Arrivederci to Valle d’Aosta, Italy
For my final day in Italy, I decided to take advantage of the fine weather by hiking to a castle I’d seen earlier from a twisty mountain road. As an American, and in particular an Oklahoman (which only became a state in 1907), it was mind-boggling how many ancient structures are scattered throughout the Italian landscape.
Every time I came around a bend there was a stoic castle, ancient church or hidden bridge waiting to be explored.
The castle ruins I examined this morning weren’t on any tourist map. In fact, there was a whole string of castles along the Aosta valley, originally built in sight of one another so they could signal trouble when it arose. Castello di Quart just happened to be the closest to access for me from the road.
Throughout my week here, I tended to stop and inspect details of the oldest, core parts of Italian villages. It was fascinating to see construction methods from hundreds of years ago. It was also interesting to see the design trends of the day and how they’d endured for better or worse.
I’m sure plenty of old structures had been torn down to make way for modern buildings but a staggering amount of the old remains. Some of it is renovated and preserved but much of it is just left to crumble. Grandly.
I decided to trek to the town of Gressan and visit the Chiesa della Maddalena. Built in the 1100s and enhanced during the next 400 years, the church sat by itself in a grassy field. I didn’t realize the tower was leaning until I took in all angles. Menacing cracks ran up through the stonework.
The western facade of the church was entirely covered in elaborate frescoes created in 1463. They depicted the familiar legends of St. George fighting the dragon and St. Christopher on the verge of crossing a stream bearing the bambino Jesus on his shoulder.
As I headed back to the car, I took one look back at the church framed by the Alps in the distance. Who knows how much longer it will remain standing? I was thankful I was able to experience it as it’s been for the last millennium.
I also took one last stroll through the main piazza in Aosta. Families were out walking on this Sunday afternoon greeting friends and neighbors.
Time moves a bit slower here and people seem to emphasize enjoying the small pleasures in life (like a good scoop of Stracciatella ice cream on a cone).
I’m due up early Monday morning to drive back across Switzerland to Konstanz, Germany, and return my rental car. Then I’ll ride the train down to Zürich where I’ll spend my final night in Europe on this trip. Arrivederci!
……….
Thanks for coming along on the trip. If you have questions or suggestions, tweet @JasonRMatheson. Missed an entry? Click here.
