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Maybe Someday I’ll Get to Call Cardezza Home

June 26, 2019 by Kim Leave a Comment

Cardezza, Italy

Through a very narrow tunnel (very, very narrow) and up a windy little road into the mountains above Domodossola, in Northern Italy, lies a little village called Cardezza.

Cardezza is the birthplace of my grandfather. It is also the birthplace of the family connections I, and all of my American family have with our Italian relatives.

Quite a few years ago, while on vacation, my Uncle Johnny and Aunt Jane were driving through Italy when they saw the sign for Cardezza.

He remembered my grandfather talking about his village and they decided to head up the mountain. When he got there, he found plenty of Solaros. Solaro is my grandfather’s family name and the connection between the American and Italian Solaros began.

It was that that also led us to the Contis, my grandmother’s family from Trontano. Trontano is another village just 20 minutes away by car.

The first time I went to Cardezza was about 12 years ago and there was a huge group of us. It was hard to really get to know people. This year and last, it was just Way and I. It really gave us the opportunity to talk, laugh, eat and enjoy the company.

This is what I wrote last year after our visit. Why I didn’t publish it, I’ll never know, but since we just visited again, I thought it was high time this article saw the light of day.

Our day started with my cousins Daniele and Lua (his daughter) coming to pick us up in Stresa. We had planned to rent a car and drive ourselves. But no, Daniele wouldn’t have it.

That is just the generous nature of my family. They welcome us, spoil us and treat us … well … like family. By the way, I call all my Italian relatives cousin, it’s just easier that way.

Lua and Gaia, (you guessed it, another cousin) took us about the town and we visited the cemetery – which seems to be on the standard tour when you visit a village.

Italian Pizza - Northern Italy

While we were wandering, Daniele was getting ready to make us a bunch of pizzas from his hand-built, outdoor pizza oven. And by bunch, I mean at least 12 for the eight of us. Have I told you how much I love my family! A lot!

A fun afternoon of drink, food and plenty of laughs followed by a visit to the famed Casa Boc. Seriously, the house is a postcard in the making. Okay, so it’s only famed in our family circles, but I love this house, the lands and what it represents.

Casa Boc, Cardezza Italy
Casa Boc, Cardezza, Italy

I would love nothing more than to buy it, restore it and have family filter in and out for the remainder of my days. I sort of have a secret love affair with this place.

The first step to turning that not so little dream into reality was to get Way’s buy-in!

Easy peasy! He fell in love with it (and all of Italy) for that matter. Who knows, maybe one day I will get to call Cardezza home.

I hated to leave Cardezza, but the island was waiting to console me. Thank you to Daniele for always welcoming us with a hot pizza oven, plenty of cold beer and open arms.

I am so glad Uncle Johnny made the turn and drove up the mountain that day. ❤️

If you want a postcard from Italy, now is the time!

Filed Under: Italy, Nomading About The World Tagged With: italy

Hiking Macugnagu At the Foot of Monte Rosa in the Italian Alps

July 20, 2018 by Way Leave a Comment

Macugnaga at the foot of Monte Rosa

The Alps are one of the great mountain ranges of the world. As someone who loves mountains, the Alps are always high (no pun intended) on my list of areas to explore. I like the glacial features and the dramatic formations they create. The Alps are full of them (although they are rapidly disappearing)

Macugnaga, Italy is a small alpine village at the foot of Monte Rosa in Anzasca Valley. It is in the foothills of the Alps on the Italian side of the Swiss-Italian border, northwest of Piedmont.

I’ve been in the Alps three or four times but this is the first time on the Italian side of the majestic mountains. I never get tired of visiting them.

We hiked and had lunch with short sleeves in June. Macugnaga is perfect. The summer is warm and the winter has good skiing. Italian hiking doesn’t get much better.

There was plenty of snow in the mountains surrounding Macugnagu. In fact, we heard an avalanche in the distance while we were there. It was a little eerie to hear it.

Rivers and Waterfalls in the Italian Alps

If you decide to hike Macugnagu, make your way to the ski lift – but don’t take it – yet. Walk the first part, up the valley to the lodge. The valley is full of steep mountain streams and hanging waterfalls that form from the melting winter snow, and, the now, melting glaciers.

Hanging waterfalls are created when mountain streams flow onto a glacier. After the glacier melts what’s left is a steep drop to the valley floor, which creates the waterfall. If you like dramatic landscapes this is a beautiful place for them.

A roaring river runs through the main ski run and summer hiking area. The water is a translucent green from the glacial flour it picks up as it runs under the glaciers. Glacial flour is the fine dust that is created as a glacier grinds over the rock.

You have to see a glacier-fed river at some point in your life. But be careful! The water is icy cold, deep, swift, and churning over underwater boulders. Upriver, you can see huge sections of granite which have been polished countertop smooth by the river.

Idyllic Flower-Covered Valleys

The valley is dense with pine and other tall, straight, single trunk trees. You can also see beautiful Alpine fields covered in grass and flowers. You will encounter milk cows mowing the clover, endlessly ringing their big brass cowbells. It’s like taking a step back in time.

Up from the valley floor, countless streams and hanging waterfalls cover the valley sides. The winter snow covers these steep, treeless areas, and tundra in the summer. On warmer sun-facing slopes where trees grow, avalanche runs cut open swaths of rock and debris.

Up the mountain and in valleys that get little sun, are snow patches and glaciers. With binoculars, you can see thick ridges of snow which look like they will fall at any moment.

Italian Alps Glacial Beds

Further up the valley, either by taking the second ski lift or a more strenuous hike, you come across former glacial beds.

Glaciers form when there is more snow accumulation than snow melting over the years. The snow compress and becomes ice as it partially melts in the summer and as more snow accumulates on top of it. This makes it very heavy over time.

Gravity moves the glacier slowly down the mountain and this movement of a very heavy object cuts, grinds and scours the land underneath. This is what makes the incredible landforms we see in the Alps and other glacial areas.

These glacial beds are not pretty. It looks like a giant bulldozer has cut through the wilderness with no regard to any object in front of it. The area is plantless and full of unsorted rocks and boulders.

I don’t suggest hiking in these areas. The rocks are unsorted and loose and not all the ice has melted. We heard and saw rockfalls produced only by gravity. Any additional force, such as your feet, will only increase these falls.

Thirty-meter (100-feet) ice cliffs lie hidden by the rocks and debris, our guide had to show us how to identify the ice.

Polenta, The Food of the Mountain People

Between the two ski lifts is a small lodge which serves its signature dish of polenta. My personal opinion of polenta is, “polenta is polenta”, it’s what you put on it that gives it flavor.

I had a plate of polenta with beef, which I later found out was from the cows roaming by the lodge. It was excellent. I also had an espresso with milk. This is where I learned to take an espresso like a shot. Mauro, Silvana, and Gaia had a great laugh at my expense as I sat sipping my very small coffee cup.

Macugnaga is close to Stresa, Italy. It is only accessible by car and takes about an hour to get there. Most of the drive is on a motorway, but the last section up the mountain is a typical narrow winding mountain road.

If you don’t like this type of driving it can be nerve-wracking, but the road goes through several small scenic villages where you can take a short break. Renting a smaller car is helpful and just go slow. Macugnaga is well worth the drive.

Filed Under: Italy, Nomading About The World Tagged With: europe, italy, macugnagu

Tales from Trontano, Italy

July 15, 2018 by Kim Leave a Comment

Less than an hour north of Stresa, Italy lies the little mountain town of Trontano. There are about 1,500 residents the sit high up in the mountains with a wonderful view of the valley. Residents must drive 10-minutes down narrow and windy roads to go to work, grocery shop or take care of daily errands. They even have to make the drive to take their children to school. With only 12 children registered,  the local school recently closed.

To me, this mountain town is the birthplace of my grandmother. I grew up listening to tales of the castle my grandmother grew up in. The so-called “castle” is less castle and more rubble these days, but it still belongs to my Italian family.

You know the saying …

“You can lead a horse to water …?” Apparently, that has nothing to do with anything, I’ve been told. But I do have this for you.

You can take the girl out of Italy, but you can never take Italy out of the girl.

That, right there, describes my grandmother. She never forgave her mother for taking her to America when she was 14 years old. Although, without that trip through Ellis Island she would never have met my grandfather, had my mother, who in turn would never have had me.

I spent most summers with my grandmother helping her tend to her garden, cook all sorts of amazing Italian dishes in her kitchen and listening to her sing opera. You see, my grandmother was training to be an opera singer before she left Italy for America. It might be one of the reasons, she hated to leave.

I remember hiding out in her garden (often) and eating vegetables straight off the vine. As I roamed the hillside, I could see where she got her love of gardening and of being outside. She used to talk about playing in the hills. Before visiting Trontano for the first time 10 years ago, I sort of imagined it was like Maria on the hilltop in the Sound of Music. And while that image is not far off, I now can picture my grandmother when times were easier and a bit more carefree than usual.

My Italian family, Franco, Viviana, and Cinzia hosted us for a wonderful lunch and lovely walk on the hillside. I have plenty of pictures of the town but failed to document the amazing lunch prepared for us.

I admittedly sometimes get so caught up in enjoying the experience that I often forget to pull out my phone and take a picture. And while sad that I don’t have a picture of my family and the beautiful feast they prepared, it is hard to find regret in just soaking up the moments. I love the charm and old-world feel of this town that I did not even stop to take a selfie. Not one. Sigh.

Cinzia speaks good English and Viviana and Franco speak some. Cinzia loves the chance to practice her English and has someone come to stay with her and her children every summer to help them speak it better. We talked about the possibility of Carter joining them next summer at the sea. No arm-twisting needed for that job.

Between their English and Way’s Italian, we were never without something to say. I love that there is no awkward silence between us. The family bond is strong with us Italians.

As I write this, I wonder who would make the trip up the mountainside to see this little mountain village. Is it just family and friends of the townsfolk? Maybe. But if you are around Domodossola and are looking for a little escape up the hillside to experience some old world charm, I say do it!

The air is fresh, the water is cold and people still wave to passersby in this charming little village. I hear they even have a castle.

If you would like to see more pictures from Trontano, Italy, head over to Way’s Facebook page where he has an album of amazing photos.

Filed Under: Italy, Nomading About The World Tagged With: europe, italy, trontano

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