It was almost time to head back to sunny South Africa. I was really looking forward to it. Wearing layers and layers of clothing was getting me down. Even if it was just to pop in to the shop a minute away, you would have to pile it all on. I found the necessary activity tiresome and laborious. I felt suffocated. Our winters in SA consist of cold mornings and nights but our days are mostly pleasant and warm.
I had one last adventure in mind so I decided to pack a bag and visit Stefan in the Torinese in the Piedmont region of Italy. Stefan had left SA with his two dogs about 18 months prior and was slowly building a life in Italy. I caught the train to Salzburg and then to Bludenz where I would meet Stefan who was visiting friends for a skiing holiday. The timing was perfect because I saved a bit on train fares. Arriving in Bludenz, Stef and his two dogs jumped out of his little Fiat and enveloped me in greeting. It was so good to cuddle dogs again!! Stef and I chatted the entire way about life, philosophy, religion, beliefs, my highs and lows of my Europe adventure and his slow progress at becoming an Italian citizen. It was so good to talk.
I noticed the stark difference as we left Austria and Switzerland behind and made our way through the bendy roads of the Italian alps. I had been to Italy a few times before but only to the built up touristy areas. You could feel the wealth dwindle and be replaced by something I was familiar with and felt more at home with than the austerity of Austria. I love Austria, it's my second home and where the family I love very much live. But there's something that comes with places that are a little more "poor". There's a groundedness to it. The people are different too. When I walked into a grocery store in Austria, I could hear a pin drop. But walk into a shop in Italy and I was greeted with warm smiles and "ciao". It was refreshing. It was like being back in noisy Johannesburg. It was needed. I was tired of the structured atmosphere in Austria, where the air felt so thick that I felt I could no longer breathe. It's amazing what poverty does to people. It can make them the kindest, most generous and down to earth of people who really know how to unwind.
We finally arrived in the small town that Stefan had come to call home. Lanzo is a quaint little town surrounded by majestic mountains, hills and planes. It's about 30 kilometers northwest of Turin, 60 kilometers north of Milan and at the mouth of the Valli di Lanzo. I never knew how truly cold European winters were because I had always been spoilt with thick-walled, well-built homes, fireplaces, heaters and underfloor heating. Now I was staying in what I would call a dwelling made up of a bunch of rocks piled onto each other. The fire was just a stove. I wore about 5 jerseys plus my thick dressing gown, 3 pairs of socks, a beanie and I was still the coldest I've ever been. Whenever I spoke to Stefan a cloud of mist would come out of my mouth. And we were indoors.
I didn't have a heater in my room but couldn't bring myself to sleep in Stefan's room. So I got into bed and after 20 minutes I honestly thought I would freeze to death. I decided to drag my mattress into Stefan's room and slept there next to the stove with two dogs to keep me warm. But it wasn't warm.
I was pretty miserable about life the next day but kept up a pretense for Stef so as not come come off as an ungrateful guest. I decided to brace it and go for a walk. Perhaps I could find somewhere to warm up with a cup of tea. I don't mind "roughing" it. I grew up holidaying in tented camps in the bush or rustic farm-style accommodation. For me it's the cold that is a big no. And it's not like going skiing where you can warm up in a warm hut afterwards. I had no way of warming up where I was and I was going out of my mind.
Off I went, a couple of slips on ice, a tumble and a rip in my coat sleeve so that the inner stuffing hung out, straightened hair turned curly, and I was just about one more fall away from loosing it and screaming my lungs out into the f*#%~¥ forest. I somehow kept it together and trudged on. Sleep deprived and highly irritated with life - and just wishing for that darn cup of tea! Then I approached the small town.
It was everything you could imagine a little Italian town to be and more.
The old church, cobble stones, dilapidated houses with the paint peeling off, quaint stores. Then I found what would become my happy place in Lanzo - Bar Pasticceria Al Torcet.
(Image: Wikipedia)
After my ordeal, I felt like how it must feel when you're walking in the desert and come across an oasis. Owned by the Torcet family, I was welcomed with open arms and much concern (I must have really looked a real sight to warrant that much pity). They spoke maybe 3 words of English but we got by just fine. My mom speaks Italian so I could make out bits and pieces and soon they understood that I was the newest and second South African in town. They brought me my tea and delicious biscuits.
(Image: Wikipedia)
I later found out that these biscuits were the proud family tradition of the Torcet family, a tradition that went back a hundred years. They really were delicious and if you're ever in the area I would highly recommend trying them.
They also explained that the breadstick, which was originally thought to have been created in the 14th century, was (according to them) invented by a baker in Lanzo in 1679!
Two cups of tea later and I was brought a glass of wine. Stefan walked in with his two dogs and later on three of his friends arrived. One of them just got back from Australia and while he shared his experiences I sat back in the warmth of good wine and company and was in a much happier place.
Finally warm, we said our "good-bye's" for the day and Stef took me up to the bridge, the Ponte del Diavolo. It's quite a rocky walk and rather steep so you need to tread carefully. Once you're there it really is very pretty.
It was built in the 1300s over the river Stura to connect Lanzo and its valleys with Turin.
We threw sticks into the water for the dogs and watched them play for a while and then headed back while I mentally prepared myself for yet another sleepless, freezing night. I cut my trip a few days short because I just couldn't handle the cold in that little dwelling of a house. The boiler broke and there was no hot water. Taking a shower was terrible and washing my face in the mornings and evenings stung like you wouldn't believe. I would love to go back to Lanzo in the spring time or even in Summer.
(Image: Wikipedia)
(Image: Wikipedia)
But what the "dwelling" couldn't do for me in warmth was made up ten-fold by the warmth of Lanzo's people.
I said good bye to Stef, the doggies and beautiful Lanzo.. the town that crept into my heart. Grazie mille, Lanzo.
