Thank you for your patience as pictures are loading.
Gardone Val Trompia - Marcheno - Marmentino, Italy - November 2-4, 2005
Tuesday, November 2nd, found us leaving Venice and the rest of the tour group to venture through Italy on our own. Al's parents immigrated to the United States from a small village in the Italian-Austrian Alps called Marmentino and we were headed there to visit family that still reside in the area.
We packed our gear into the rented Mercedes C220 and hit the Autostrada, or freeway. Bob was having a great time (much to my backseat driving dismay) as he hit 100 miles-per-hour plus for a short stretch. It's the closest he's come to the Autobahn, so he let it all hang out. Along the way to Marmentino, we passed one of the many Autogrills that line, or in this case - straddle, the highways of Italy. They are a combination mini-mart, deli and restaurant. If you stop, make sure to have some Euros on you, or you may not be partaking of the restroom facilities!
We had a relatively uneventful drive to Marcheno (we only made one wrong turn), where we would be staying in the Albergo Marcheno, or Hotel Marcheno. It was situated along a lovely little river in the foothills of the Alps. Quite a contrast from Venice!
That evening, we enjoyed a fabulous, home-made Italian dinner with the Bonomi's. I thought I was hooked on Italian cuisine before, but oh my! Stasi, Noni's (Bob's grandmother and Al's mother) god-daughter, is a fabulous cook and seemingly effortlessly produced a multi-coursed meal for eight. After dinner, we visited with many of her and her husband's, Salvatore, children and grandchildren.
The next morning we took a drive up into the mountains with Stasi and visited one of the three sectors that make up Marmentino. The town is very much spread out along the main road as there is not much flat land, nor side streets. Below are pictures from inside the church were Noni and Battista (Bob), Bob's grandfather and Al's father, were married. Even the most remote churches have famous works of art and are elegant. This one had a pipe organ, with still plays at 1000 plus-years-old.
Stasi dropped us off at our hotel after our tour and we were promptly picked up for lunch with the Borghetti's in Gardone Val Trompia. Battisti (in the blue jacket), is Noni's nephew. We spent a great time visiting with them. Bob and I attempted to practice our Italian, but Patrizia (far right in same picture) enjoyed it more I think, by being able to practice her English, which was far superior to our Italian!
That evening, we were treated to dinner at the hotel with both sides of the family. There was plenty of conversation in both languages and Bob and I enjoyed giving Patrizia and Damiano a short geography lesson on California and the United States. In overall square miles, I believe California is larger than the entire country of Italy and it was fun explaining how long it took to travel from Ukiah to San Diego (Baywatch country), Las Vegas, etc.
Our third day took us up above Marmentino to see the hillside church Batissta Beltrami (Noni's husband) helped construct. This area is used by the locals as a retreat for both summer and winter (great skiing, we're told) and houses many vacation homes. Behind the church is a once-popular restaurant and a true Italian bocce court. We weren't able to play, so I guess we'll have to go back!
Making our way back to the car, we noticed some interestingly-colored mushrooms growning along the hillside.
We drove through Marmentino one last time. The photo gives some idea of how the sectors are nestled in the Alps. It really is beautiful country.
Our farewell dinner later that evening with the Bonomi's was quite the affair. You know you're in trouble when you haven't yet reached the main courses and the Italians are commenting they can't eat another bite! All in all, our family visit was wonderful - you couldn't ask to meet a more kind, loving and generous group of people.
Milano (Milan), Italy - November 5-7, 2005
Saturday morning we bid our family goodbye and motored down to Milan. We were able to see more than we anticipated of the city as we drove for a couple of hours trying to get our bearings. After returning the rental car and finding our hotel, we did some window shopping in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. We enjoyed dinner that night at The Assassin, a restaurant that Al had visited on a previous trip to Milan.
Unfortunately, the rain really came in on Sunday and we spent most of our last day in Italy holed up in our room. We did get back to the Galleria though to leave some tourist dollars behind and pick up some Christmas gifts and last souvenirs before we flew home the next day.
Some final thoughts on Italy. If you have the opportunity to go, do it! Better yet, create the opportunity. We sprinted across the country from Rome to Florence via Orbetello and Pisa, to Venice via Verona, to Marmentino and finally to Milan in two weeks. We have every intention to return to Italy and to take the time to savor a few of our favorite cities and of course, make a trip back to Marmentino. Until then, Arrivederci, Italy!
