Scopello photo journal

Goodbye Scopello

Giando

We first met Roberto Glandolini (Giando) at the wedding in Greece. He is a good friend of Luca and he lives in Scopa (about 3 kms south of Scopello). He also has  restaurant and bed and breakfast at the Alpi de Mara ski hill just above Scopello.

Giando

Giando's restaurant and bed and breakfast

We met again at his restaurant where we had a wonderful meal and evening celebrating Giovanni's birthday

Giovanni's birthday party

Giando became our unofficial guide to Scopella. Bob and Giando went hiking to the alpine above Rima and a second time above Alagna

Refuge above Rima

Alpine above Rima

Returning from Alagna we stopped for beer, wine tasting, and cocktails, the rest of the evening was a bit hazy. One night Giando took us to his Moroccan friends restaurant, for pizza, beer and a round of pool. We then polished off a big bottle of homemade Lemonchello with the owner after all the guests left, much laughter and fun. On another occasion we drove to the ski hill, to his friends restaurant which was closed and the whole family dined with us. Language aside we had a great meal and experience, they even played "O Canada" on itunes for us. We felt like family.

 We invited Giando out one night (he of course picked the restaurant a place he had worked at). We had a "typical" Italian meal, the trout was excellent and the owner/chef joined us for Grappa and then he toured us around his restaurant/hotel/disco.

Despite his diminative stature Giando's heart is as big as Italy. Our time in Scopello was made immeasurably more wonderful by Giando's hospitality.Thank you and remember you promised to visit Canada and partake in our hospitality. 

Varallo

The city of Varallo is beautifully situated where the Sesia and Mastallone rivers join. Only a 20 minute drive from Scopello so we visited numerous times. Anyone travelling through the Valsesia valley passes through this historic city.

Overlooking old  Varallo

Varallo

You feel like you step back in time, within the narrow streets, historical buildings, and cobblestone streets, Yet we enjoyed modern activities like purchasing our tour to the Red Sea, a SIM card, finding Wi Fi access at lovely street side cafes and to even get a haircut! Tuesday's market was a great source for fruits and vegetables and the antique fair was worthwhile despite the rain.

Market day

Main square Varallo

Overlooking Varallo city is Sacro Monte and it was a very surprising visit, to this UNESCO reserve. It was originally built in 1491 as a recreation of sacred places, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jerusalem,  Step up to the window openings and peer inside, to see the events of Christ's life, depicted in theatrical scenes, housed in 45 chapels with over 800 (yes over 800) life-sized statues of wood and multi-colored terracotta. San Nicolao, the large church (1878) is dedicated solely to the Virgin Mary and the alter has many more statues. The grounds are also beautiful and pleasant for a stroll through the oak and chestnut trees.

Valsesia Valley alpine villages Piemonte Region

Look up anywhere along the Sesia River and you see small villages perched on mountainsides or as you drive along the Valsea valley through the frequent villages. Giant cowbells ring out and you have to wait when the cows are herded through your road.

Rossa

The Walser villages date back over 8 centuries with a history of trades and handicrafts. German in origin and once important for mills, presses, and mineral production for weapons, industry still carries on. Wood and painted decorations are stuffed into roadside shops. The area is also known for scapins (slippers) puncelto needle lacework, wrought iron and soapstone works.

Wood shop

Gardens are everywhere and any food grown or foraged is used. Sally particularly liked the Toma cheese and tried wild goat, rabbit, and locally made Genepy a herbal liqueur. This years mushroom picking was poor due to very wet summer and dry fall. Hanging baskets still bloomed and are so plentiful.

Genepy

Rima to me was the most beautiful village, surrounded by an amphitheatre of mountains. Frequent avalanches also mean no ski hills here unlike Alagna another village so close Swiss border and Monte Rosa range, Italy's highest.

Rima

Church in Alagna

Stone houses, bridges and buildings are the structures of the valley and even today, any new building attempt to preserve the look. A stone mason earns a good wage and it is often hard to distinguish the new vs the old. You have to like stone to live here.

Scopello

One of the things we wanted to do was to live in another community, as opposed to being a tourist/traveller. A wonderful opportunity came to us from Luca's family. So except for two short road trips, we were able to spend a month in Scopello, a small town in Northern Italy, in the Valsesia valley. The valley, billed as the greenest in Italy, is approximately 50 kms from Varallo to the top of the valley at Alagna, but first some thank you's.
Thanks to Chiara who picked us up at the Malpensa (Milano) airport and to Giovanni who arranged the perfect rental car for us.

Peugeot Partner

 Thanks to Luca and Louisa for letting us use their apartment in Scopello, and a special thanks to Luisa and Antonio who waited for us in Scopello and got us settled and comfortable in the apartment.

Apartment in Scopello

Scopello

Scopello was so beautiful, quiet and peaceful. You could always hear church bells and the sound of the Sesia river as we visited the businesses in this small town. Since we were here in the low season, one could only imagine the bustling ski season or summer holidays.

The people we met were so friendly and made great efforts to help us. They thought we'd come a long way to stay in Italy. We shall always have great memories of Italian hospitality. The best hosts you could ask for.

Valsesia valley

Matterhorn

Being in the mountains of northern Italy and seeing the Monte Rosa range from Giando's restaurant, gave Sally the idea to go see the Matterhorn.

View of the Monte Rosa range from Giando's restaurant

We considered a 4 hour drive, then a short train ride to Zermatt, Switzerland (no cars are allowed in Zermatt). Then we found out we could get a better view of the Matterhorn from Breuil-Cervina, Italy, (The Matterhorn is named Monte Cervino in Italy), we also found out that the cable cars were open as it was the first day os skiing. Breuil-Cervina is only a 2 hour drive from Scapello, although we took 4 hours as we got lost a few times. After three cable car rides we were standing in the snow on the border between Italy and Switerzland watching the skiers and admiring the Matterhorn, we were even lucky to see an avalanche on the face of the Matterhorn. We wached the sunset light up the mountain on an outdoor deck downing pizza and beer. A short 2 hour drive and we were back in Scapello. Unforgetable day.

Matterhorn

On the border

First day of skiing

Avalanche

Road Trip to "Dolomites Drive"

After a week in Scapello we selected the Dolomites, a mountain range in Northeastern Italy as a road trip destination. We bravely set out across to "Autostrad" a toll highway, testing our navigation skills without GPS. With the aid of a Michelin book of maps and Google maps we zoomed across the industrial region, north of Milan. No wonder they say don't drive into Milan.

Soon we were north of Verona, in the beautiful Trentino valley full of vineyards and apple orchards. A stop a Bozan/Bozano verified our B&B location in the village of Vigo di Fassa. Bozen is a carless city centre which we soon realised when it dawned on us we were being hollered at in Italian.

Windy roads through pristine villages led us to the B&B at dusk and we awoke to pouring rain! Misty mountains prevailed all day and it was only leaving the next morning that we saw the specular silver-grey spires. Dolomite is a sedimentary rock like limestone and often at dusk the breathtaking phenomena of red peaks called "enrosadia" is visible.
What we didn't expect were so many logging trucks, mills, sport stores, pizzeria's and a view of ski jumpers practising on artificial turf of a large jump.

Mist on the Dolomites

Dolomites

Dolomites spires

Trentino ski jump

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            An email from Diana about a nearby castle with family connections changed our course. (Castle Thun). After viewing we drove across "Passo de Tonto" to enter Switzerland. Roads are increasingly steep and full of curves, switchbacks are unbelievable and endless fun for the driver, and by "Passo de Bernina" we are high in the alpine, whizzing past St Moritz at dusk, seeking affordable accommodation. Finally we settled on a hotel "Puro en Prosto", glad for a room/meal. At dinner Bob meets Franco with whom they first converse with "Google Transulate" and Internet fishing/hunting photos. He takes Bob for a tour in his replica Land Rover to and old town called Chiavenna.

Switzerland

Indoor/outdoor hockey

So next morning we stop at small city of Chiavenna, which is like an open air museum in northern Italy (we spent 4 hours in Switzerland). We walk easily around the old town centre, as no cars are allowed. An important area for "crotti" crottos are stone caves where natural vents keep temperatures constant year round. Used as storage for wine, cheeses, cured meats, even restaurants and as a backdrop for an outdoor/indoor hockey rink.

Driving south, along the west side of Lake Como we pass villa after villa (19th century) adorned with palm trees, botanical gardens and olive groves on the steep hillsides. There are few beaches and the dirty water doesn't invite swimming, but this hazy" lago"  has appeal, especially to celebrities. On driving back to Scapello, we decide to temper our drives to those of a local nature to truly learn and get to know an area.

Lake Como