Walking and Art in Arcumeggia

Ann decided for this weeks exploration that she would go to Arcumeggia. Arcumeggia is a one of the painted villages of Varese. This is one of several villages in the province that are decorated with unique paintings and other art work, making something of an outdoor museum. The drive up was a little hair raising with the narrow twisting road that leads to the village but once there the small mountain town is a walker's delight. The frescoes seemly come out of nowhere and made it into a very enjoyable walk.

Modena and Fast Cars

This weekend we took a trip back to the Emilia-Romagna region to visit the city of Modena. It's a small city, busy and bustling, with plenty of things to do. We visited the historic Duomo, which is probably one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches that we've seen. Unfortunately, the outside, including the tower, were under heavy restoration (covered with scaffolding), but the inside is simply beautiful. Speaking of museums, we also visited the Estense Gallery, where we saw some incredible Renaissance art.

Of course, we had to find a restaurant for some food (which had to include the essential Modena Balsamic Vinegar!). We ate a huge lunch at a small family restaurant. Luckily, Samuel is grown enough to sit through a full meal and enjoy eating most of the food himself. It's a relief not to have to rush, so the meal was particularly pleasant.

Lastly, after a day of wandering around Modena, we took the short drive to Maranello, the home of the Ferrari. The car maker has a large gallery-museum near the factory, filled with both road and racing cars. There's also engines, memorabilia, historical artifacts, and assorted stuff. Thomas was incredibly excited about this visit (which, for a six-year-old, is much more engaging than an old church!).

A Warm Day at the Playground

Across the Border to Locarno

Weather-wise, this was simply a beautiful week in Italy.  The weather is perfectly spring-like, and John will soon have to revive the lawnmower and tend to our yard.  We're amazed at how quickly Thomas is progressing with reading at school.  He brings home a few books (20 to 30 pages each) for homework each night, and is now able to breeze through most of them.  Sammy is doing well, and can't get enough of being outside.  

This weekend we took a short drive to the northernmost end of Lago Maggiore, and it was the first time we've been to that end of the lake.  We visited Locarno, Switzerland.  What a great and bustling little town.  Besides having a great lunch and exploring the streets and shops, we also did a lot of sigthseeing.  We rode a funicular to a vista overlooking Locarno and visited the Madonna del Sasso sanctuary.  The town was full of people from all over Europe, many seemed to be on holiday and were passing through the town.  Also, although Italian is the primary language in this part of Switzerland, there was an incredible amount of German spoken (and virtually no English).  All in all, it was a great day (made better by the near-perfect weather). 

Signs of Spring

Weekend in Asti

This was a fairly uneventful week for the Bedell family.  We went through our normal routine of work, school, and the usual chores.  The weather has really warmed up, and we've started spending much more time outside.  

This weekend, we decided to get out of town, and took the relatively short drive into the middle of Piemonte, to visit the city of Asti.  The popular time to visit this town is September, for the big wine festival and Palio.  Still, the area is quite nice (plus, not crowded in March) and the food is fantastic.  Also, the beautiful weather meant that we could spend a lot of time outside and enjoy seeing the town.  We meandered through one of the larger markets that we've seen in Italy.  We also saw the towns Medieval and ancient sights and had a phenomenally good meal of typical piemontese cuisine and wine.  Also worth noting, the people that we met in Asti were some of the most outgoing and helpful that we've met anywhere in Italy.  Both Thomas and Sammy seemed to have a great time getting outside into the sun and exploring a new town. 

Drums, Stargazing, and Staying Home

After our 'vacation' to the south, we decided that we should stay home for a weekend.  Luckily, it turned out to be a beautiful, warm and sunny opportunity to enjoy our patio.  We were able to have lunches outside, in the increasingly warm sunshine.  So, it was a fairly uneventfully weekend for the Bedell family. 

One notable exception, however, was Thomas.  On Friday his class at school culminated a week of drumming lessons with a concert for parents.   Ann and Sammy visited the school to watch Thomas beat a variety of fun rhythms on an over sized drum.  He really enjoyed it.  

Next, the weather has warmed up enough that Thomas is now getting to really enjoy one of his Christmas presents...a telescope.  He got a chance to marvel at detail on the surface of this week's full moon. 

Happy Sam

Pompeii and Sorrento

Thomas had no school this week (which was closed for the entire week due to carnevale). So, we decided to take advantage of the time-off to visit a more distant Italian destination. John took a few days off from work and we set off...

First, to provide a little background, we've mentioned before that one of Thomas' favorite TV shows is 'Doctor Who'. Well, ever since he saw one episode about Pompeii, and then learned that the city is in Italy, he's been begging to visit the site. So, we decided that this was the perfect opportunity to head south to visit Campania, the area around Napoli, and Pompeii.

We stayed in the resort town of Sorrento, which is absolutely beautiful. Because it was off-season, the hotels were mostly empty and low-priced. 

The landscape and atmosphere of this region of Italy is significantly different that what we've experienced in the North. It was refreshing to get out and see another part of the country.

Of course, the highlight of the trip was our visit to Pompeii. Thomas was completely beside himself with excitement when we arrived (mixed a little fear that Vesuvius would erupt). John brought Sammy's backpack, which make it much easier to navigate the ruins. We really took our time to explore the ruins, which are absolutely phenomenal. The structures, mosaics, roads, baths, and shops are fascinating. Of course, the eerie plaster casts of bodies that were trapped in volcanic ash are also disturbingly captivating.
We saw far too much to write about here, but it was one of our best trips. The only down-side was that Sammy caught another cold, and had a very bad sinus infection by the time we had to leave.

Next week it's back to work, school, and the daily routine.