Kenmore Undressed

A Kenmore Treasure: Saint Edward State Park

Yesterday, the weatherman was wrong. It was supposed to be another gray, rainy day in the Northwest, but fortunately Helios managed to hold off the clouds. This gave me an opportunity to spend some time at one of Kenmore’s wonderful landmarks: Saint Edward State Park. Confession time: I’ve never visited this wonderful park before. I’ve driven past it hundreds of times, and I knew there was was a Catholic Seminary on the premises, but I was never inclined to visit. I think my recent trip to Italy inspired me to take a closer look at the Romanesque brick buildings on the property. Also, I needed a few quite moments away from all the NOISE in the world. I was not disappointed:

The pictures above are examples of the Romanesque Revivalist style of the Saint Edward structures. One sees these types of arches and pillars all over Italy. In some ways, it’s odd to see such an old-world structure in Kenmore:

Just for a comparison, the next picture is from Lucca, Italy. These arches are spectacular examples of Romanesque architecture. You can see their resonance in the seminary details.

This wonderful Seminary was completed in 1931 and operated until 1977 when its 316 acres were sold to Washington State. This is truly a must-see part of Kenmore. I hope you have an opportunity to visit it someday. Make sure you bring your walking shoes.

There’s More to Italy than Tuscany: Varese in Lombardy

As we drove through the lush, green roads north of Milan our hosts, Fabio Zerini and his wife Laura, pointed out that “this definitely isn’t Toscana!” In fact, our last two days in Italy were spent in a region north of Milan better know as the Province of Varese in Lombardy. We were fortunate to meet Fabio, Laura and a number of other “Lombards” in Sardegna. They are good friends of my cousins in Lucca. When they found out that we were spending our last two days close to their home in a town called Vergiate, they insisted on giving us a tour of the area. I’ve got to say: no, this region is definitely not Tuscany. It’s more modern and spread out. It lacks the cypress trees, vineyards and old rustico homes; nevertheless, we were charmed by the warmth of our hosts and impressed by this unique part of Italy. As always there were some wonderful surprises along the way:

Varese is truly beautiful. Modern and stylish, it is a unique blend of the old and the new. We were there on a Saturday evening and I was amazed at the number of younger people who filled the streets and plazas.

This building dating back to the 1500’s is now home to a number of small shops. This was a stunning example of how Italy blends the old and the new.

The city is full of deliciously stylish clothing stores, cafes and beautiful architecture. We were amazed at how beautiful Varese is. It is also close to a number of beautiful lakes (Lake Cuomo among them). Although we didn’t have time to explore more of the lakes, I did manage to take a couple of pictures of Lake Comabbio:

I did want to say a few words about Vergiate, where we spent our last two days in Italy. First, there’s not much to say. It’s a very small town with some small shops and restaurants. If you drove through it, you’d hardly notice it exists……………..but here’s why Italy is so compelling and wonderful: there’s always a surprise lurking out there to charm and warm your heart. On Sunday we got up rather late after spending the evening with Fabio, Laura and friends. We were hoping to catch a train over to Lake Maggiore and do more sightseeing. Unfortunately, we missed our train and had to stay in Vergiate. At first this did not seem promising but we decided to go for a walk and investigate the town. As usual we were pleasantly surprised. The town has a beautiful little church:

But, the best adventure was in a local restaurant. We had seen this restaurant when we first arrived and thought it looked good. Inside the restaurant was small. There was one waitress and a couple of locals having lunch. We were  hungry so we ordered risotto with mushrooms, grilled vegetables and some wine. Nothing special………………….until the owner brought out the risotto. Check this out:

She served the risotto from the middle of this huge round of cheese! By the way, the risotto was delicious. It just goes to show you that no matter how ordinary things seem to be in Italy, there’s always something special around the next bend.

Forte dei Marmi, Chianti, Santa Margherita and Torino

Our experiences in Italy, over the last two weeks, have been incredible. We are truly fortunate that my families are so generous and don’t mind that we butcher the Italian language. They also love to travel in Italy as much as we do! My cousins in Lucca wanted to spend a couple of days with us in Tuscany, so last weekend we visited two very different sides of the region: the ritzy beach town of Forte dei Marmi (north of Viareggio another beach town for the wealthy) and the towns of Montalcino and Montepulciano in Chianti (both of which are famous for their wines).

Lots of Italians who live inland find it easy to enjoy the beaches of Viareggio and Forte dei Marmi. It’s easy to hop on a train from Florence, Lucca or Pisa and hit the ocean.

Those who aren’t on the beach spend time enjoying my wife’s favorite pastime: shopping! Chianti is a different universe. Montalcino is know for its distinctive Brunello wine. Montepulciano was a pleasant surprise. We were fortunate to see a traditional Palio there. The pictures speak for themselves:

Alas, our time in Tuscany came to an end. It was really hard saying goodbye to my family with whom we had grown very close during this trip. We were able to explore the area around Lucca more deeply and we were able to get a real sense of life there. We also attempted to find the birthplace of my grandfather, Tranquillo Lupori, without success. It seems that his father moved around a lot and he is more elusive than we anticipated. As a result, we have a good excuse to return to Italy. Our next stop was in the beautiful town of Santa Magheritain Liguria. Just north of the famous Cinque Terra, this lovely seaside gem was romantic, tranquil and friendly:

Virginia and I were impressed with Santa Margherita. In just one day we managed to wander its lovely waterfront, eat in some good restaurants (the seafood was excellent) and visit the church of San Giacomo Corte. Its interior is lush and the grounds around it are spectacular. Right before we caught the train to Torino, we met a nice couple from Richland, WA (imagine that!) who were also impressed with Santa Margherita.

Now for something completely different: Torino 

 I’ve been waiting to write this section for a long time. Not long ago, I met an Italian gentleman in Seattle who is originally from Torino. When I mentioned that Torino was a beautiful city, he just looked a me as if I was impaired. Yes, Torino has a bad reputation as an industrial zone. But things have changed over the last decade and Torino has emerged as a wonderful city. Ironically, Torino must be one of the most un-visited places in Italy. No, it’s not Tuscany or Umbria or Sicily, yet, to me it’s a hidden treasure worth visiting. With a population of around one million people, it does have its challenges for visitors. Nevertheless, if one plans ahead and does a little research, Torino offers treasures galore:

Torino is a city of large, wide avenues and city squares (no cars thank you very much) that most Americans can’t fathom. It’s a city of palaces, churches and FIAT as well as chic clothing shops, elegant bars and wonderful pastry shops. It’s bigger than life and overflowing with life as well. I’m amazed at how well Torino handles its huge population and still manages to provide huge public spaces where Italians live together and share a vibrant heritage. It’s something I feel American cities lack due to our love affair with the automobile. Even though Torino lacks the laid-back, country feeling of Tuscany or Puglia, it is an important, elegant place. I love Torino!

Florence and Italian Bake-Offs:There’s Art and then there’s ART

Yesterday my wife and I did a day-trip to Florence which is about one hour by train from my cousin’s house. We visited Florence two years ago in November and, frankly, the only thing that impressed us at that time were the museums. We found the Florentines and the food a bit cold. Everything was different yesterday. We had a wonderful time exploring the city away from the larger museums and tourist areas. A highlight was the Basilica of San Miniato Al Monte which is an extremely old church. Also, we managed to get some very nice shots of Florence. The weather was perfect:

BUT, just when we thought things couldn’t be better, my family threw us in the car and we went to a genuine Italian bake-off. Now there’s art and then, there’s art. Check these delicious little things out:

The photo above shows various treats that children made. Yummy! By the end of yesterday we got to experience two of the greatest forms of art in the world: Florence and Cake. What could be better?

Sardinia: Summing It All Up

Sardinia is one of those places that makes you want to sell everything and move. For some reason, Sardinia felt familiar to me: its climate, its landscape, its architecture, its frontier spirit and its people. My only complaint is that my Italian isn’t good enough to allow me a deeper look into Sardinia. I promised myself that I’d be more fluent next time. Since pictures tell a better story than words, I hope you enjoy some of the shots below:

Tiscali: Visiting the Nuraghic Past of Sardinia

Throughout Sardinia you’ll see stone structures that were constructed by an ancient Sardinian culture known as the Nuraghics. This culture dates back over 5000 years and predates a lot of cultures including the Romans, Greeks, Phonecians, etc. I was dying to visit a nuraghic site and (be careful what you wish for) one of my relatives took up the challenges: we trecked into the mountains to visit a village called Tiscali. Even though the guide book indicated that the village was a one hour hike into the past, it’s really a two hour hike over some fairly rough terraine. The adventure was worth it.

We knew it was going to be a long day when we saw the starting point of the hike. This was one challenging hike up some rocky paths. It was a fairly hot day as well.

When we reached the archealogical site, it was all worth it. Tiscali was discovered by woodcutters over a century ago. It has only been recently that the site was studied. An on-site guide explained that the nuarghic people who inhabited this settlement would have found it to be a virtual paradise: there was ample food, water and isolation from enemies. The stone houses were arranged inside a huge crater-like pocket in the mountain.

My cousin’s husband, Lelio and my wife pose here after the trek. It was a wonderful adventure and an unexpected bonus to our vacation.

Sardinia’s Interior: Rugged Country, Rugged People

My wife and I did several trips into the interior of Sardinia. It’s similarities to California’s Central Valley, Utah, Nevada and Eastern Washington are striking. One fascinating component of Sardinian life is it’s almost anarchistic attitude toward the “outside world.” The town that exemplifies this lifestyle is Orgòsolo. During the 1960’s it was know for banditry and violence that, to this day, gives the town a bad reputation with the authorities. A fascinating manifestation of this anarchistic worldview are the murals that cover many of the walls in the city (there are murals painted on the mountains and rock around town, but we didn’t have an opportunity to see them). We Americans consider ourselves a frontier people and I found myself relating quite easily to the town and its people. After all, deep down inside we all want to be renegades, don’t we?

As you can see, Sardinia has the look and feel of the Western US. This beautiful landscape is home to some rugged people:

Many of the murals depict famous historical events or people. Above the artist expresses some unkind words for Salvadore Allende.

The murals are beautiful, stark and quite thought-provoking. As we wandered the streets of Orgòsolo we had the sense that visitors were welcome, but only for a little while! Once again, Sardinia was a complete surprise. Oh, by the way, if you happen to run into the two bandits below, call the authorities…………………..they’re trouble:

Sardinia: How I learned to enjoy the beach!

Italy is famous for its food, its hospitality and its ancient architecture. Also, everyone pretty much knows about the large island of Sicily off the south western tip of the peninsula. Sardinia; however, remains one of those off-the-beaten-track spots in Italy that one hears about but never gets around to visiting. Well, I,m here to tell you that I now see why a lot of those old Spaghetti Westerns were filmed in Sardinia: it’s a beautiful land of mountains, cactus, dusty roads, rugged and proud shepherds, farms, vineyards and, yes, beaches. I mean the most beautiful beaches you’ll ever experience. Confession time: I’m not a beach person. I find it hard to sit on the beach. I do love to swim in the ocean, but I don’t have the patience to relax, read a book and soak in the sun……until Sardinia…… Virginia and I spent more time on the beach in Sardinia than in all our years on earth.  Frankly, the pictures barely tell the true story:

I have a lot more to say about Sardinia in later posts. As you can see, the beaches are incredibly beautiful, yet, there’s also a fascinating and rugged world in the interior of the island.

Grocery Shopping in Italy

I love to go grocery shopping. I also like to look at other people’s shopping carts to see what they are buying. Call it a strange personality disorder if you want. Nevertheless, I know some of you aren’t well-travelled and might be curious about the way Italians live their regular lives (when they’re not dealing with tourists). So here are a few pictures (taken discreetly) at a local Supermercato:

In these pictures you’re going to see a lot of things that look familiar. The Italian stores have the same basic set up as those in the US.

One surprise is that Italian grocery stores don’t offer fresh fish on Mondays. If you were looking for a fish fillet or clams today……….

Americans love yogurt, but Italians REALLY love yogurt. This whole section is a shrine to every kind of yogurt imaginable.

SCONTO is sale in Italian. By the way, my cousin cooked up these chickens and they were absolutely wonderful.

Oh, Italians hate standing in line, just like us.

But the clerks are very nice. Probably because they get to sit down on thejob.

It’s the Simple Things that Matter….Really

Sometimes being on vacation means just that: BEING ON VACATION! I believe we Americans suffer from the I-must-always-be-working syndrome. I’m particularly prone to this malady. So today I just want to share some simple things with you:

Peace!