Mount Cervino and Breuil-Cervinia, Italy

Matterhorn, 4,478 m (14,692 ft) high, is the third high mount in Italy and has another name in Italian, Cervino. If you travel with a car and want to visit this place, you have to remember the Italian name because the road signs you will see everywhere are written in Italian: the road name is Cervinia and you have to be very careful to find it when you reach the village Chatillion in Valle D'Aosta.

I came there in October, 20, and the village was empty and quiet. The new touristic season had to begin on Oct. 27. I even could not find an open supermarket to take something for a little "pick-nick" on my way home.

The main entertainments are for the skiers here, but if you love the wild nature, it's an excellent place for hikers and those who love relaxation and silence. Nature is wonderful there and there are many wild animals in the mountains. They know, nobody will hurt them. So, it's possible to see them really very near specially if you walk at feet. One friend, a hunter, told me there are only some species they can hunt. And we even could see one of them, a chamois, but it was very far from us.

From my perspective, the other interesting peculiarity of these mountains are the lakes. There are so many of them everywhere, and you can find them even at a very high altitude.

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One Day Tour to Venice and Some Tips

Venezia is one of the most requested by tourists places of the world and maybe you do not agree with me that it's a place where it's possible to go just to have some hours of relax. Yes, you can find crowds, thousands of persons, when you try to arrive in the most desired by all S. Marco square, But I can prove, you are not right. And will explain, why it's one of my favorite destinations for one-day trips.

First of all, you have not to choose the most popular feasts like Carnival etc for your trip. Though, if the feast lasts one week (Carnival), you can perfectly choose not the busiest day to taste what it is. Well, if you want to rent the most beautiful mask and interact with the tourists, you HAVE to choose the central streets.

The second tip is to avoid the most beaten streets. Venezia is not so little town. Spend about 15 euros for a good city map and go your own way to the S.Marco square. It will be MUCH more interesting than going to a jostling crowd. And you will see the same things - the shops are equal everywhere.

If you do not have particular desire to stay all day in S.Marco square, take a ferry (N°4, I think) directly under the railway station (photo of this post) and go to the Murano island (Colonna stop). The itinerary is surely worth those 7 euro you have to pay for the ticket. You will see the cemetery on the water (it's on the island, too, but you think it is situated on the water when you pass it). And there are normally many curious boats in Laguna. So open your eyes and the camera and go! At the cemetery, you can make a stop if you want and pass one hour there to take than the next ferry to Murano.

The map of the itineraries of the ferries is HERE

Murano island is very pleasant. I like its little glass manufactures and it's so likable to have your meal in one of the restaurants with the tables over the water! Yes, you will find similar restaurants in Venice, too, but it's difficult to find a calm place there. The boats pass near you, you can see the true life of the local population...

After this nice meal on Murano, take a ferry, turn back in Venice and land near S. Marco square (San Zaccaria stop). Do not forget that you will need some more than one hour to turn back to the railway station at feet from there. So, be aware of how much time you need for this walk. My advice is to purchase a ticket to climb the bell tower and to see Venice from this about 100 meters high Campanile.

Today, when the train tickets cost not much, it's possible to organize one day tour to Venice from any part of Italy. In case you have to come from Sud, you can take a night train, arrive in the morning, stay all day in Venice and take the return night train in the evening (changing in Bologna or Rome).

If you have to stay all night in Venice, you have to remember that the railway station remains closed from the 00:30 till 5:00 AM and the toilets can be closed at all. Use them in the train before you arrive or in any other place you see on your way.

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Sacred Mountain of Graglia Near Biella, Italy

Graglia is a bead of the long string of Sacred Mountains you can find in the Alps area of Italy. These are religious buildings that include a basilica, houses for monks and visitors, different chapels carrying to the basilica. Actually, some of them are well kept, others are not so popular and are abandoned to their destiny and to the pity of nature.

Yesterday, we visited one of such disheartening but incredibly beautiful places, Sanctuary of Graglia situating not far from Biella, Piedmont, Italy. Once it was a popular place. The buildings are still very impressive and there is a big house for clergy that seems to be completely empty.

The project (1616) was worthy: it had to be a new Gerusalemme and the chapels, that educational itinerary leading to the top of the mountain, had to be 100. You could find some of them if you have more time to explore the area.

From my perspective, the best and very touching is the cloister with the statue of Madonna posted on the columns and a fountain, similar to that of Oropa, with a big cook to drink. I have to say that the water is the cleanest and the tastest I've ever drunk. On November, 15, we found flowering camellias and a fantastic astonishing flower there. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of this plant.

There were some autos parked near the basilica and we waited that the mass finish. The basilica is spacious and there were two very big censers (something I've never seen before). Very interesting is the chapel on the left where is the only statue from the original project, the statue of Madonna from Loreto, destination of pilgrimages from the time the statue arrived in Graglia. Other tourist attractions are surely beloved by all: excellent local cuisine.

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Some Treasures of Avellino, Italy

Avellino is a little city in Sud Italy known to many persons as a hometown of the singer Madonna. Not many tourists know about the many interesting attractions they could discover if they would stay some days here. Though the best choice would be to rent a car if you decide to have your vacation there because many interesting places to visit are difficult to reach without a car.

First of all, you could visit the archeological museum where there are some really rare examples of the artworks of the pre-historical inhabitants of this region. They were afraid of the forces of nature, Earth and were devoted to an interesting deity named Mefiti. Not too far from Avellino you can observe a very strange place: it's a kind of mud pond that boils and venomous steams go out from it. This steams have no odor or color and it's impossible to understand you are poisoned and are dying. This is why the place has a fence around it and is possible to observe it only from the high of the hill.

Votive statues you can see in the museum of Avellino can tell interesting stories: they were thrown in the mud of the pond and the deity turns them back after some days. The wooden pieces become resistant to severe weather and time conditions and the metal pieces become clean and shining.

The second place to visit near Avellino is the holy mount with one of the most important Benedictine monasteries of Italy. The famous Holy Shrine was hidden here for some time during the WWII and you can see a big hall dedicated to it there. The monastery is probably the third important after Montecassino and nearby Badia of Cava dei Tirreni. This monastery is not only an important sanctuary absolutely to visit for the believers, but there is an astonishing picture of Madonna that will convert to Christentum everybody who sees it.

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Oriental and Other Festivals in Turin

Turin is a capital of cultural events and you can find a bit of all kinds of entertaining there. Last two weeks it hosted a bouquet of folkloristic festivals. They all were in Lingotto. We visited it a week ago and could enjoy the area and emotions of this great feast.  On my photos, you can see some moments of three festivals: Orient, Irish and American.

Orient was the most various so as it's culture is. We could see Japanese katanas, yoga exercises, Induist dances, dervish dance...

It was interesting to pass from one shed to other and throw into the completely different world. Personally, I was most impressed by Irish music (and beer). It was particularly interesting for me because I study the ancient history of north Italy and expansion of the Celtic populations in all the Europe. So, those who live in north Italy and Irish have the same ancestors. They have to have the same seeds in their souls :-)

It was interesting to notice how changed the interested, but reserved visitors of the Oriental Festival to cheerful and playful once when they entered the Irish shed. Or those were different audiences? I don't know, sincerely. I began to dance with them when I entered there. Some excellent beer and good grill meat completed the state of joy and participation. 

I have to say you that the Irish bands were very very brave and famous.

The last part was dedicated to the world-known symbols of USA. Even if the title was Wild West, what you could see there, remembered surely 50th-60th. 

Really interesting and full of emotions day. 

I'm not sure, but I think, such festivals are just a tradition in Italy: I remember, they were in Naples one year ago. 

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