Italy Va bene!

The train station @ Juan Les Pins

Buon giorno. We have left France and headed into Italy. We took the train to Ventimiglia Saturday morning and transferred to a train bound for Cuneo, which is in Northern Italy. Ira's great-grandparents and grandma came from a small town near Cuneo called Cherasco. We're hoping to find a bus to take us there so we can see where they grew up. The train goes up through the river valley alongside the Maritime Alps. It looks very much like travelling through the Fraser Canyon, although the houses are much more interesting looking and the villages all have beautiful churches with tall tiled spires. Some of the mountains still have snow on them, which is lovely, and it's 24 C out. Tomorrow we are going to take a tour to Bossea Caves, which are reputed to be some of the most spectacular caves in Italy. Cuneo is not a town where many tourists go and it only has a population of 55,000 so it should be a pleasant experience.

Village in the Maritime Alps through the train window

We arrived at Cu neo mid-day and found a great hotel to stay in. It overlooks this huge piazza where all the action happens in the town. After talking to the hotel clerk, we realized that without a car it would be next to impossible to go to Cherasco or the caves. Next time when we have a car, we’ll try to do it.

Another village through the train window

Cuneo is a non-tourist, real Italian town and it’s been neat to get a sense of the country and the day-to-day life of the people living in the area. Barely anyone here speaks English so it’s been a struggle to be understood. The little phrase book and gesturing certainly come in handy. I had a bit of a fiasco with the gelatto ordering yesterday but we did much better today! It tastes fantasticto and is cheap, cheap, cheap! We decided to go down to Cinque Terre on Sunday, a day earlier than we planned, but discovered last night that there was going to be a train strike today so we’re having to stay here another day. The hotel has bicycles to use so we borrowed them and went riding down the boulevard and then the river trails. It was a great experience. There were lots and lots of people strolling on the boulevard and riding and walking on the trails. It's fantastic to see young and old alike out there enjoying the beautiful outdoors. I get the sense that the Italians are very social people. There is an art exhibition in the piazza and a stage set up with music so tonight might be some type of festival. On Sunday evenings the Italians partake in a ritual called passeggiata, where they dress up and take a gentle stroll through the main streets of the old town and piazzas. Tourists are usually easy to spot in their shorts and fanny packs so we’ll be sure to leave ours behind!

Galimberti Piazza - Cuneo

Along the trail

Another interesting tradition is that the shops close between 12:00 and 2:30 (some 3:30). Even the supermarkets are not open on Sunday. Trying to find a bottle of water today has been a challenge.

Ira biking along the Gesso River

We’re hoping the strike is over tomorrow so that we can take the train down to Monterrosso, the top city in the Cinque Terre. It’s been a very authentic experience here in Cuneo and we’re glad we came, even though we weren’t able to see Cherasco or the caves. Arriverderchi!