My Book on Amazon
- Follow Are we there yet? on WordPress.com
The land beneath the mountains.
This entry was posted in Italy, Piemonte and tagged Alpi, Alps, Biella, Bird, Bird spotting, Duck, Emigration, Expat, Fara Novarese, Fields, Fourteener, Geese, Glacier, Immigrant, Italia, Italy, Lake, London, Malpensa, Massazza, Masserano, Massif, Monte Rosa, Musings, nature, North West Italy, Novara, Piedicavallo, Piemonte, Reservoir, Snow, Switzerland, Travel, Vercelli, Vineyard, Water, Winter, Woods. Bookmark the permalink.
I can see that Alice and I are going to have to visit you at your birthplace.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Welcome anytime!
LikeLike
Only in Italy would this not be considered a tourist hotspot. Those mountains are spectacular. It’s always interesting going home. Seeing the changes (or stasis) in people and places. It’s impossible to not wonder what things would be like if you had stayed behind. It gets more surreal as time passes.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Hiya Julie, I’ve to say I chose the spots sort of carefully. You’ve been spared the sight of the endless theory of factories, new concrete boxes being built when old ones are rotting away empty, ungainly 1970s condominiums, gigantic overpasses, disused nuclear power stations and, dulcis in fundo, a refinery. Piemonte isn’t as sexy as I made it look like.
Agree on how surreal it seems, but I’d also say it’s surprising how little seems to have changed, or how people are actually getting on with their lives pretty much alright, without you. Sounds selfish I know but…
LikeLike
I never really thought about the etymology of Piedmont, but now it’s forever in my brain! I passed up a hike around Monte Rosa one year, and I’ve always been sorry I did. My “where I’m from” is similar in many ways – naturally beautiful but victim of a long, slow decline that means many of the people I knew have left for greener pastures. I’ll never stop going back, though; it’s in my blood.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I can understand your feelings, Lexi, the situation in your “where you’re from” it’s not that different from my neck of the woods.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not sure I could properly answer “where I’m from”. While I didn’t grow up here, I’ve spent 2/3rds of my life in Oregon – it feels like home. But when I do go back to the town in Minnesota where I spent most of my school years it’s nearly unrecognizable – so much new development. In any case, I certainly can’t point at the Alps with a nonchalant air and say, “that’s my old stomping grounds.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s interesting, Dave. I’m assuming your town in Minnesota doesn’t have a clearly recognisable natural reference point, right? But I suppose it’s not important where you were born, but where you “feel” at home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I turn south much too early to pass by your mountains but have just done the long slow passing from Slovenia back home to Italy (how did calling it that happen?). It lasted almost 12 hours instead of usual 7 to 8, but it only clogged after Firenze. Everybody wanted to be in Rome for Christmas. There were other mountains to observe and say goodbye to. I’m certain that topography shapes our characters. In Slovenia we have all sorts of landscapes and people act according to it. Those surrounded by Alps tend to be frugal, matter-of-fact, without sense of humour and prosaic. Seeing your landscape makes me doubt that. 🙂
In case you wonder, I’m from the capital in the basin hole. 😀 The only way to get along with a romano. 😉
And a song since you brought it up. We are indeed from somewhere and to return is to step into all sorts of shoes all over again:
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Those surrounded by Alps tend to be frugal, matter-of-fact, without sense of humour and prosaic”
Add a deeply rooted mistrust of strangers and you’ve described anyone living between my region and Savoie! Merry 3-days-after-Xmas, Manja! Enjoy Rome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, and the majority of Slovenians as well. Rome was, now back to Maremma. We had hail just earlier. Very tiny hail, I should add.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Could it be… snow?!?!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nah. It was just a cloud dropping some droppings. And then again an hour later. They melted in ten minutes.
LikeLiked by 1 person