I had every intention of taking the time to update ‘Coffee & Chiffon‘ regularly while away this past week, but truth be told – my days have been filled from morning to night with such epic and beautiful scenery, gawking at art and historic marvels, hiking literal mountains and splashing in the bluest of blue lakes – and of course, eating any and all of the most amazing food I think I’ve ever had in my entire life – that I’ve had little time to check e-mails or blog properly. This entire trip has been such a dream come true – and I can’t believe I’ll be heading back home to the States over this coming weekend.
I got into Italy a little over a week ago, with Troy surprising me at the airport during a layover in Frankfurt, Germany so that we could fly into Milan together. Once there, and just as a huge thunderstorm was beginning – we scooped up our rental car and began the drive up North to Lake Garda – with my heart racing as the roads became more narrow and winding along high mountainsides, steep cliffs, and through spectacular tunnels. On more than one occasion, I wanted to close my eyes – but the scenery was so breathtaking that I couldn’t look away for long. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.
I don’t want to name the exact villages where Troy and I stayed for the duration of our visit – not to be an elitist gatekeeper – but because so many of his extended family are here and I want to honor their communities and culture as they have been so warm, welcoming and helpful to me throughout this journey – and I’ve both seen and heard the way tourists have all but trampled over places like the Amalfi Coast and Lake Como when they go viral on social media. I want to do my part to preserve these most small, quaint and historic locations in any small way I can.
But, they were indeed gorgeous – and one of my favorite parts of this trip has been walking into town to explore the streets, shops, and cafés/restaurants while interacting with and learning from the locals – and hiking extensively to get from one village to the next. My legs have never been in more pain than they are right now – but they’ve also never felt stronger!
One place we hiked to during the early days of our trip, and something I’ll happily share for anyone who wants to visit – was a trek to the cliffside remnants of a 12th century castle overlooking the town of Arco. Seeing these towers, arches, staircases and preserved murals/art up close and in person was incredible – a once in a lifetime experience that I’m so grateful I got to have on what ended up being a beautiful, sunny day (the weather here has been a little unpredictable – which I may have brought with me from Massachusetts!)
And once back in town, through the historic part of the village and finally at the center of Arco, we also got to visit one of Italy’s many beautiful churches/cathedrals – which have been especially lively during our stay since the new Pope was announced not too long after we’d arrived! It’s been very exciting!
I’ve always known Italy to be a very Catholic country, but there’s something in the way they honor both their religion and their lost loved ones that is especially moving. Along so many of our hikes or drives, Troy and I have come across shrines for travelers and headstones for those who have been lost that include photos and such ornate detailing that it’s clear there was and is still so much love. We’ve done our best to pay respects to each memorial we’ve encountered.
Arco is also not far from Riva del Garda, which had a beautiful marina by the cliffs and gave us a chance to be by the water’s edge at the end of our day in the sun.
Of course, the main reason for coming was to visit Troy’s family – and I was fortunate enough to meet and spend with them for a couple of days where we communicated through what little Italian I could speak, a translation app we’d stored on our phones, and assistance from Troy’s lovely cousins who could speak English very, very well – where I heard stories about their family history, their community, their cultures, upbringing and travels. They made us amazing food using ingredients that were picked fresh from their garden (and out of all the fantastic meals I’ve had here so far – the dinners at their home have been my favorite because they were so clearly made with love!) and had us try different kinds of wine and coffee.
They truly made me feel like part of the family, and my heart is so full of love ad hope that I’ll get to visit them all again someday.
There’s still so much to talk about and share from this trip, but for now – I want to go out and savor these last couple of days I have here on the lake. I’ll be back next week to recap more of this amazing journey – including stops along historic trails, a visit to a popular and photogenic tourist destination, an incredible outdoor art exhibit and an unexpected connection I made in one of the smaller villages here!
See you all next week! Ciao!
xo
Coffee & Chiffon 