Turino, Turin

We made it to Turin from Les Arnauds after a marvelous drive through the Alps, including driving through some of the longest tunnels I have ever been in. Our border crossing over from France to Italy happened in the middle of one of these tunnels. A large Italian flag hanging and lit in the middle of the tunnel indicated the actual border. Turin was a marvelous city, and again, we spent only a day and night there, not enough time. We enjoyed wandering through the arcaded streets, and into the city center. There was a lot of contemporary art, as well as historical sites and museums.

Stresa,

We arrived in Stresa, on Lake Maggiore, Italy late in the afternoon. The countryside and villages that line the shore of the lake are all very picturesque. Our accommodations for the week are located on one of the small islands, Isola Superiorie de la Pesciatore, in the lake close to the towns of Stresa and Baveno. There are no cars on the island, nor are they allowed, a perfect place for kids. The apartment was located right along the shoreline, with the water and waves right outside.

We met Anna, our host and family friends (thanks Mom and Dad) and the owner (along with her husband Renato) of the apartment at the ferry landing. Anna grew up on the island, and her family history goes back generations here. Her husband Renato was an editor and publisher in Milan for many years, and now runs a bookstore on the island. Anna teaches English in the local school, and had worked for Flash Art doing translation. They live nearby in Verbania with their daughter Sophia and son Elia. We feel very lucky to have been invited in to see the lake and islands through there eyes and Anna’s passion for this island and its history brings it to life beyond the tourist barriers that are so often set up.

We have met several of their friends, and been invited into an inner circle that we feel privileged to see. One of these people is Inge who lived on the island for many years with her husband but now only visits for short periods of time since he passed away. Inge’s husband, Andrea Ruffoni had (from what we understand) grown up on Isola Superiore but traveled extensively and studied art. He moved back to the island and ran a local café as well as worked furiously in his atelier on the island. Now what remains are a museum of sorts created by Inge and some of her friends as well as his atelier left as it was the day he died.

Inge’s house and her husband’s art was a unique experience. We were invited to see the work set up through an island house and several floors of apartments set up as a gallery or museum. The work was amazing. He created his own material out of all of the plastic he found along the lakeshore and melted it together into a kind of concoction that could be easily manipulated. We must say that we were not sure what we would see at the house, but were absolutely blown away by the caliber and sophistication of Andrea’s work. Inge is in the process of starting a foundation for her museum and we hope to see it flourish, as it is truly a treasure on this island.

After seeing his collection, we were invited to have lunch in Inge’s private garden. Anna’s brother supplied the food, fresh lake fish, vegetables and steak and fries. I will never forget the lunch in the secret garden. The view across the lake to Isola Madre and beyond was breathtaking.

We stay on the island until Friday, Sept. 25^th when we leave for a night in Milan and then back to Venice to meet up with Martin and Ginny. We hope to get a dinner out alone, as it has been a long time since we’ve had a proper “date”. Time together is wonderful but there are moments we daydream about being home and in our comfort zones. We realize this is a trip of a lifetime and we will keep forging ahead, there are too many adventures ahead that we don’t want to miss.

If anyone wants to visit Isola Superiore and would like to see the work and atelier of Andreas we would gladly pass along any contact information. This has been the most pleasant of surprises and we think more people should visit.