Today we left Rome on an 8:45 train bound for Bolzano. It was a 4 1/2 hour ride to Bolzano. Some of the scenery was gorgeous and we passed acres and acres of vineyards! When we got to Bolzano we had to wait for the bus to Castelrotto. When it came it was packed so we stood for the 30 minute ride through the mountains to the little village we are staying in Fie Allo Sciliar, which is nestled between Bolzano and Castelrotto. This area is absolutely gorgeous, with beautiful mountain peaks, lush green valleys, alpine houses, flowers, goats and cows grazing on the meadows... Truly something out of a picture book! Our apartment is right next to the bus stop so we didn't have to walk any distance at all. The caretaker didn't have our key ready for us when we arrived, so we left our bags and went out for a little exploring of the surrounding neighborhood. This little village is part of the Alpine De Suisi area, which in winter is a huge skiing destination and in summer is full of hikers, bikers and walkers. The Alpine de Suisi is a huge area of the mountains with large stretches of meadow and walking and hiking paths going for miles all over. One thing we noticed the minute we got off the train in Bolzano is how much cooler it is here than in Rome. So much so that when we got to Fie and started walking around we were sufficiently cold that we had to stop at a little store near our apartment and buy a fleece jacket to wear! There's a stiff mountain breeze and it's really pretty chilly, especially after baking in Rome's summer heat! The last thing I needed was another fleece but it was really too chilly to be outside without it. When we got back and got the key to our room we were delighted to be up on the third floor, with a balcony overlooking the Schlern Sciliar peak. The meadow sloping up from our apartment has cows and goats grazing in it. Beautiful pastoral scenery here.
This area is the Italian alps and prior to World War 2 was actually part of Germany. Everything here is in German and Italian but we notice that all the shopkeepers speak German. I find myself at something of a loss, language wise since everything is in two languages that I don't read or speak! Fortunately a lot of the shop keepers speak at least enough English to communicate what is necessary, but we discovered that most of the tourist info here is not in English which is proving a little challenging. Our location is great - there's a grocery store right across the street, and a vegetable/fruit vendor right next door and we discovered a lovely bakery also right next door where we bought strudels, linzer tarts, chocolate biscuits, fresh bread and cheese. The grocery store has wine, beer and liquor but to my dismay, while they did have gin, they did not have tonic, so looks like I'll only get my G&T when we eat at a restaurant and the rest of the time it'll have to be beer or Prosecco! We bought food to eat in our apartment this evening, where we will dine on the porch overlooking the mountain. The only other wrinkle is that the Internet isn't available in our room. I can only get my phone and iPad to connect when downstairs in the courtyard, so that's a bit of a pain in the neck!
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