This trip was just one of many that were taken by students at my university here (Københavns Universitet or KU) as the international students who had taken the pre-semester Danish language course like I did had two weeks off before classes started. A bunch of my classmates went of to sunny Spain while some others, including my roommate, wondered down to Germany while yet others ventured the Danish countryside. I was determined to go cross country skiing, however, so I simply search for the cheapest flight to a country that could offer me some mountains and snow. At 188 Kroner, which is about $27 USD, Italy won out by quite a bit; in fact sending my skis round trip could have bought me nearly three more seats on the flight! The plan was to spend about half of the time up in the mountains to go skiing then take a few days to check out the cities in the north.
I landed in Bergamo, a suburb northeast of Milan that was actually closer to the region of the Alps I was hoping to go to than flying right into Milan itself. I arrived the night of the 27th with a bus ticket to a mountain town called Bormio in the early afternoon of the 28th. Bergamo really wasn't all too impressive on its own; it seems to be a service-heavy city with a lot of banks and office spaces but little else. That is until I ventured to the Upper City, called Citta Alta, named such due to it being situated in the foothills of the Alps. Apparently this is the old portion of the city that has been inhabited at least since the 2nd century BC by a Celtic tribe and was later used as a common summer vacation spot by the Roman aristocracy. The city has been renovated and reworked many times by many peoples, but one of the distinguishing features are the cyclopean walls built in the 16th century that surround Citta Alta.
One of seven original city gates (only three still exist) called Porta Sant'Agostino
Panorama from the south−facing walls overlooking the more modern Lower City, Citta Bassa
Shot looking further up into Citta Alta, the top half of the old walls are in the foreground
Look down the path that lies immediately beside the city walls surrounding Citta Alta
Street leading to Piazza Vecchia, the white building at the end is a public library known as Biblioteca Civica "Angelo Mai"
Shot of Piazza Vecchia with the city hall in the center and the old bell tower on the right
Opposite shot of the Piazza from a balcony on the city hall with the library at center
Front facade for the Cattedrale di Sant'Alessandro, which was unfortunately closed
One of many pictures I took of painfully Italian−looking streets; the cobblestone really sealed the deal for me
Some ruins I encountered enclosed in a building with a lot of windows for viewing; the plaque was only in Italian but my understanding is that these are from the original settlement from the 2nd century BC
Another shot of the above ruins
Fresco outside the entrance to Chiesa di San Michele al Pozzo Bianco
Frescoes that were covered with plaster at some point in history being re-exposed in the back of the interior of Chiesa di San Michele al Pozzo Bianco
Yet another fresco from Chiesa di San Michele al Pozzo Bianco
View of the alter and some pews in Chiesa di San Michele al Pozzo Bianco
I came across a small, free WWII museum in the old town hall; I was the only one in there for the whole time I walked around
Some pamphlets and short books sold on the homefront
An etching depicting a foundry producing artillery shells for the war effort
A small chapel, Cappella di Santa Croce, immediately adjacent to Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
More of the Cappella di Santa Croce
Some of the crumbling foundation of the Cappella di Santa Croce
Front facade of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, yes all of that is made of various forms of marble
The first of many beautifully painted ceilings inside the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Shot towards the alter still in Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Better perspective of the vastness of the intricate ceiling sculptures and paintings in Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
A minor alter just to the left of the central alter
Central ceiling paintings in the dome of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Yet another ceiling shot
One more shot of the ceilings, for good measure
If I understood the French tourists I overheard/was eavesdropping on, this was a communal water basin used for washing clothes
After enjoying the Upper City for the morning, I ventured back toward the Lower City to grab lunch and catch a city bus to the airport where I would be taking my express bus up to Bormio. I had a wonderful plate of tortellini in a creme sauce with prosciutto and still had time to stroll down a huge chocolate market. After some liberal sampling, I ended up getting a hunk of 70% cocoa dark chocolate with rice crispy-like cereal pieces as well as a block of chocolate-hazelnut fudge; both were as delicious as you probably are thinking.
I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, asked another bus attendant where my shuttle usually arrives, and sat down to wait. Soon it was 2:00pm, departure time, then it was 2:10, then it was 2:15, and the bus had not yet arrived. After borrowing an Italian man's phone and getting in touch with the bus company, I learned that my ticket was actually for the following day and that there had been no tickets purchased at my pickup location so the bus didn't stop there at all. The customer service rep suggested that the next best way to get to Bormio would be to take a city bus to the train station, hop a train to Lecco, change to another train which goes to Tirano, then get on a bus up to Bormio. Needless to say, I was less than thrilled at the prospect of changing transportation that many times with a backpack and ski bag, but it did seem to be the only other means of getting to my next stop.
At the train station, while buying my ticket, I overheard another man who was going to Tirano as well. He started running after buying his ticket so I figured the train must be leaving soon, but he was mistaken making us both look like idiots. I approached him after we both realized we had to wait for just less than an hour, but he didn't speak any English. After asking back an forth, we both decided that we could speak enough French to communicate in that. Between waiting on the platform and taking the trains I learned that his name is Kazimierz and he is actually Polish but has lived and worked in Italy for 20 years, thus he spoke Italian fluently. So whenever we changed transportation or needed to buy tickets, I would let him speak in Italian then he would explain in French; at one point we came across a confused Alaskan girl who I then explained things to in English, making for a rather impressive game of inter-lingual telephone.
After reaching Bormio, I parted ways with Kazimierz who was going yet another town further up the mountains to Livigno, where I would be skiing the next day. With the help of the bus driver and a map, I found my hotel, checked in, and went to the in-hotel restaurant that is also run by the two women who run the small hotel. I was thoroughly exhausted and hungry so just about anything would have been exciting at that time, but what I got was far more than I expected. I was told about three menu choices and opted for some sort of tortellini bake with red sauce and a lot of cheese. While waiting, the other women offered me some of the soup but I explained that I had ordered the tortellini. She then explained that she was just offering for me to try a little, so of course I said yes; only she didn't just give me a little sample, she gave me more than half a bowl! Then the first woman passed by again and asked if I wanted to try some of this green gnocchi dish that the region was famous for, to which I of course answered yes, and was once again given what seemed like far more than even a half portion. Finally my actually meal arrived which was just as good as the 'samples' before it. After finishing I got asked if I wanted more, which honestly I did, but it just wasn't possible for me to eat more so I had to decline.
View up the street to my hotel (the brown roof on the right); and yes, that is a mountain basically in the backyard of my hotel
My attempt at a panorama of my little room, it was essentially just a bed, a closet, and a bathroom but it was perfect for one person on a ski trip, plus it had access to its own balcony facing the above-mentioned mountain!
The next morning I had a wonderful breakfast at the hotel then caught a bus up to Livigno, one of the best known skiing valleys in Italy. By 11:00am I was out on the trails and my gosh it was incredible. I have never seen a landscape quite like the one I was surrounded by. Unlike the Rockies which I have found to be a series of monumentally-sized towers of rock and ice, the Italian Alps were a series of shorter, snow-capped peaks that seemed to exist in number like trees in a forest. Part of the reason was being in a valley that was already quite high in elevation, but sheer number of peaks surrounding me was something that I did not get used to in the roughly 48 hours I spent there.
The skiing was pretty good, however the area had been getting unseasonably warm and was nearly 45 degrees Fahrenheit by midday while I was there. When I went back out in the afternoon to ski I was wearing just a t-shirt! My wax was also not quite ready for the warm, wet snow causing them to drag a bit as well as offer little kick (for the skiers in the crow: I was gliding on a mix of Ski*Go Violet and Graphite with a kick base of Ski*Go Violet that I covered with Swix V55 Special Red once it warmed up). The trails were oriented as long loops that stretched the length of the valley while having little width between the out and back trails. To the north was the stretch of villages, and on either side of the valley there were chairlifts and ski runs carved into the trees. Here is a crappy diagram to try to illustrate this layout and then a bunch of not-at-all-crappy pictures.
Looking down the valley, you would see something like this:
//\\ /'\/'\/'\ //\\
// \\__,,__,,__|_|_|_|__// \\
Mountains^ Trails^ ^Towns ^Mountains
Shot of the neighboring valley from the bus
Looking up the valley toward the eastern end, if there was more snow the trails would continue further toward that peak in the center
Attempt at a panorama of the eastern loop; note that the trail on the left and the trail on the right with the skiers actually meet at a right angle opposite me silhouette, isn't photo-geometry fun?
From atop the 'expert' trail, a 3km loop that was technically incredibly challenging but a load of fun; this is looking norther toward over the towns to the other side of the valley
Westward shot of the trail looking fabulous; I had to keep reminding myself to look up and look around me because this was the view I had at any given moment while skiing
Not the best picture from the bus' window but the sun setting on some of the peaks was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen
That night I had a house wine and an amazing pizza with cheese, smoked ham, and an egg in the center
The next morning I had planned to return to Livigno to explore another trail system leading to an adjacent valley, however my hostess told me to try Santa Caterina Valfura as she had heard that the weather was a tad colder there. I am so glad that I listened to her as the snow was in beautiful condition and the environment was just as gorgeous. It had been about 10 degrees Fahrenheit overnight and was floating comfortably in the mid-teens while skiing (as a result I was gliding a bit better and could kick on just the Ski*Go Violet with a little Swix VR45 under the toe). These trails were not as extensive as they closed off trails that were probably still navigable but not up to their standards, but they were beautifully kept and included a 4km 'expert course' as well that would give Two Tier hill at Lapham Peak a run for its money! The trailhead was also just next to the chalet for both nordic and alpine skiing, so I could ski for an hour or so then grab a sandwich, ski for another hour than grab a cappuccino, and so on.
View down the valley toward a neighboring town
These are some farmhouses just off of the trail; for most of the day I could smell something really animal-esque along a particular stretch of trail but couldn't figure out why until on one pass I heard a snort and realized there was a rather large pigpen just beyond some trees
Another shot near the farm houses
In the foreground is a river that ran down the valley, in the background are more awesome mountain views
Another look down the valley but with some nice mountain slope lighting
Shot of the slopes from a chalet table while enjoying a cappuccino
Poster found hanging in the nordic changing area; even Italy has Birkie Fever!
Rick Astley can only speak for itself; also while sitting a the chalet enjoying cappuccino
After yet another successful day of skiing, I had an amazing sandwich with another great house wine back in Bormio. The next morning I left early on the bus that I was supposed to take up to Bormio, ending up right back in Bergamo. From the airport there I took a bus to Milan around the middle of the day where I would spend 24 hours before going to Bologna for another 24 hours and then home to Copenhagen. This post is getting rather long, though, and I still have more reading to do for class so I will have to write another post about the city portion of my trip in the next few days with lots of pictures of cathedrals, art, and architecture. Stay tuned!
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