home to gladiators, now for operas

The weather was sunny and clear until the last day as family dispersed in the rain, on to Sicily for Christopher and family and Alex, back to Paris for Sami, Alex’s girlfriend, and to Chapel Hill for Doug and me. The memories are well-documented by photographs, the feelings still being processed, the joy, especially, in being part of the adventure, irreplaceable.