Nice, France: A Tribute to a Creative Life

I have come to Nice to pay tribute to the creative and adventurous life of my brother Chris, who died too young in October, 2022 at the age of 66. Chris was an accomplished photographer, musician, songwriter, poet, outdoor sportsman and world traveler - many interests that we avidly shared. I had a special kinship with my youngest brother and was denied the chance to visit him during the last year of his life and to say goodbye, subsequently my grief has been profound and debilitating. To heal, I decided to revisit a setting where Chris and I met up in 2014 to share an adventure. I hope to create some sort of goodbye ritual while I'm here.

Back then, Chris had recently recovered from treatment for Hepatitis C, and feeling healthy again, he decided to fulfill a long cherished dream of riding a motorcycle through the Alps. I was living in Florence, Italy at the time, where he stopped in to visit me for a few days before touring through northern Italy, Switzerland and France. 

Chris arriving at my apartment in Florence

Happy times with my little bro.

At the end of his ride, we met up in Nice and spent a short time sharing our travel stories before he headed home. It was so glorious to finally share my European life with a family member, and Nice seems the perfect place to carry on Chris's penchant for creativity and adventure.

Lunch with Chris in Place Garibaldi, Nice.

I plan to spend my time here doing the things we both enjoyed most - having adventures, being creative and recording our experiences to share with others. In this way, I can best keep him present in heart and mind. 

Corno alle Scale, Rochetta Mattei

 August 31, 2019

Once settled in my apartment in Bologna, my friends Massimo and Sofia invited me on a hiking excursion. They picked me up at 7 am one Sunday morning and we drove 2 hours to the Appenines, to the park Corno alle Scale. Their dog Millie was an avid companion along for the ride.

Massimo walking along one of the hiking trails.

It’s a 12 - thousand acre park with a variety of hiking trails. Massimo chose an “easier” route for me, which still involved hours of climbing to reach the ridge where you can step into the region of Tuscany along its border with Emilia-Romagna.

The first part of the hike traversed a dense forest, which emerged into an area called Valle del Silenzio (Valley of Silence), with verdant green hills.

Further along, there were wild raspberry and blueberry bushes, and they stopped to pick as many as possible, always sharing their bounty with me.

Sofia and Millie among the blueberries.

The last part of the hike involved a steep climb, so we chose a lower destination, which turned out to be a longer route. (But the higher route was in the clouds, so we were happy with our choice in the end.) We stopped at a rifugio by a small lake, Lago Scaffaiolo, where we rested and shared a plate of polenta con funghi (mushrooms). 

Then we climbed up to the ridge and walked along the border between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. We rested again until we heard rumbles of thunder in the distance. 

Walking along the border between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna

We walked quickly down a rocky, street-like path, which seemed to take forever, but we were loathe to get caught in the rain, which would have turned the path into a slippery, muddy surface. We made it back to the car and stopped at a café bar in a nearby town just as it started to pour.

On the way back to Bologna, we headed to Rochetta Mattei, an unusual castle built by an odd man, starting in 1850. 

Rochetta Mattei

Count Mattei, whose wealth came from  creating a form of homeopathy using electromagnetic waves (electrohomeopathy), created a castle complete with a household court, and lived in isolation, getting more paranoid and crazy as time went on. 

Some of the intricate detail in a castle courtyard.

After he died, attempts were made by various people to turn the castle into a tourist attraction, though it was damaged by German troops in WWII. The castle was finally bought in 2000, restored by a local group, and opened in 2015 for tours. 

The count's resting place in the midst of the castle.

Massimo had made reservations online for the tour, which cost each of us 10 euros. The tour was in Italian – I didn’t understand much of it because the tour guide talked so fast – and it lasted about an hour. Nevertheless, I enjoyed roaming through the many unusual and interesting rooms in the castle. We got back to Bologna about 7:30 pm and I had another walk back to my apartment. I stopped to get a gelato on the way, a treat after walking nearly 10 miles and 24,000 steps. What a jam-packed, rewarding day!

Villa Taranto in Verbania

 August 18, 2019

Though the weather forecast promised rain, I decided to take a chance at visiting Villa Taranto, an hour north from Stresa on Lago Maggiore, and caught the 8:10 a.m. ferry. Founded in 1931 by an Englishman, it is one of Italy’s most famous botanical gardens. 

Once I arrived, I discovered that I practically had the 60 hectare park to myself, and I saw more workers than tourists. 

Near the entrance, there was a dahlia garden with more than 350 varieties of flowers, and thousands of blooms. An amazing and beautiful display!

Unfortunately, many of the more dramatic flowers - wisteria, camellias, and rhododendrons - had already bloomed. But there were many other large floral displays that were impressive and colorful, along with waterfalls and a waterlily pond.  

When I’d walked halfway through the park, there was a short thunderstorm, but I was near a shelter , so I ran for cover and stayed there for 20 minutes with a young French couple and their toddler son.

By that time, I’d seen most of the displays, but there was a long walk to get back to the exit. Near the end of that walk, the sounds of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” filled the park from a score of well-spaced speakers. Though I love that music, I was glad to have been able to enjoy the park’s tranquil atmosphere for most of my stay.

Like the gardens on Isola Bella and Isola Madre, many large trees had been damaged or uprooted by a severe storm the previous week. I lucked out on the timing of my stay on Lago Maggiore, as there were storms before I arrived and rain was forecast for the following week, while I’d enjoyed mostly clear weather during my stay.

Borromeo Islands, Lago Maggiore

 August 17, 2019

One of the highlights of my stay in Stresa was visiting the three Borromeo Islands that float in the middle of the immense Lago Maggiore.

Isola Bella

Early one morning, I took the first possible ferry to Isola Bella, an old fishing village transformed by the Borromeo family during the years 1632-1671. It was crafted into a lovely complex that consists of a baroque palazzo and a terraced Italian-style garden with rare plants.

To see the gardens, it’s necessary to visit the Palazzo first, and there were many tour groups to wade through in the meantime. Once I got past them, I walked quickly through the opulent villa, as I’d seen many similar ones before and was anxious to see the gardens. 

My favorite area of the Palazzo was the six underground grottoes, encrusted with stones and shell motifs in mosaic designs. It’s amazing how pristine they still look after so many years. I spent most of my time visiting the gardens on the island, where white peacocks roaming amidst the cultured gardens made it seem even more exotic.

I traveled by ferry again to the smallest island, Isola dei Pescatori, still reminiscent of the fishing village that its name denotes. It had many restaurants and vendor booths, but little else to see, and I made a quick walk around the perimeter of the island before heading on. (sorry, no photos)

Isola Madre, the largest and most magnificent of the Borromeo islands was the last visit of the day. 

This time, the gardens came before the villa, which was rundown and of less interest to me, though it has period furnishings and a collection of 18^th and 19^th century puppet theaters.

The gardens on Isola Madre were vast, and I wandered around for over an hour, finding many tranquil spaces with few people around. By the time I left Isola Madre, I was wiped out and happy to return to my hotel. 

That evening I enjoyed an Aperol Spritz while sitting at the hotel’s outdoor café, listening to a guitar duo playing classical and popular music in the piazza facing the hotel. I especially enjoyed their rendition of an all-time favorite ballad, “Everybody’s Talking,” by Fred Neil. Since it was never a mainstream hit, it was surprising to hear it played by young Italians. I made a point of telling them it had been a favorite of mine for decades, while adding some euros to their take for the night. All in all, it was a rich day of interesting sights and sounds.

Malcesine, Limone, Lago di Garda

 September 28, 2019

After visiting Lucia in Trento, I headed out by bus to the small village of Malcesine, on the eastern coast of Lago di Garda.  I had to change buses in Riva del Garda, and had the chance to walk around for a bit before heading on to Malcesine. Since I'd enjoyed such a wonderful time in Stresa, on Lago Maggiore a month earlier, I was eager to see if I might have a similar experience in Malcesine.

When I arrived at the bus stop, the proprietor of the B&B met me and carried my luggage to the apartment I had booked, in the town center. It turned out to be a huge place, with a complete kitchen, and the bedroom, dining room, living room and bathroom were all quite spacious. Compared to the studio apartment I was staying at in Bologna, it felt like a 4 star accommodation!

 

Malcesine in a popular tourist spot, especially with Germans and Austrians. The streets are filled with boutiques, gelaterias and restaurants that cater to tourists. The main attractions are the Castle, the Funivia (cable car lift) to Mount Baldo, and visiting the village of Limone across the lake via ferry. I found this village to be a lovely spot for a short stay, though it is quite touristy. I spent most of my time in quiet spots near the lake or on Mount Baldo. 

I walked by the castle, but didn't go in, as I'd already visited several other castles during my travels this year in Italy. I scoped out the town, checking out ferry schedules. then stopped to eat ravioli di zucca (pumpkin) with a glass of Prosecco for dinner. Later, after buying food for the apartment,  I found a bench by the lake and settled in to watch the sunset, while swans and ducks frolicked in the water below me.

The next day, I took the funivia to Mount Baldo and watched numerous paragliders, as it's a choice spot for that activity. I hiked around for an hour viewing the lake below, then returned to town when clouds started rolling in, obscuring the view. 

After a quick change of clothes at the apartment, I caught the ferry across the lake to Limone sul Garda, which was crowded with tourists. The town is famous for its Castel del Limonaia, where they grow all kinds of citrus, but especially lemons. 

Approaching Limone on the ferry.

Goethe wrote about his visit there in September of 1786, when the Limonaia was new. After falling into disrepair, in 1995 the local council bought the Limonaia to promote the city's heritage, restoring it with 100 new citrus plants and creating a museum with artifacts and explanations of it history. Though I enjoyed the ferry ride and seeing the limonaia, the town was packed with tourists, making it difficult to maneuver the narrow streets. 

A view from Limone of Lago di Garda.

These photos show the structures built around the plants, which  can be covered to allow the limonaia to be enclosed during the winter months. 

The ferry ride back across the the lake was a highlight of the day, as I always love being on the water. I had dinner with a view of the lake: grilled gamberoni (large shrimp) and vegetables, then watched another lovely sunset over the lake. 

The next day I caught a bus to Verona, then a train back to Bologna and my apartment there. 

Klimt's view of Malcesine

When I got home to the States a month later, I came across a painting by Gustav Klimt, entitled "Malcesine on Lake Garda". Oddly, the original had been destroyed by fire, but copies still exist. The view he painted was nearly the same as the one I saw from the ferry, approaching Malcesine from Limone. It was eerie to realize that I had viewed the same scene he had. I was so taken with the image, I bought a copy of it and can enjoy that view every day in my home.  

Villa Margon and Trento

 September 27, 2019

From Trieste, I took the train to Verona, where a new friend, Filippo, picked me up and drove me to Ravina di Trento, where my dear friend Lucia is the caretaker of the Villa Margon. I've known Lucia for more than a decade and have visited her in several forested locations, but Villa Margon is the most regal of them all.

Villa Margon

Villa Margon is part of the Cantine Ferrari complex, makers of the renowned Ferrari sparkling wines. Visitors come from all over the world, for the wine-tasting, but also to view the frescoed walls of the villa. 

Frescoed walls are also outside the villa. 

Located outside of Trento, Villa Margon is a sixteenth century villa with more than 500 years of history, beginning with the Council of Trent, when the villa welcomed cardinals and other religious figures from all over Europe, including Emperor Charles V. (Charles V was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain and Lord of the Netherlands).In fact, his exploits are highlighted in one of the fresco cycles that adorn the villa.

 

A few images from the frescoed walls that fill several rooms in the villa. 

In addition to viewing the Villa, I also spent many hours hiking with Lucia, her husband Luciano and their daughter, Marta. At times we were in the chilly fog at Passo Fittanze, or meandering along the Altopiano and other areas of Trentino where there are numerous hiking trails. Marta and Lucia hunted mushrooms, in particular a variety called sanguinelli (saffron milk cap) mushrooms, which Lucia cooked that evening and made sandwiches for our hike the next day. 

Lucia and Luciano hunting mushrooms.

We visited a natural bridge (Ponte di Vieja) and several nearby villages, where we encountered few people but found a great pizzeria. 

Marta and Luciano walking on Ponte di Vieja

During our hikes, we also viewed the devastation caused by Vaia, a monstrous windstorm that blew through the area in October of 2018. Vaia was the largest single windstorm event in recorded history, and hit some of the most beautiful and most productive forests in Italy.  Scirocco winds up to 200 km/hr caused 8 million cubic meters of downed timber, resulting in 41,000 hectares of destroyed forest. 

Marta and Luciano near the ruined trees.

Stacks of timbers lined the trails, waiting to be transported, many of the timbers rotting after a year of sitting in piles. It was heart wrenching to see, another unfortunate casualty of climate change. 

As always, spending time with Lucia and her family was a lovely treat; she is a wonderful friend and gracious host that I am fortunate to know. 

The main piazza in Trento, where high school students were on strike that day. 

During my visit, I stayed at a hotel in Trento, and before leaving the area, I had a chance to view some of the sights in the historic center. 

Soon,  I was off to my next stop, Malcesine and Lago di Garda!