Our first full day in Piemonte was indeed full. We woke at a late-ish 8:30. My aunt was coming downstairs to get breakfast ready for us. The morning was clear and warm so we had our coffee and biscotti outside: us, zia Lina and Federico.
Zia Lina and Federico had a few chores in the garden, so Derek and I helped out. We picked strawberries, put up some structures for beanstalks to grow on, and cut out shiny wrapping paper to tie onto the corners of the garden to scare away the birds. Meanwhile, the girls ran around a little. It's so nice having some green space where they can run free and burn off some energy.
Many hands make light work, so we were soon done. Federico took us into Santhia and gave us a little tour of the town by car on our way to the grocery store. Here, there are many signs of the recession: clothing factories that once employed hundreds of people each now either employ fewer than fifty or are closed altogether. Both my cousins are currently out of work as a direct result of the layoffs. At 38 and 40 respectively, they say they are too old to find permanent
work anywhere.
Another sign of globalism is the (unfortunate) advent of the supermarket in Italy. Federico had chosen the local "supermercato" to get the items his mother instructed him to buy. One hopes the "fruttivendolo" and "panificio" are not completely dead... My aunt had given Federico strict orders to find cereal for the girls - they don't eat such things here, so she didn't know what to get them. The cereal aisle was rather limited and literally half of the selection contained some form of chocolate or cocoa. So we landed on Kellogs Corn Flakes - the same cereal my mom had found for me years ago when we visited here. To this day, when I eat them I am immediately brought back to Italy. I figured my girls could have the same experience.
When we returned my aunt was busy making a risotto with fresh
artichokes from her garden. We dined outdoors again: risotto, followed by thin veal chops in a clear gravy.
In the afternoon, it was Nicola's turn to be our host: Oropa, specifically its monastary, was our destination. Santhia, where we are staying is within view of the Alps. On a clear day like today, we can see them in the distance. Oropa is partway up the foothills at the base of the Alps, at 1200 metres (everyone here knows the elevation of the various places; it's fascinating). It was a warm day here below, but in the hills, when the sun was hidden by passing clouds, it got rather cool.
There isn't much to see in Oropa besides the monastery and the two churches, but the view is spectacular. And the water at the fountain is from the glacier and is the freshest, sweetest water I've ever had.
On the way down from Oropa, we stopped in Biella, a town of about 55,000 souls. Nico gave us a tour of the oldest part of the town, then
the shopping district. I am constantly surprised at the sophistication of the clothing stores in these small towns - as well those in towns and villages much smaller than this one - Armani, Gucci, Dolce and Gabanna .... And shoes! I've never seen so many shoe stores in my life. I have yet to buy some Italian shoes here, outrageous or otherwise. There's still time...
Eventually we returned to Nico's house where his wife, Federica, was busy making a delicious meal. The pair live in a beautiful, new house, complete with an immaculately kept lawn. Nico and Federica are lots of fun and we laughed a lot over our four-hour dinner. Between courses, the girls watched Avatar in English; thank goodness for DVDs that have
multiple language options! Solanne called the blue people "the kitties".
We left before the movie was done, with a promise to the girls that we would rent it at home (ie, not where we are currently staying, but back in Ottawa). Nico was driving us back to my aunt's house, so we kissed Federica good-bye and Maia managed an "a domani!" (see you tomorrow), much to the delight of my cousins - and me and Derek. Another month here, and that kid would be trilingual.
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