Apparently I’m the only person in the world to forget that, “The Sound of Music” took place in Salzburg, Austria. I base this observation on the countless number of tour operators and tourists we observed visiting and posing at key movie locations. However, thanks to a quick iTunes movie download in the hotel, we were quickly singing our doe-ray-me’s along with the rest of the cheese balls.
Not only was this classic movie set and shot here, but a fairly famous musician was also born and raised in the city. Perhaps you’ve heard of him… Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Salzburg is an amazing city filled with a rich history and jaw-dropping beauty. We left northern Italy for Austria on a whim two days prior. We continued riding that whim and drove further into Austria to see Salzburg on the suggestion of family. Since our expectations of the city were nonexistent, they were easy to surpass – but I would think this city could have easily leapt the most lofty of them all.
Julia taking in the sights
Since our first day in Salzburg was framed with an incredible visit to Hohenwerfen Castle (HERE), we didn’t arrive in the actual city until mid-afternoon. Having spent more than the anticipated amount of time at the castle, we had a lot of ground to make up. We walked down Linzer Gasse until we crossed over Staatsbrücke Brücke (State Bridge), one of the oldest in the city. The original bridge was built in 1090 and now the 10th incantation of this passage stands with a plaque commemorating the slave labour from Eastern Europe used to reconstruct it during WWII.
View from the Staatsbrücke Brücke
Landestheatre (Provincial Theatre)
We spent quite a bit of time walking through the Altstadt (Old Town), taking in the marvel of the city. My carefully planned itinerary seemed to constantly evolve as we made turn after turn based on our curiosity, rather than our plan of attack. We strolled past the birthplace of Mozart, but declined to pay the €35 admission (for all of us) to see some old violins. Sorry, Wolfgang… I’m still a fan.
Street view – Google, I’m available for free-lance
St. Blaise’s Church at the end of the shops
Mozart’s first “crib”… literally, he was born here
We next discovered the Pferdeschwemme (Horse Pond) – one of two remaining in the city where horses would go to get cleaned. In the middle stands a statue, Der Rossebändiger (horse whisperer), which is a bit of an inside joke unique to the city. Not sure I got the joke, but we did enjoy the spectacle.
The Horse Pond with the “funny” statue in the middle
The pond is carved directly into the face of a mountain
A better view of the horse’s entrance
At this point in our voyage we were at a critical crossroads. We could head northwest to the Augustinerkloster und Bräu (Monastery and Beer… a beer garden) for a brew and dinner. This would consume the remainder of our first of only two days. Or we could head southeast and continue further into the city. I wanted it all, but knew we had to chose. So we made the right choice – stay another night and do it all! We postponed the Beer Garden for the next day.
We were happy with our choice to stay another day
We walked along Hofstallgasee, passing by some incredible sights – and always with an eye upward at Festung Hohensalsburg (the Castle that sits overlooking the city).
Festung Hohensalsburg above the city
Kollegienkirche (Collegiate Church)
A nice horse and buggy through the city would be fun
And the castle again
This path led us directly to St. Peter’s Abbey, one of the oldest monasteries in the German area. The abbey was formed in 696 by Saint Rupert. During medieval times, the monastery was known for its educational prowess. Adjacent to the monestary were catacombs that were carved into the face of the mountain, just next to the cemetery. St. Peter’s Cemetery was created at the time of Late Antiquity and therefore, older than the Abbey itself. The dead have been buried here for 1,300 years.
Welcome!
Inside the courtyard
The Abbey at Saint Peter’s
“Hey guys, let’s go!”
“I’m not waiting for you suckers, I’m off!”
“Are you coming?!”
The cemetery
Always time to stop…
…and smell the roses
Catacomb Chapel built directly into the face of the mountain
Private burial sites
“I love this place!”
After leaving the awe-inspiring Abbey, we stopped to watch a life-sized chess match in action in the Domplatz (plaza outside the Dom). One of the other spectators was nibbling on a giant pretzel and we had to get in on that action!
Check… and… mate!
Num-num-num!
Next up was the Dom of Salzburg, or Salzburg Cathedral. Today’s baroque style cathedral was finished in 1628 and replaces the original cathedral built on the site in 774. I’m sorry to admit, but most European cathedrals, while beautiful – do not particularly hold my attention. However, the Dom was different. My father-in law (Dominic) may say it’s because of the name – but I think perhaps the artwork and painting intrigued me a bit more. We barely got out before closing, and somehow I became the valet as 30 people exited through the surprisingly heavy door I was holding. Good thing I had eaten that pretzel for strength!
The Salzburg Dom
Allegoric figures representing an Angel, Devil, Wisdom and the Church
Jen lights a candle
Inside one of the domes
I promise – this door is as heavy as it looks
The day was winding down, and Julia needed to eat. OK… I needed to eat. We walked back toward the hotel and searched for a restaurant the concierge recommended, Das Stadtwirtshaus. Our German hadn’t improved since we first arrived in Austria and we couldn’t find the place. Instead, we found Altstadtheuriger-Bruderhof – a modern place that blended classic German cuisine with a contemporary style. The result was delightful. And Julia couldn’t have had any more fun!
“We’re eating weinerschnitzel?! Hahaha!”
“Daddy, you’re so funny…you said schnitzel!”
“BWHAHAHAHAHA!”
“Oh, did you want to sit here?!”
Clear beef soup with root vegetable and liver dumpling
Wienerschnitzel served with parsley potatoes
Baked breast of corn chicken
served with a creamy and lime flavored cucumbers and parsley potatoes
At the end of the day, we still hadn’t visited the castle overlooking the city, had a beer at the beer garden or seen any of the classic Sound of Music sights. Glad we had planned to stay an extra day – we would be busy waking up the hills with the sound of our music tomorrow!
You may have recently read HERE about our trip to the Dolomiti (Dolomite Mountains) to visit Franco and Claudia over Easter weekend. What I wasn’t able to fit into that post, was all the imagery we captured of the most spectacular mountain range we have ever seen.
Hilltop view – I had to trespass to get this shot
Mountain view from “Claudia’s” bridge in Canale D’ Agordo
We extended our trip in Canale D’ Agordo (Claudia’s hometown) by a day, because the three days we planned was barely enough to just scratch the surface in this region of Italy. Claudia wanted to show us not only her town of Canale D’ Agordo, but also the surrounding towns. We would like to now share them with you.
The day after Easter, we went to neighboring Gares, Claudia’s actual hometown. While she was born in Canale D’ Agordo, she grew up in Gares – a small town with barely a couple hundred residents. The only doctor in the region was in Canale and so she was delivered there, in her mother’s home. The very next day, her mother bundled her up tight and walked the some 10k back to Gares through a snowstorm to bring her home.
Sheer mountain range in Gares
Claudia’s cousin’s restaurant sits at the bottom of the valley
Today, her cousin owns a wonderful restaurant, at the foothills of a large mountain range. Not only was it a treat to eat some of the regional cuisine, it was wonderful to spend time with her family and see this incredible valley.
An incredibly charming restaurant
Special VIP reservations
Franco demonstrating the high-tech weight, functioning as a door lock
When you live in the mountains, this is your futbol field
The “field” at the base of the mountain
After lunch we walked all through Gares, a voyage that only took a couple minutes by foot.
Julia sporting a fun hat for the mountains
The main street bend in Gares
Part of the house next to Claudia’s original home
I crack up when I see these little guys driving around
Poles mark the roads atop all the snow
Since we had extended our trip by a day, the next day we went with Franco and Claudia to see some of the other nearby towns. First, we went to Agordo – also in the same Province of Belluno. This town; at a lower elevation, displayed a striking contrast to the previous towns, which were still covered in snow. Green grass had already flourished in the center of town, showcasing a completely different juxtaposition with the mountainous backdrop than the previous towns, still primarily all white.
View from the center of Agordo
Main church
Franco and Claudia walk with Julia
Julia can’t get enough of the fountains
The chiesa (church) in Agordo is of significant importance to the region – and proudly displays it’s high stature by featuring two bell towers (as opposed to the standard one).
Two bell towers
A prominent family of Agordo, Familia di Grotta (the Grotta family) owned a large villa in the center of town. They adorned the outside wall of the villa with the Mutt di Grotta (the Mutes of Grotta) – different “mute” stone statues that represented various traits (poetry, agriculture, astronomy, etc.).
Mutt di Grotta
Perhaps this guy represented philosphy?
We took a quick detour to visit one of the Luxottica factories, just outside of town. Haven’t heard of Luxottica? Well, have you ever walked into a LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut or Pearle Vision? No? OK – perhaps you’ve put on a pair of Oakley, Ray-Ban or Revo sunglasses? These are all brands owned by the company. And even if you haven’t worn one of their brands, you’re sure to have worn a pair of glasses by Coach, Chanel, D&G, Ralph Lauren, Tiffany or Versace (to name a few). They don’t own these brands, but they do make their glasses with exclusive licensing agreements. The company moved it’s headquarters to Milano, but their factories all still remain in the Belluno region and is the main employer in the area.
The Luxottica factory
I’d fight hard for a corner office to get this view
Amazing how the landscape changes in the various towns
After touring Agordo we drove to Alleghe, a beautiful lake town with a very unique history. The town of Alleghe, which surrounds the lake and runs all the way to the foothills of the mountains is actually much younger than many of the nearby towns. The town was re-built “brand new” in 1771 (young by most measures here) after a severe landslide buried the original town under today’s vast lake. The original town remains buried forever under water. When the lake’s water level falls low enough – you can see the original church’s steeple peeking from atop the waterline.
We love seeing the Italian flag – reminds us we’re really here
View right from the lake
Jen and Julia soaking up the scenery
We were glad that we stayed the extra day to enjoy all the additional sights – we hope you did too.
This year we took full advantage of living in Italy and went to the Pope’s Church for Easter! Only, it wasn’t in Vatican City and it wasn’t the current Pope. But it was still his church! If I may explain…
Jen and Julia in front of the church in Canale D’ Agordo
If you’ve read a few posts (or know us), you’ll know that we’ve been fortunate enough to live in Jen’s parent’s condo while in Italy. Even more fortunate is that Jen’s Zio (Uncle) Franco and Zia (Aunt) Claudia live above us. This means we’re eaten countless meals upstairs (she’s a wonderful cook), have built in baby sitters, tour guides and translators… basically we have a third set of parents and new besties.
Franco and Claudia both have interesting life stories. We’ll save his for another post.
Claudia was born and raised in Canale D’ Agordo – a town in the Dolomite Mountains, one of the most spectacular places on earth. The Dolomites are a large mountain range in northeast Italy. In 2009 the Dolomiti were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This means that the mountains are a site with significant importance (and beauty) and are therefore, protected. Interestingly enough, I have just now learned that Italy is home to more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any country in the world. After living here a short time, I cannot say that I am surprised.
Canale is in a valley surrounded by two mountains
Beautiful scenery at every turn
A statue stands near the center of town
The pedestrian bridge leading into town
We’ve been coming to Italy for many years with Jen’s family and I have always wanted to see the Dolomites. I have a strong love for the mountains, most likely due to my love of skiing. I have always been excited to see the Dolomites because they were bound to be at least a little more special than Sugarloaf or Wisp Mountains. They did not disappoint!
Canali D’ Agordo in the foreground of the Dolomiti mountains
Each year, Franco and Claudia spend several weeks together in each of their respective hometowns. Luckily for us – she invited us to join them for part of their trip, over the Easter weekend. This was great because we had no idea what we were going to do for Easter. We were also excited because her town, Canale D’ Agordo was the home to Pope Giovanni Paolo I (Pope John Paul I). Let that sink in for a moment… her small town of roughly 1,000 people was the hometown of the Pope. That’s like saying, “yeah… the President used to live right next to me… here’s his house” Only, he’s not just the leader of a single nation, but rather the spiritual leader of the world.
Pope Giovanni Paolo I – a hometown hero
Pope Giovanni Paolo I has an interesting history. He has the unusual honor of being the shortest reining Pope in history – just 33 days as Sovereign of Vatican City. He is also the most recent Italian-born Pope. It is widely whispered, even today – that his death was not due to natural causes (if you’re a fan of conspiracy theories, you can click HERE to read a few). This cloud of mystery and short reign does nothing to dispel the love and connection that people of Canale and Italy feel for Giovanni Paolo I, The Smiling Pope. In fact, the very next Pope adopted the name of Giovanni Paolo II, to honor and respect his predecessor.
Albino Luciano (as was his given name) was ordained a priest in 1935 and served for a time as the parish priest for the town church (also, one of the main churches in the region), Parraocchia di Canale D’ Agordo, the church you see pictured below.
Parraocchia di Canale D’ Agordo – a 550+ year old church
Jen and Julia in front by the town fountain
We arrived in Canale on Saturday – just in time for a wonderful lunch at Claudia’s home (the home where she was raised). Then she left us to walk around town as she went to help clean the church for Easter’s big service. We walked around the wonderful town, and bumped into about 30 of her cousins along the way.
Julia ridin in style with one of Claudia’s cousins
Julia strikes a pose
On Easter Sunday, we attended a wonderful service (where we understood everything that was said in Italian) in the Pope’s Church, Parracchia di Canale.We walked the short 200 yards back to our beautiful hotel, where the Easter Bunny had left Julia a surprise.
Our hotel on the right
We had her Easter basket ready for her
“What’s that up there?! Is that for ME?!”
“A soccer ball?! Well, I’ll just take this.”
“Don’t worry, I got THIS pops”
“I told you I got this!”
She loved her soccer ball, until she saw her chocolate chick
Which she loved so much, it’s head fell off!
“Here, Nonno Franco – take a bite. Please, it’s my pleasure”
Afterward we went to the town square, where they had set up an outdoor festival. We danced, we ate and we drank.
The festival in the main piazza (town square)
Coin tossing competition – you try to toss your coin into an egg
The winner is the person that sticks the most coins in the eggs
Julia “chill-axing” at the festival
Later in the day, we went to one of Claudia’s cousin’s (another cousin) restaurants and enjoyed some more delicious food.
We started with some antipasti
We each ended with a wonderful dessert
Even Julia got dessert out of a cup featuring her new favorite cartoon (Barbarapappa)
It still tickles me that when I wake up and ask Jen, “what do you want to do today” – the answer might be something like, “let’s go to Switzerland”. What a great idea!
Our home in Lake Como, Italy is very near the Swiss-Italian border. We have always been fond of a neighboring lake town, Lugano, Switzerland. Since the trip is only about 30 minutes, the idea to hop over the border for lunch appealed to us quite a bit.
Lugano, Switzerland
Switzerland is a beautiful country with some of the most breathtaking landscapes you’ll see. The most interesting thing [to us] about Switzerland is that it’s a country that in many respects, assumes the identity of its neighboring countries. It is a landlocked country bordered by Germany, France, Italy and Austria. The Swiss do not have their own language; each Swiss “region” instead adopts the tongue of the closest neighboring country (either German, French or Italian). Additionally, the food served in each region follows the same trend of marrying the food of it’s neighbor-country. However, we have found that the architecture seems to be uniquely Swiss throughout most of the country. Despite not having a shared language or cuisine, the Swiss have found a strong sense of pride in their country and it’s ideals.
Border crossing from Italy into Switzerland
The two economic epicenters of the country are Zurich and Geneva. If you’ve ever see a gangster or action movie – you’ll know that banking is a large industry, originally praised for it’s client privacy, security and discretion. If you’re a legitimate business magnate or Vito Corleone, you most likely have a Swiss bank account. Banking is just one of many reasons that Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world.
Homes atop a perfume shop
Switzerland also produces some of the worlds finest timepieces. Some of the more infamous Swiss made timepieces include Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Cartier, Chopard, IWC, Patek Phillipe and of course, Rolex – to name a few. Much to my disappointment – they are no cheaper if you buy them in Switzerland (in fact, quite a bit more thanks to a weak dollar). An interest tidbit that I just learned… over half of the world’s watches sold are made in Switzerland (in terms of value).
A shop that sells wonderful panini, meats and cheeses
As we departed to cross the border, we researched a good place to eat and found, Grotto Mulino Pregassona. It was a bit of a trek because the restaurant was a ways away from the center of the town. We put our faith in the reviews of others and were pleased with the results when we saw the charming restaurant as we pulled up.
Grotto Mulino Pregassona
We eagerly exited the vehicle and sauntered up to the restaurant, expectations high. Odd, the windows looked dark. And door seemed to be tightly pulled shut. Because it was closed – oh, that explains things. Upon further inspection we discovered (thanks to a rough job translating) the restaurant was closed for the season and would re-open in April. APRIL! Oh yeah, I forgot – we’re on the Italian side. Should have read those reviews a bit closer.
We drove back into the main part of town, the Centro (Center) of town. We walked around a bit and settled on a place to eat (it was OK, but not blog-worthy… sorry, no photos). As we walked around we enjoyed the sites and sounds of the people, and loved taking in the beautiful shop displays. There are custom pasticcerie (pastry shops) sandwiched between Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Armani and the countless Swiss watch shops (hence, our nickname of the Rodeo Drive of Switzerland).
Jen and Julia window shopping
Time for a giggle
Looking at the ducks on the lake
Sometimes sightseeing is better to do alone
Jen and Julia on a pier
Time to stop for a drink
It was a short trip around the bend, but well worth it. We can’t wait to visit Switzerland again soon!
No, we didn’t oversell it in the title. This meal was
LEGEN…wait for it…DARY!
Like Odysseus who fought heroically in the Trojan war and embarked on a long journey rife with cyclops, lotus-eaters, sea monsters and hostile giants; we too fought our own heroic battle of hunger and embarked on a journey rife with wrong turns, communication challenges, unpaved roads and hostile baby cries. In the end however, it worked out better for us than Odysseus.
We decided to visit the neighboring town of Lecco and grab a bite to eat. When I quickly opened my browser and selected a restaurant from Trip Advisor based solely on someones comment “good food, family friendly” – we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We plotted our course in the GPS and set out to eat at Osteria Belvedere Montalbano, a thirty minute-minute drive.
Lecco – a lake town on the east “leg” of Lake Como
A panoramic of the lake that I stitched together – the view on our way to the restaurant
Thirty-five minutes later, we pulled up. To a house. This couldn’t be right. We tried again. Twenty minutes later we ended up in the woods. Hmmm??? Twenty five minutes later we pulled up again. To another house. How many Via (Street) Montalbano’s could there be?! Jen dug a little deeper and translated a few google posts. She discovered that the restaurant is in fact, in the woods. So we were right when we were in the woods??? We tried that route again and hit a dirt path that looked to be traveled only by horses. As frustrated as you are reading this, you can imagine our displeasure. We’d had enough… time to throw in the towel.
As we were heading back down the hill we saw a final beacon of hope. We stopped two bikers and asked about this seemingly nonexistent place. They smiled and said, “turn around and follow us – but the road is pretty treacherous, so take it slow and be careful.” We spent another 15 minutes creeping up that very same dirt path; full of rocks and branches and no leeway on either side. Finally, we arrived and thanked our very kind guides.
Our “guides”
“Follow us, but go slowly”… uhhh yeah, no problem guys!
This was actually the nicer part of the road
Getting a little dicier – hood shown for perspective
“SERIOUSLY?!”
We pulled into the clearing in the woods and soaked up the view of the beautiful lake. The restaurant, a converted home – looked unassuming and inviting. But we were still a bit nervous as we walked up and were instantly relieved when we walked in and found that we had made it to the right place.
Osteria Belvedere Montalbano
As we seated ourselves, we knew we would be in for a treat. Our waiter Fabio, who also doubled as the cook – greeted us warmly and asked if we would like a half bottle or full bottle of wine. We responded that we’d like the half-bottle. He brought a full bottle.
Our host, Fabio
A delicious house wine
He also told us about the menu, which was not your typical explanation of specials and meal descriptions. It was him telling us what we would be eating. We didn’t quite understand, so we nodded politely and got ready to dig in. He started with a pasta dish, conscrigno tagliolini fungi bresaola e` tartufo (air cured beef over thin pasta noodles with mushrooms and truffles).
Primo (first course)
Before we were finished with the first dish, he brought caramelle al ragu` di cinghiale (wild boar ragu with a caramel drizzle).
More pasta as primi
Next was freshly-made raviolini di grano saraceno (hand-made ravioli made with buckwheat).
Third pasta dish
We couldn’t eat another bite. We begged him to stop… but then he described the next dish and we caved. We told him that we had to try it, but we needed to split one portion of the controfiletto con radicchio e gorgonzola (filet over radiccio with a gorgonzola sauce).
Secondo – meat dish
Then we moved onto dessert (delicious gelato) and coffee.
We were the last to leave (from the lunch crowd) and sauntered back to the car with a natural high that lasted all the way home. The road home was a lot more fun… but not nearly as much fun we expect it will be on our way back soon!
The indoor lighting
We were joined by a visitor for part of our meal
The only sign we saw for the restaurant… after we had eaten
I would also be remiss not to mention that when I walked up to pay, I discovered I didn’t have too much cash for this meal that would have to cost a fortune. I was quietly praying they accepted credit cards…until I got the bill. 30 euros for everything! I’d say Osteria Montalbano is the best deal in Lecco – if you can find it!!
