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Lowland does not have predeter-mined routes, due to its nature ofbeing an undifferentiated space.Through it men, goods, ideas, andforces diffuse in various directionsthat gather together as they reachurban hubs and then progress inparallel or diverging. Alternatively,mountains are strict in their dualnature, seemingly contradictory.On the one hand, they separate,differentiate, and isolate; on theother hand, the network of terres-trial paths that mark this environ-ment encourage knowledge, newexperiences and cultural blendingamong people.

The Lombard mountains are oneof the most significant places inthe synthesis that we call Europe,resulting from a long integrationbetween the Roman-Hellenistic

maturity and the new Germanicinfluence. This has been obtainednot so much through traumatic in-vasions, as with the progressivepermeation, sedimentation of ir-reconcilable differences, and grad-ual creation of a skeleton, which tothis day supports a body in theprocess of being developed. Lom-bard valleys and alpine passes haveacted as the blood vessels of thisbody, providing it with the spiritu-al and material nourishment thatgives substance and identity to acivilization.

By virtue of this quality of beinga barrier and a passage at the sametime, the Alps have protected andpreserved the local traditions of theinhabitants, but they have also ex-posed them to the transit, both de-structive and fertile, of the invaders.

mountainsThe majestic routes of history

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This extraordinary place provides mountain enthusiasts with unforgettable experiences inan exceptional mountaineering system. The local “routes” are accessible in all seasonsby the most capable; such routes are not extremely long, but show the complete rock-related scale of difficulties. The Scuola Italiana Lecco-Valsassina-Orobie provides courseson mountaineering, climbing and ski-mountaineering all throughout the year. Those whoprefer hiking, instead, will appreciate the three stages of “Direttissima” trail, one of themost beautiful ways to explore the Grignetta.

In the midst of Grigne peaks, in the northern side of the Valle dei Mulini, famous for thenumber of karst formations, is located the Moncòdeno cave, modelled by karst sedi-

mentation of snow and regelation ice, from which subterranean waters originate. Whileoften forgotten, the cave is a natural ice-house, a jewel that has been attracting visitors

(among which Leonardo da Vinci) for centuries. It surprises the visitor with its “living” con-cretions and the chiaroscuro effect, drawing an unreal and eternally mysterious reality.

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The valleys, smoothed and pol-ished by the mighty force of ice,have received the prehistoric markof their first inhabitants, people de-voted to hunting and metallurgy.Valcamonica, like an enigmaticstone library with many incisionscarved on its cliffs, tells us about theeveryday life of the Camuni andtheir concept of the sacred. Thismysterious population left thegreatest concentration of prehis-toric art in Europe. However, it isnot the mere interest of eruditesthat makes this place unique. Theremote past of man seems recent,compared to the nature that hoststhe remains of mankind; and walk-ing along the mountain paths, dis-covering a rock decorated with fig-ures or archaic symbols, creates thetypical sense of dizziness, which al-ways accompanies the realization ofthe depth of time.

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The widespread conception of theMiddle Ages as stifling and static,only partially corresponds to reality.In fact, although it is true that themajority of the European popula-tion did not go beyond the horizonsof their own village, the MiddleAges were touched by a wide scopemobility, in a certain way anom-alous and disconcerting. Clergy-men, armies, pilgrims, and mer-chants faced the steep Gottardo andSpluga passes, and traveled up anddown the Lombard valleys, leavingtraces of their transit everywhere.

Faith is a great propulsive force formen when it comes to moving. TheBenedictine Order, which spreadfrom Central Italy throughout theChristian world, induced the monksto travel towards a number of monas-teries in order to transcribe the bookskept in those libraries. Pilgrimage toRome or to the Holy Land offeredmen in the most desperate condi-tions a high and noble reason to de-velop a spirit of adventure and athirst for knowledge of the world.

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The 8-stage trekking route heading up the valley to Spluga pass lies within an area ofhigh Alpine biodiversity. At first, the trail meanders through large grazing lands, onundulating ground, as it is typical of medium-height mountain environment. Then, theroute starts climbing, as it enters a high-mountain setting, underneath massive glaciers, tolater descend again though forests of chestnut trees and broadleaved trees. Though theroute follows waymarked trails, with a number of huts and bivouac spots, a good deal oftraining, as well as some mountaineering skill, is necessary.

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Thanks to the easy ascent route and the mild climate, the Menaggio hut (halfway upto Monte Grona) is quickly accessible even in Winter, by way of three gentle trails, onefrom Plesso and two from Monti, all lasting a little more than one hour. The final portion

of the walk is particularly interesting, and benefits from an open view on Como lake.The ascent from the hut to Grona's summit takes little more than one hour, too. However,

it is quite demanding, given the danger of frozen ground, and given certainpassageways, only traversable by means of technical equipment.

Monks and pilgrims passed on theimpossible tracks of the ancient Ro-man roads precariously preserved,largely exposed to the severity of aharsh climate. The hospices built inthe least ideal locations of theirjourney, today still bear witness tothe solidarity that mountains fosterin men. Given the Benedictine call-ing to provide hospitality, pre-scribed by the rule of the Order, itwould appear vain making a dis-tinction between hospices andabbeys: actually, many abbeys werebuilt for the main purpose of givingassistance to the travelers crossing

the mountains. Romanesque docu-ments, convents, campaniles andcloisters give evidence of pilgrima-ges requiring nearly heroic efforts.

Besides veritable works of art,humble and poor constructionscomforted the pilgrims marking thestops of their difficult journey witha holy image, an altar, a point of ref-erence. Lots of small, bare and soli-tary little churches watch over thealpine cols or the deserted moor-lands, in contrast with massive andprecious monasteries, chapels, andabbeys, strewn along the meander-ing paths in the valleys.

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12

In Valcamonica, on the top of themountain that slopes down towardsthe River Oglio, the great austerity ofSt. Salvatore’s monastery rises upfrom the thick wood, the geometri-cal severity of its structure contrast-ing with the petrified fantasy of thehippogriffs and mermaids on thecapitals. Not far from there, in themountain locality of Cemmo, St.Siro’s parish church stands out on a

sharp rock; it rests on a Romanbuilding, which was built on top of aprehistoric castle. In the same way itsstones are immersed into the remotepast, its origins fade into legends thatlink its foundation to Charles theGreat or to St. Siro himself, duringthe Longobard domination. The li-on and the lamb, symbols of strengthand mercy respectively, keep vigil bythe sides of the entrance.

In Val Camonica archaeological area many rocks have been found carved with a mysterioussymbol, called “rosa camuna”. Today, this symbol is the emblem of Regione Lombardia. Two

hypotheses have been put forward by experts to explain the meaning of rosa camuna. Thefirst maintains that it is a “sistrum”, a type of rattle also used by Celts; the second maintains

that is a variant of “svastika”, symbol of the sun in several prehistoric cultures. In either case,it has been ascertained that the position of these symbols has a relationship with astronomy.

One of the most renowned engravings is located near the village of Carpene Sellerio.

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24000 rocks carved with 300000 inscriptions constitute the outstanding archaeologicalheritage of Val Camonica. In 1979, UNESCO included this site in the World Heritage List.The rock drawings, made by the mysterious Camuni people between the 8th and the 1st

millennium AC, represent hunting scenes, initiation rites, and ancestral signs. Theengravings, situated in an area of high landscape value, are located in four protectedareas, the most important of which is Naquane National Park. They are provided withwell-designed paths and signs.

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Resegone is the most famous mountainin Lecco region. Its summit is accessibleby a splendid trail. The initial section to

the Alpinisti Monzesi hut has nodifficulties at all; the final section, thoughmore demanding, is not too hard either.The first part of the walk, parallel to the

course of Torrent Gallavesa, is quitepicturesque.

Compared to the surrounding peaks,climbing the Pizzo Scalino is lesschallenging. However, it offers an

equally exciting landscape view. Theascent can begin either from the Campo

Moro hut, near the tiny lake with thesame name, or from the Zoia hut. The

area offers many beautiful opportunitiesfor ski-mountaineering tours.

On the east shore of Lake Como,on the mountain of Civate, someBenedictine remains seem to be ap-pearing at a balcony. After an hour’swalk along a mule-track climbing upamongst the greenery, halfway upthe elegant St. Benedictine’s oratorycan be reached. It is located just be-low St. Pietro al Monte’s abbey,which dates back to the Longobardperiod. A wide stairway leads to itssemicircular lobby, after which theinterior of the abbey reveals unex-pected polychromatic stuccoes.

On the ancient path that used tolead to the most important alpinepasses through Valtellina andValchiavenna, near Colico stands

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the Abbey of Piona, which waserected in the eleventh century as ahospice for pilgrims and merchants.The marvelously silent cloister hostsa precious cycle of frescoes. Not farfrom here are the fascinating re-mains of the Abbey of Vallate,founded by Cluniac monks.

St. Tomè’s rotunda is a particular-ly rare and valuable example of Ro-manesque style, because of its struc-ture, circular and rich in sculptures;it dominates the deep Valley of Tor-nago, through which passed the oldRoman route to Rezia. Its harmo-nious outline fades into the sur-rounding panoramic view, whichwraps up the rotunda with sweetvineyards and gentle hills.

Farewell, ye mountains, rising from the waters, and pointing to the heavens! ye varied summits,

familiar to him who has been brought up among you, and impressed upon his mind as clearly

as the countenance of his dearest friends! ye torrents, whose murmur he recognizes like the

sound of the voices of home! ye villages, scattered and glistening on the declivity, like flocks of

grazing sheep! farewell! How mournful is the step of him who, brought up amidst your scenes,

is compelled to leave you! Even in the imagination of one who willingly departs, attracted by

the hope of making a fortune elsewhere, the dreams of wealth at this moment lose their charms;

he wonders he could form such a resolution, and could even now turn back, but for the hope

of one day returning with a rich abundance. As he advances into the plain, his eye becomes

wearied with its uniform extent; the atmosphere feels heavy and lifeless; he sadly and listlessly

enters the busy cities, where houses crowded upon houses, and streets intersecting streets, seem

to take away his breath; and, before edifices admired by the stranger, he recalls with restless

longing the fields of his own country, and the cottage he had long ago set his heart upon, and

which he resolves to purchase when he returns enriched to his own mountains.

Alessandro Manzoni, I Promessi Sposi, New York, P.F. Collier & Son, 1909–14

Literature

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Constructed by a cove of a small lake, the Abbey of Piona was founded in 1138 bya community of Cluniac monks. A recent project has restored the complex to the originalgrace. Today the abbey houses Cistercian monks. The abbey is well worth a visit to see

the beautiful San Nicolò's church, containing the holy water stoup supported by two lionsculptures, as well as the monastery's marvellous cloister, with its splendid cycle of

frescos. Immersed in the silence, the Abbey of Piona is an ideal destination for those insearch of a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

A myriad of other saints havelinked their names to holy buildingserected on the mountains and in thevalleys, with their apses, towers andtwin lancet windows. But the realconnection, the secret thread thatlinks these human works together, isthe fact that they were prayers whichsolidified into rock, the same rocksforming those mountains they standon, the same rocks they share thespace with, blending with the natu-ral environment to the point of cre-

ating a uniform landscape. Howe-ver great the architectural and artis-tic beauty of these works may be, itcould never reach the aesthetic emo-tion of the architecture derivingfrom their union with the nature ofwhich they are part. Plateaus cov-ered with snow, leafy woods, mas-sive smoothed rocks and impetuousstreams of water are not simply arandom and alien frame of the hu-man activity. Rather, they completeand extend the sacredness of it.

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The trail from Tartano pass, which extends along the ridge of Orobie, is an ideal fortrekking. This excursion is not too hard, but it takes about twelve days. Hikers can findaccommodations in a number of huts and bivouac spots, generally located within a fewhundred of metres downhill from the ridge. The trail's highest point is 3000 metres; nevertheless, the open majesty of the panoramaand the relative easiness of the trail, make this itinerary truly unique even for medium-level hikers.

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From Bormio, the 301 Strada Statale Foscagno leads to Valdidentro, not far from thelocality of Premadio. The road, directed to Cancano, passes through the small centre ofPedenosso and later, after a series of switchbacks, climbs up to the medieval Torri diFraele. Past the Lake Delle Scale, the route approaches the Cancano reservoir, fed bywaters from the upper Adda. After going around the two dams, Solena village isreached. A steep descent leads to Boscopiano, from where the 38 Stelvio Strada Stataleheads back to Bormio.

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At Oneta village, in Val Brembana, sits a building, known by tradition as Arlecchino'shouse. This palace, built close to the ancient Via Mercatorum, was originally a

fortified facility, then embellished with porches, balconies, and ogival windows. Thereason why this palace is traditionally related to Arlecchino is to be found in the

fresco depicting the mythical homo selvadego (wild man, literally), a shaggy manbrandishing a club, a typical figure among Alpine communities. This image seems to

represent the original matrix of Arlecchino, the character with which it sharesinstinctiveness, vitality, and the ability to bear the pain of hunger, cold, and poverty.

The sacred and the profane alwaysmix together. Pilgrims and mer-chants alike used to go up the val-leys, loaded with silks, spices and arestless urge to search for new hori-zons. Together with the religioustravelers, they sheltered in monas-teries and hospices. They also hadtheir own, specific, meeting points,located in particularly convenientplaces for those tradesmen who,while regaining their strength toface the next lap of the journey, ex-changed information and madebusiness arrangements. Thesemeeting points flourished into vil-lages, which continue to have an at-mosphere of old prosperity.

Along the Strada dei Mercanti thatwent from Bergamo up to the St.Marco’s Pass, sits the village of Av-erara; here is a porticoed street linedin frescoes, by which the merchantsused to stop and meet. There is al-so the Venetian Customs House, a

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reminder of Venice's dominationover the Bergamo region and aproof of its attitude to trading. Upon a peak overlooking the RiverBrembo, the small village of Cor-nello Del Tasso still resists un-changed. A long time ago it was astation where caravans used to stop;today it is a charming and peacefulhamlet, which the arches, colon-nades and open galleries render lessstatic, by creating a tangle of alleys,courtyards and little squares. In thepast it was a noisy and active littlevillage with stables and inns, the in-ventor of the first European maildelivery network; today it is more ofa silent monument to a bright past.

Food and Wine

There is an old necessity in the history of human alimentation which is to conserve excess

food for times of scarcity. Salting, drying, and smoking are all actual technologies adopted

to preserve meat. A necessity, no less. It is not unusual, though, for a simple answer to a

basic need to determine the highest and most refined forms of art; being the concept of art

extremely appropriate when it comes to talking about two masterpieces of local

gastronomy: bresaola (seasoned dried beef) and violino di capra (goat ham whose name

derives from its violin-shape). These are champions of culinary art, typical of Valtellina and

Val Chiavenna respectively, with contrasting and complementary features. Bresaola is a

soft beef, with a mild taste and a shiny aspect, cut into regular oval slices. Violino di capra,

on the contrary, has a strong flavour, firm consistency, dark colour and a jagged shape.

Yet, served side by side on a rustic wooden chopping-board, they create a perfect union.

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When Frederick Redbeard cameto Italy to restore the imperial ruleamong the disobedient communes,he crossed the Tonale Pass, trustingthat the Ghibelline loyalty of hisnobles would make the transitthroughout Valcamonica easy. Thecontrol over the alpine passes was acrucial element for the geographicand political supremacy, this provedby the long fight for the possessionof Valtellina during the Thirty Years’War, which saw its invasion by mer-cenary soldiers from Switzerland,spreading the Black Death plague asthey advanced into the territory.

Merchants and pilgrims traveledalong the mountain paths anony-mously, in the flow of everyday life,following the regular succession ofseasons and personal events. A verydifferent mark was left by the armiesthat crossed the borders betweencontinental Europe and the Medi-terranean region; the former beingbarbaric and imperial and the lattercivilized and cultured. The moun-tains of Lombardy formed a bul-wark against the enemy; evidence ofthis is given by the ruins of the cas-tles, which overlook the valleys,where laid the strategic points.

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Passo Tonale is a privileged location forWhite Circus' ski training, thanks to its 80kilometres of runs, and the cross-countryski circuit, for a 365-day ski season.Among the ski-mountaineering tours, theone starting from Cima Venezia deservesa special mention, for the 14-kilometredescent through a breathtaking landscape.

Given the long snow season, Apricaski resort has been successful in bestutilizing the wide slopes of Palabionemountain. Because of the technicalfeatures, its runs have been manytimes chosen for ItalianChampionship and World Cupcompetitions.

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Very soon UNESCO could declare Varese’s Monte Sacro – a wonderful complex offourteen Baroque chapels, creating a panoramic and enchanting Way of the Cross – asWorld Culture Heritage, as an effect of the current contacts between the local authoritiesand UNESCO. Aside from the intense feeling emitted by the whole collection, this site isremarkable for the interesting sequence of life-size polychromatic terracotta statues. Theyare grouped by chapel and illustrate episodes and mysteries of Virgin’s life. Still today,the Way is the destination of many pilgrims, especially in May.

People from Lombardy, who havealways displayed a deep and restlessspirituality, were very muchtouched by the religious sensitivityof the Counter-Reformation andthe pathos of its complex liturgies.Many churches and sanctuaries,masterpieces of the baroque art,were erected in the prealpine belt,from which magical sceneries wereadmirable from higher positions.Along the route which climbs fromVarese to Sacro Monte, dedicatedto the mysteries of Mary’s Life, arefourteen chapels and three arches.This marvelous-looking monu-mental structure set in the greenerygives voice to the seventeenth-cen-tury feeling of devotion: the act of“climbing up a mountain” is in it-self an ancestral symbolic expres-sion of spiritual elevation and pu-rification.

The Way of the Cross, which re-calls Jesus’ sufferings on Calvary, isprobably one of the most intense rit-uals for the Christian religion. InValtrompia, the inhabitants of the

eighteenth-century Cerveno setaside the modest wealth whichachieved trough metallurgy andmining to build an extraordinarymonument to Christian sensibility;the Way of the Cross Sanctuary.This unitary architectural complexhas fourteen chapels lined up alonga stairway. There are one hundredand ninety eight polychromatic stat-ues made of wood and plaster,which make up the sculpture groupsrepresenting each of the various sta-tions of the Way. The feeling of the-atrical drama emitted by this collec-tion is a powerful expression of thisfolkloric devotion, exempt of anyforms of intellectualism yet able tobring the faith into the ground ofhuman experience.

In the 18th century the improvedroad conditions allowed a new typeof traveler to cross the alpine passeswith their coaches; the Grand Tourattracted from all over Europe anumber of aristocrats and intellec-tuals, eager to complete their edu-cation with a journey to Italy.

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Plinius the Old already, in his “Naturalis historia”, used to mention cookware made out of

ollare stone, (which he refers to as “lapis comensis”, which means “stone from Como”).

Indeed, this particular items, originating from Val Bragaglia and Valmalenco, have been

made since the iron era. Ollare stone was named after the Latin word olla, meaning

baked clay pot. In fact this soft stone – grey-green with black and white veins – is very

suitable for making pots, which are called lavec in the Lombard dialect; it is perfect for

stewing, due to its quality of retaining heat and enabling to cook slowly.

Up until a few years ago the lavec pots were entirely handmade: huge stone blocks were

carved out from the quarries and brought to the workshops to be shaped. The pots were

then ringed with copper bands.

Today the production of lavec pottery is reduced to only a few examples, made by

craftsmen determined to keep this tradition alive. But the last word has not been said yet;

perhaps this age of ours, always hanging on between sophisticated technologies and

traditional values, will rediscover the virtues of this natural material.

esque villages built on the rocks:every part of this scenery satisfiedthe Romantics’ longing for the ex-traordinary and the sublime, forstrong emotions, and for the dra-matic sense of existence. It is not acoincidence that during the Ro-mantic period alpinism startedcatching on and the conquest ofmountains started being perceivedas a new spiritual route. Just aboveLecco, the pinnacles of Grigna,with their fascinating magnificence,wild and tormented, continue to-day to attract people. Like a massiveand impregnable towered fortress,it both fiercely lures and rejects,merging horror and seduction asnature only can.

Handcraft

They were enchanted by the clas-sical matters, but less so by theseverity of mountains. What firstwas a compulsory journey, the sen-sibility typical of Romanticismturned into a goal. The mountainsand valleys of Lombardy, the awe-some rocky walls of Adamello, andthe shining Stelvio glacier offeredtheir majestic looks for contempla-tion. High and imposing peaks,warm and maternal valleys, steepand profound abysses, green uplandplains covered with flowers, pictur-

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Stelvio, the largest glacier in Europe, has always been a favourite with the best skichampions, that use its runs for training purposes. The ski facilities, open from lateMay to November, can handle 9.000 people per hour, at a height between the 2760and the 3450 metres, which has made the Stelvio the great “academy” of summerskiing, and a privileged training ground for professional teams from all continents. Arenowned ski school teaches courses to all-level skiers, from beginners to professionals.Devotees of alpine and cross-country ski, snowboard, and telemark, will find greatsatisfaction at Stelvio.

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In the whole alpine range, steeprocky slopes, solemn peaks and softhills follow one another. With a re-spectful awareness of the limits im-posed by the difficult environment,the humble and tough work of manduring the years has shaped the sur-rounding spaces. The marks of ma-terial culture are still visible every-where, recalling a frequently stren-uous and sorrowful everyday life.

In Valtrompia, already mined foriron by Roman slaves, the antiquetechnical skill used for forging andcasting developed during the Re-naissance, resulting in wonderfularmours for princes. Still used to-day, these skills survive in the localfire-arms industry, which is wellknown all over the world. Thetraces of the historical processwhich – through painful, danger-ous and exhausting work – lead thepopulation of Valtrompia to pros-perity, are still present in the shapeof abandoned mines and antiquesmithies.

Widespread knowledge concerning iron mining and working techniques has affected ValleTrompia’s history throughout centuries. However, today such skills have disappeared fromeveryday life: mines and foundries are closed, replaced by new technologies. Still, amodern ambition has come to the surface: the aim of keeping alive the memory of a historicand cultural wealth of a high profile value. Industrial archaeology sites, founders’workshops, abandoned mines have been included into the Museum System of ValleTrompia. A really interesting experience is the visit to the Marzoli mine at Pezzate,accessible (accompanied by guides) the little mining train set in use again not a long ago.

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The 16th century Vertemate Franchi palace, built at Cortinaccio, nearChiavenna, is one of the most interesting Renaissance villas in Lombardy. It contains

halls and rooms entirely frescoed, depicting mythological scenes, and other halls,whose walls and ceilings are finely carved and chiseled. Highly remarkable are the

halls of Jupiter, Mercury, Zodiac, Hearings, and Caryatids. Out of the palace, theItalian-style garden, the orchard, the vineyard, the vegetable garden and the chest-

nut wood deserve attention.

The sceneries of Valtellina are char-acterized by its unique vineyards,overlooking the valley from the slop-ing grounds terraced by the patientand millennial work of man. In thevalley, the pasture lands and villagesmoulded the character of the people,who are quiet but resolute, hard-working and able to show solidarity.Cheese producers, farmers, crafts-men and vine-growers are the living

heritage of the ancient stratificationand the adaptation to a nature thatcan be both generous and hostile.Villages and towns located by themountains reveal traditions and life-styles that are coarse but, at the sametime, real and spontaneous. Chi-avenna and its surrounding valleycontain the crotti; these are naturalcaves, well-aired and perfectly suit-able for preserving wines and

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Until 1931, River Serio dropped down a 3-leap waterfall, that was, with its 315 metres,the highest in Italy and the second highest in Europe. Once the Barbellino dam wasbuilt, the majestic waterfall ceased existing. However, visitors can still admire it fivedays a year (in July, August, September), following up an agreement betweenValbondione Council and ENEL (the Italian National Electricity Board). On theprefixed days, Barellino dam is raised for 30 minutes, for the happiness of the luckyspectators of the event.

cheeses. Crotti are also an attractivemeeting place, where people cometo converse and enjoy the local pro-duce, robust with flavour.

The mountains of Lombardy sharesimilar natural features but differwith regards to their individual his-tories; each mountain range express-ing a particular culture, with its ownsense of identity. For example, themountains of the Bergamo regionfully express their “Lombard” voca-

tion, related to lowland events andtraditions, while the mountains ofthe Brescia region jealously keepsome ancient ethnic, economicaland cultural characteristics. Valtelli-na and Valchiavenna have generatedan autonomous and rich society,which is reflected in the particulari-ties of the language, gastronomy andmaterial culture, meanwhile beinghistorically influenced by either, orboth, Lombardy and Switzerland.

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changes, another measure of timinggets the upper hand: it is the cyclicaland everlasting return of seasons. Theliberating laughter of streams and wa-terfalls as they thaw, the bizarre icesculptures in the winter quietness; thewonder of flowering and that of

Everywhere the history and the tra-ditions embedded in the Lombardmountains welcome and thrill the vis-itors. However, they have another di-mension to them which draws atten-tion. If we step back from the straightflow of historical time and irreversible

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swirling of snowflakes; the turningwhite of the green sea of pasture lands;the freshness of the spring breeze andthe wind howling in between thepeaks; the sumptuous colours of au-tumn woods and veiled shapes inmist; the smell of hay, that of fer-

menting grape must, as well as that ofburning wood in the fireplaces.Watching and listening is enough tobe captured by the miracle of seasonsand to find oneself still capable of feel-ing the same sense of astonishmentthat one had when as a child.

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Traveller’s Notes

Lombardia