northern italy: the mountains, the rain, and the wc.

this weekend found me traveling up through northern italy, my destination being the small town of paderno, which is nestled in the dolomites of the veneto region (famous for its prosecco!) i was mildly nervous for my first solo trip across italy, although my roommates assured me that it would be easy and relaxing. i, of course, arrived earlier than necessary, and found upon entering the station that this was not necessary. some passengers even buy their tickets moments before their train departs, and are not any worse off than the others, as the platform numbers can and do change with minutes to spare. i was scheduled to take three different trains, one of which was a eurostar. these are roomy, comfortable trains with separate cars that include bars (!) the ride was moderately uneventful (i read about vittorio desica's contribution to italian neorealism) until, after tunneling through a dark undergroud passage, we shot out into the MIDDLE OF THE ALPs. these enormous, foreboding beauties were unlike anything i have seen before, with the exception of a dream i once had in which i was in a valley surrounded by giant jerusalem artichokes (like mountains, no?) the mountains (this particular stretch called the dolomites) held my awe-inspired attention for the rest of the trip.

i arrived in bassano del grappa (the area home of the famed digestivo...yes i did try it...not sure what i think yet, but definitely better than vodka.) and met with miranda, lily, and allison. we visited a gelateria (way too sweet this time...crema is not my kind of flavor) , a mod, designer lamp shop, and a bar to procure for miranda some hot chocolate. it was here that i experienced my first northern italian bathroom, which consists of a ceramic hole in the floor. in rome, i had experienced pull-chain toilets, sinks operated by seemingly invisible pedals, and lack of soap, but this i was not prepared for. after this initial shock, i came to accept that this was all i was going to get when it came to bathroom provisions. after this unexpected piece of education, i joined miranda, lily, and allison outside, where we were affronted by the first of several torrential downpours that would visit over the weekend. we bolted through the streets, finally arriving at a chinese restaurant (!) , soaking and cold. after some confusion with owners about paying the check, we braved the forces once again to make it to the bus to crespano with seconds to spare. once in crespano, we were picked up by a gorgeous italian woman and her two children, who gave us a ride to nearby paderno on account of the rain.

the next morning, we had breakfast at the apartment where one of miranda's professors was staying. it was here that i tried my first chestnut spread (!) , enjoyed blood-orange mimosas and incredible eggs with asiago miranda-style (!) , and enjoyed the heavenly lavender growing in the backyard (!!) after visiting the bigger of the town's two tabacchi's (prosecco for 3 euro...could it get any better?) , i sat in on a masterclass of opera students that miranda studies alongside. the glorious sounds of puccini and some french composer whose name escapes me now were underscored by another downpour outside. it couldn't have been more romantic. once the storm cleared, we took on the challenge of taking a walk alongside the mountain to find castle ruins that were apparently in the area. although we never came across them, we did find ourself among grazing animals, including cows and billy goats, some of which were the size of kittens. as we climbed higher, the saturated colors and intoxicating smells brought by the rain left me feeling relaxed and happy. after a dinner of potato, sausage, and parmesan pizza, i slipped into my second heavy sleep of the weekend.

the next morning, we awoke to prepare to unleash ourselves on the antique market at marositca, which is held every first sunday of the month. after running, once again, to barely catch our bus, we found ourselves in the piazza castello, which, as the name suggests, is settled underneath a castle atop a hill. my eyes gazed upon bags, sunglasses, and countless pieces that will surely furnish some lucky italian's apartment. my wallet could not be contained, however, and i walked away with a fabulous english carpetbag, venetian glass beads, and a necklace from africa. (the man who sold me the necklace was very excited to chat with us about obama after finding out that we were american. this attitude is rampant all over italy...how exciting!) after a FANTASTIC meal of risotto al dente with asparagus accompanied by an incredible sicilian white wine, we ventured to the bus stop. the bus, however, had apparently taken a siesta, along with its driver. an hour later (such is life...) we departed for bassano, where i jumped on a train with minutes to spare, in the true european fashion.

as i reminisced about the weekend, i found myself anxiously awaiting my return to rome. i found that despite the lovely, relaxing weekend filled with wonderful company, awe-inspiring nature walks, and vending-machine hot chocolate (you've gOT to try it...italy has everything!) , i was seriously missing rome. and as i stepped out onto the busy cobblestone streets, i felt an invigorating, warm feeling- the kind you get when you are re-acquainted with someone lovely you haven't seen in a very long while.