Pasqua

Here is the long-awaited Easter episode! Just kidding. Mark and I had the opportunity to adventure in the north of Italy, thanks to one of his friends from exchange in high school. His friend, Elena, and her family, were kind enough to invite us up for Easter. First we took a bus to Milan, where Elena goes to school. We walked around the artists' quarter, where she lives, and went to the Duomo, a grand example of Gothic architecture. Construction period began in 1386 and ended in 1965.
Mark Twain had this to say about it:
"What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful! A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems ...a delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath!."

The drive to Varallo, Elena's town, took a couple of hours. Varallo is a tiny Piedmonte town nestled in the Alps, complete with a glacial river running through it! It was one of the cleanest places I've ever been- all of the cobblework of the streets looked new. I couldn't get over the sight of the snowy Alps surrounding us and probably kept annoying Elena with all of the photos I took. Instead of terra cotta tile roofs and brick sidings, the houses here were made completely of stone and were remenicent of Grimms' Fairy Tales. Elena's family took us on drives up into the mountains, overlooking lakes and villages, up an old ski mountain (complete with abandoned gondolas) and another day, to an original Walser village. The Walser is a group of German people that migrated south into Switzerland, Austria and Italy. The village we saw was so so cute and traditional looking. The window shutters had little heart cutouts and we saw a couple of alphorns (think Ricola commercials). I got to taste the fresh water pouring off the mountains.

Easter, to our surprise, we celebrated by eating out. After Easter mass, we drove deep down into a valley, until the road was the tip of the V in between mountains. There we came upon a wooden lodge, which was apparently a restaurant. Elena's family was so kind and friendly- they were pleasureable company. Her grandparents were especially cute. Traditional Pasqua food consisted of an appetizer of cut meats (like in Tuscany), a primo piatto of risotto (traditional for Piedmonte, the largest producer of rice in Italy) and secondi piatti di veal and lamb. For dessert was the traditional Colombo (dove) cake. It's supposed to be in the shape of a dove, but usually looks like a cross. It's almondy and dry, with orange pieces and a flakey crust. Not my fav. I'm just not an Italian dessert girl. Apparently the traditional Christmas cake is fruit cake (!).

Mark and I had such a nice Easter, thanks to Elena and her family. However, I wish I could have made an appearance in Melrose with my family. <3