Italy

The Air Force base in Aviano, Italy was in need for a Speech Therapist for a week and asked if we wouldn't mind coming out to lend a hand. That decision took about .10 seconds to consider. Aviano, Italy is located in the northeastern region of Italy, not far from the Adriatic sea and at the foot of the Dolomites mountain range. What are the Dolomites? They are a part of the Alps and are considered a mecca for snow skiing in the winter months and mountain climbing and hiking in the summertime. Since we are huge fans of nearly all outdoor activities you can see why this was such an easy decision. Plus, everyone knows of the great reputation that Italy holds for great food, drink, and Gelato. Sign us up!

Rather than drive the roughly 10 hours to Aviano, we elected to cut the commute to 1 hour by flying the infamous discount carrier Ryan Air. For those that have never flown Ryan Air it is comparable to Southwest airlines in the states: no assigned seating and a more "economical" option over traditional carriers. This was our first experience flying Ryan Air and overall we loved it. The interesting tradition of everyone clapping upon successfully landing the plane was a bit odd. Was there any doubts that we would not land safely? Seriously...

Europe is known for their compact cars and Italy is no exception. Given the headquarters for Fiat is located in Italy, we were lucky enough to rent a Fiat Panda. This trip would include many first time experiences: first time flying Ryan Air, first visit to Italy, and first time driving a Panda. I must admit that we really liked the car even if I did have troubles squishing my legs together enough to properly operate all three pedals.

Driving in Italy is quite the experience. I have read that as an American it is best to drive other parts of Europe first before you attempt to drive to Italy. I now know why. The roads and signs are no different than they are in Germany, but the style of driving is......unique. You must be assertive and not afraid to become lost....constantly. There is a saying in Italy that road signs are "recommendations". If you honor the speed limit of 70kmh, you will likely be passed by a very frustrated Italian driver. I discovered this first hand. Stop at a stop sign? Why....just roll through it and continue on if no car is "close". Passing on blind corner is the norm. The irony is that Italian drivers always speed and seem to be running late for something, but when they arrive at their destination, they will spend hours visiting with their company. The streets in Italy can be VERY narrow. We found some roads between buildings where our small Panda was a tight fit. I would have to say that overall we loved driving in Italy, it was a constant adventure.

We checked into our hotel and immediately noticed the view from the back deck.

For much of our lives we have enjoyed being surrounded by mountains and this trip helped us to realize how much we miss seeing these beautiful formations in the distance each day. Aviano actually reminded me of Missoula, Montana (a moment of silence to honor one of the greatest places on the earth that just so happens to be the home of the best University in the land). Like Missoula, hiking can be done without the need for driving to a trailhead. Throughout the week I would walk 10 minutes from our hotel and found several trailheads that proved to be great hikes.

Of course the food, drink, and desserts in Italy are world famous. I have never been a big ice cream fan but after trying the homemade Gelato, I was hooked. In fact, we made a rule that not a day would pass without visiting the Gelato stand down the street. In the name of research and being open minded, we wanted to test as many flavors as possible. If this required us to visit the stand twice in a day, then so be it. We want to be thorough and one scoop only cost 1 Euro. Have to say the favorite flavor was a tie between Coconut and Fragola (Strawberry).

The first full day of exploring led to the nickname of Club Med being assigned to Aviano. First, the sunny hot weather was SO refreshing. Sure we experienced a few rain storms. But unlike our hometown of Seattle, when it rains in Aviano, the clouds keep moving and the sun will quickly return if you wait a few minutes. Second, the quality of the facilities on the base were far above than those located on the Spangdahlem base. The outside swimming pool was a hit for me, and hence reason number three for the nickname. It cost nothing to swim laps, opened early everyday for lap swimming, and was never crowded. Swimming in the warm sun was simply a bonus. And finally, the close proximity to the Dolomites was a great reason for the nickname.

One afternoon after Andrea was finished seeing clients, we drove 30 minutes to Barcis. This small moutain village is best known for its blue glacier-fed lake, an ideal location to cool off on a hot sunny day.

Barcis quickly earned many points with us from the surrounding beauty, many local hiking trails, and magnificent lake to walk around. On our walk we found a spot where a school of fish had gathered.

Almost everywhere you looked the scenery was worthy of a picture.

Instead of driving around the entire lake this narrow bridge offered a good alternative to reach the opposing shore. I emphasize narrow. This sign indicates the width limitation of 2 meters (roughly 6 feet) and a weight limit of 1.5 tons (the road was made of wood planks). Of course we took the Panda accross the bridge on our way out of town.

Taking this route involved crossing back over the end of the lake via a dam. The entry to crossing the dam was a VERY narrow tunnel that was twisted in the shap of the letter 'S'. It felt like a ride from Disneyland going through this narrow passage and coming out on top of a dam. I promise to take pictures on our next visit.

We often spent the evenings walking around the town and occasionally hiking up one of the many trails located not far from our hotel. Again the views in every direction was amazing. Here is the view looking down on Aviano.

Turning around and looking up the mountain.

There are two paved roads that twist up to the top of the mountain (they lead to the ski village). We discovered that many trails cross these roads as they wind up and down the mountain. A good place to catch our breath and take it all in.

Of course the people we met in Italy were very nice and helped us find great villages and restaurants that the locals love to frequent. We love visiting local favorites! One village in particular stood out from the others: Sacila. Sacila is a quick drive from the base and proved to be our favorite village. There is a small river that snakes through the village and is home to one of the best restaurants we visited. You can almost see our table in this picture (we sat along the railing overlooking the river).

Before our daily Gelato testing after dinner, we opted to take a walk around the village and burn a few calories.

The main square in the heart of Sacila.

OK, enough walking around.....bring on the Gelato!! It was hard to say which was better: the view or the taste of Fragola. Wow.

OK, so the views around Aviano are great. What about the views from the base? They can't be that great, can they? I'll let you decide.

Trail running proved to be a very popular activity with the locals and members from the base. One day while hiking up what I considered a very steep section of trail, I stopped for a drink and turned around to see a guy running up the trail. Whoa, these kids in Italy are hardcore. Cycling is no different. The road that leads up to the local ski village (Piancavallo) reminds me of something you see in the Tour de France: a long, steep road with many curves. The day I drove up to Piancavallo, I counted no less than 15 different cyclists riding UP the mountain. It is a 15 Kilometer trip straight up. To put it another way, I never left 2nd gear because the pitch of the road was very steep. And these animals are riding up it in the middle of the day under the hot sun. Amazing. The part that we really admired was the respect the cyclists received from the cars. No honking, no passing too close, no yelling. It almost inspired us to run out and join in the "fun".

The ski village of Piancavallo is a quick 30 minute trip from Aviano (yes, another great reason to love Aviano....if you like to ski/snowboard that is). On Sunday, we ventured up to the village to check it out and get in some hiking. A great view from the parking lot.

Arriving in the village we noticed a number of cyclists riding about and temporary barriers were placed on the side of the roads. It appears we arrived just in time to see the Junior teams race a 30-lap road race. Cool. Since we love watching road racing, we took up a spot on a bench with a great view and waited for the start.

The start of the race.

The completion of the first lap and already there a few riders in a breakaway.

A few seconds behind is the peloton.

With 29 laps to go, we took the opportunity to walk around the course a bit for different vantage points. I thought this view best summarized the day: enjoying a road race with majestic mountains in the background. A great way to spend the afternoon.

Unfortunately our curse of watching cycling road races continued this day. What curse? Well it all began on the 3rd and final stage of Tour de Luxembourg where a freak rain storm rolled in and disrupted the end of the race. When I say rain storm, I mean a good 15 minute down pour where it felt like I was standing in the shower. The rain curse continued upon our visit to Stage 2 of the Tour de France in the village of Spa. Some might remember this stage as most of the riders fell due to wet and slippery conditions. Well all was going well with this race and there was a very tight race among 4 riders. You could tell it was going to come down to a sprint finish to determine the winner. Sweet! Well, on the last lap a dark cloud rolled in over the mountain and let loose a down pour similar to what we experienced in Luxembourg. The race officials made the right call by suspending the race until the weather passed and ordered the riders on the course to stop and take cover (wherever they could). Once the cloud passed and sun returned, the race was resumed and the winning rider rolled down the final straight alone. Not sure how this rider arrived alone (our ability for understanding Italian is a work in progress), but we were happy to at least see the finish.

During our visit to Piancavallo we did our best to get some hiking in. With the limitations of space, neither of us were able to bring our traditional hiking gear (boots, packs, rain gear, etc) so we made do with our running gear. We quickly learned that we would not be reaching any peaks without the proper equipment. Between the rocks and the constant changing weather, we thought it would be best to not venture too far up the mountain. We did however manage to find a few great spots that offered some sweet views.

Coming out of the tree line and looking up:

Turning around and looking down upon the village and Aviano in the distance.

Apparently the final destination for this hike is the top of that peak. Uh, yeah, I doubt my running shoes will do well once we hit the jagged rocks.

Uh, oh. A dark cloud quickly came over the top of the mountain. A slow moving dark cloud is not bad, but fast moving dark clouds are never good. We took this as our sign that we should turn around before things get ugly.

Safely back at the car, we enjoyed a sandwich and day-dreamed what it would be like to ski down these slopes. Yes, even in the summer I dream about skiing....it's not an addiction, more of a commitment.

Walking around and looking in the distance at the traditional Dolomite peaks. Next time, we will drive out there for better pictures.

As you might be able to tell, our first trip to Italy exceeded our expectations. Great people, amazing food and drink, and the Dolomites. Yes, we will return. Did I mention the great skiing located just a few hours north of Aviano? Apparently you can drive two hours and find yourself in the middle of Austria and surrounded by great skiing in every direction. Yes, there is no doubt that we will be back this winter. After all, a week skiing the Alps would satisfy Bucket Wish List item #1 for me.