Now that we'd already visited the Fortezza di Fenestrelle we didn't have any concrete plans for Sunday. Michelle (B&B owner) recommended a few things to us among them a hike in the mountains or a visit to a palace just outside of Torino - about an hour away. We couldn't make up our minds though. C really wanted to go walking in the woods but I preferred to visit the palace. S was up for anything. Since the palace was at least an hour away I was a bit hesitant about making the long drive for something I wasn't sure was going to be all that great. Plus, C really wanted to go for a walk in the woods. To please everyone we decided to do both.. quick walk in the woods and then head to Torino in the afternoon to see the palace.
We weren't prepared for a long hike... no water or snacks and S & I didn't even have sneakers on but we thought we'd be okay. I mean we were only going for a short walk so C could explore and run around.
Being that it was such a beautiful day, there were a lot of couples hiking. C had a blast running & jumping in the woods and climbing up the hills.
While we were walking we even came across a patch of snow.
And C spotted some interesting flowers as well.
S & I loved the view.
We also had the opportunity to see the top of the Fenestrelle.
At this point we'd been walking for about an hour or more and S thought we should head back to the car. But C pleaded to keep going. He was having so much fun we agreed to go a little further.
After walking for another 20 mins or so C started asking for water. Of course, we didn't have any I mean we were only going to take a short walk. But we saw a sign for Selleries, a restaurant Michelle & Kent had told us about on our first night. The restaurant sounded fabulous if it wasn't for the 6 miles walk it takes to reach the place.
The sign said Selleries was just 1.10 away. S & I were surprised it was that close. According to this sign we were closer to Selleries than we were to the car. So we continued on and promised C we'd buy him water very soon.
We continued walking and taking in the beautiful scenery. Along the way we saw a few hikers tucked away in the mountains relaxing and enjoying the sun. And C found some more pretty flowers.
Another half hour or so passed and we found another sign for Selleries but the trail looked a bit difficult so S went ahead to check it out. But before he left he asked C to stop running around and to sit under the shade to relax a bit. S told C that he could get dehydrated if he didn't drink any water on a very hot day. He also told him that some people could actually die of heat exhaustion if they don't drink water. Of course, C took this to the extreme and thought he was going to die if he didn't drink any water. I explained to C that this only happens if it's an extremely hot day and that if you're body stops sweating it could be a dangerous. Of course that was the wrong thing to say because he started freaking out because he wasn't sweating! But I calmed him down by reminding him that it wasn't that hot outside.
When S came back he told us that the trail wasn't difficult but still there was no sign of the restaurant. Where could this restaurant be? According to the sign we were close... closer than the car so we continued on. But I decided to go ahead by myself since I'd walk faster.
I was making good progress and I was quite a bit ahead of S & C. On the way up, I ran into several patches of ice and mud. My poor ballet shoes. I got snow in my shoes which at that moment wasn't too bad since it felt refreshing but later that moisture help create some lovely blisters. I continued to walk and walk but still no sign of the restaurant. It had been at least an hour since we saw the last sign. Every time I saw a bend in the road I'd get hopeful. Maybe the restaurant will be just around the corner?
As I continued to walk I got this eerie feeling about walking alone in the woods. I was quite hot and I began to feel a bit dizzy and I started to worry about the elevation. You hear horror stories about people being lost in the woods...sure everything begins pleasantly but then something really horrible happens and everything seems to go wrong.
After a while I saw some cars up ahead and my spirits began to lift. Was this the restaurant finally? No. These cars were oddly parked on the corner of a cliff and there was not one person in site. This started to feel a bit weird again. I saw another sign for Selleries except this one said .50. "You've got to be kidding me" I thought. What exactly did this .50 mean?
I looked at the path up ahead and it was full of ice. There was no way I was going to make it through with ballet shoes! Ballet shoes? What was I thinking? I know. I was thinking I'd be exploring the palace in Torino after just a short walk in the woods. lol! A short walk? This short walk was turning into a 3hr + walk.
But even if I'd had good hiking shoes on I'm not really sure where this restaurant was located. Once you walked through this icy area the road turned and seem to go on for a quite some time. .50? Really?
Who knows maybe this restaurant would magically appear right after this bend. I guess we'll never know.
I turned back and once I'd found S & C we made our way back to the car. The walk back wasn't very long but to my poor feet it seem like forever. Going down hill was much worst & I had 5 blisters to prove it. ;(
Unfortunately, we got back to the main town after lunch. And in Italy if you miss lunch, you're out of luck. There weren't any restaurants open at least not until 7pm. Even though we were exhausted we drove to Pinerolo and stuffed ourselves with gelato.
The town had some pretty buildings and the local church was a busy section with benches filled with families & friends relaxing.
That night we had dinner at a local place and the owners were so sweet. It was a family run business and everyone seem to be there that night. It was one of those restaurants where you feel so at home. The owner even brought C to the bar area so he could meet their granddaughter who was playing a game on her computer. Our waitress & her fiance (the pizza maker) were the only ones that weren't family but they spoke English. It was great talking to them. Gabriella was from Romania and her husband was from Jordan. Even though they were both college educated professionals in their own country there wasn't any work for them so they moved to Italy. Gabriella told me they were saving to get married this fall in her home country which she was very excited about. She was really kind and asked if we could exchange e-mails so she could practice her English. So now I have an e-pal in Italy! lol!
No matter how many times I go to Italy I still find it incredible... the people, the food, the language & culture... I love it all. And even though our stay in Italy was short this time we met some wonderful people and have memories that will last us a lifetime.
What a spectacular view of the mountains. It reminds me of Berchtesgaden.
Posted by: GE | 24 June 2010 at 19:31