Trento

We had visited Trento several times when we lived in Vicenza but hadn’t been back for more than twenty-five years so we thought we would see what had changed. We departed San Marino after a lovely breakfast of ice cold eggs sunny side up and some not-so-Italian espresso, a fitting end to that adventure. The weather was beautiful as we drove up the Adriatic coast and then just past Bologna we turned due north and within an hour we were treated to some of the most spectacular mountain views.  We could see the entire southern range of the Alpini Mountains, their snow-capped peaks sparkling in the brilliant sunshine.  We lived in Vicenza for three weeks before we realized that we were surrounded by these mountains - they’re only visible when there is an inversion - so we were grateful for this gift of such beauty.

Trento is the last real Italian city on the way to Austria. The Adige River runs from the Brenner Pass straight down the mountains and right through Trento, providing lots of great irrigation for the wine growers which have really expanded since our last visit. Arguably the finest wine wines in Italy come from the Trentino/Alto Adige region, especially the hard to find Pinot Bianco. We were excited to have two days to test all of the great wines and foods from the region.

I had booked a hotel that offered free parking, knowing that a car with French plates and lots of luggage would be a very tempting target. Almost none of the downtown hotels, many of which were closed for the season, offered any parking since they are all in the Old Town which is closed to traffic. Our hotel was about a mile from the Old Town in a brand new development that had once housed a Michelin tire factory. It was very hard to find the hotel since it was attached to a huge brand new library which had limited access to autos. We finally found the place - well, Cindy my navigator found the place - and we parked the car in the garage and made our way to reception and then into our lovely, albeit small, room. 

It was very cold in Trento and since it is surrounded by mountains, it gets dark early and light late.  We went for a quick walk to stretch muscles since we had been sitting for five hours - and man were we freezing. The Old Town was a very long hike from our hotel and we discovered that so much of it was closed for the winter. It was then we started to pray that the hotel had a good restaurant since we knew we weren’t going to eat downtown.  Our prayers were answered! Not only was the food really good, but the staff was exceptionally wonderful. Young, attentive, and eager to share what they knew about the specials.  Since the restaurant didn’t open until 7:30, we decided to have a real cocktail in the bar.  Cindy had a Negroni which is Campari, gin, sweet vermouth and orange slice, while I had a William (I named it such six years ago), Campari on ice topped with Prosecco. After they brought us our drinks, chips and peanuts, they returned with a tray of cheeses and local meats, enough for six people!  The Italians do enjoy life. It set the tone for a grand repast washed down with the local Pinot Bianco. As we left they invited us for an after dinner drink - perhaps because I might have been the first person to tip them - and we enjoyed a quiet brandy before we retired. 

Next morning we were out on the river path, Cindy running and I ambling. Again icy cold until the sun managed to get over one of the peaks and then it was a glorious day.  We spent it walking around the Old Town and the open air markets, and by noon we realized that this should have been a one nighter - but we were there and knew we had a long, long drive the next day so we just chilled out and had a great time, another great cocktail hour and a better dinner than the night before.  Bed was early since we wanted to be on the road by ten, which is very early for us!

Best to all, Cindy and Wm