Lorella and Gianni thought I was crazy. “Come back in the spring,” they begged, “Everything is beautiful then!” They felt bad that most of the tourist attractions were closed in Western Sardinia, and that it had rained incessantly on my trip. But I was as happy as a pig in mud — like the pigs on the agriturismo (farm) where I was staying.
I am extremely grateful that I am a better traveler than I used to be, or the last five days would have caused me to melt down.
Our starting point for Debbie’s and my hike through Italy’s Dolomiti mountains was Lago di Braies, a surreal spot of unbelievable beauty. There’s a hotel on the lake, but early that September morning, there were few guests ambling around its perimeter. There were a dozen or so hikers who, like us, were embarking on Alta Via 1. I just remember this calm quiet on the lake. Nothing disturbed its glassy silence. The mountains in the background served as sentinels. A dilapidated boathouse sat on stilts above the water. Half a dozen wooden boats gently bobbed against one another on one shore.…
After enjoying a fine lunch at Belforte in Vernazza, this woman made me smile. Such a juxtaposition between lounging in the warm Italian sun and keeping up with politics.