With about a week before I was to fly to Spain, I headed back to Italy to spend some time with the Pellizzers (my second host family, in San Zenone), and check out Cinque Terre, possibly the most talked about spot in Italy amongst travellers I'd met.
After flying from Berlin to Milan, I caught the train to Castelfranco where the whole family was waiting at the platform to welcome me (and had unfortunately been waiting a wee while as I'd missed the first train and had to wait another hour!). They all cheered when I arrived at the platform, and we headed out for pizza and gelato, which was fantastic.
The next morning, we all headed out on a really picturesque bike ride which wound through their little town, on a cycle path through shady bushes and alongside a stream until we climbed a steep hill to the site of the town's church, with an expansive panoramic view of the neighbouring towns. The boys played around for a bit before we started our trip home, stopping at Francesca's cousin's restaurant for a cold drink on the way.
That afternoon, we visited a basilica in Bassano, which had a really interesting design as kind of a mishmash between the Parthenon in Athens and the Pantheon in Rome. Both were designed by the same man, who was from Bassano and wanted to build a church in his home town to resemble his most famous work (I think!). We paid a small fee to climb to the top and, again, see some really special views. In my opinion visiting a monument like this, with only a very few visitors present, is far more enjoyable and special than joining the hoards of tourists who visit places such as the Parthenon and Pantheon just for a photo opportunity.
The view from the top of the church
Fabrizio (3), Fabio (10), Filippo (13) and Federico (6)
The following day, we went into Asolo to have lunch at Francesca's parents' home. Sunday lunches at one of the grandparents' are about as typical Italian as you can get, and I received a really warm welcome from Francesca's parents before being well fed with pasta and meats. Francesca and I then took a lovely long walk up into the old town of Asolo, to the dismay of the littlest boy, Fabrizio (3), who was inconsolable until his Mama came back and then insisted on going for a walk, too.
All in all it was a lovely, relaxing weekend and it was great to spend some time with such a lovely family. It was hard to say goodbye!
