Italy 2023, Driving into the Alps, part 1

Well fed and finally well rested, Chuck was excited to get some hairpins under his belt so we set off for "the hills". I really want to establish first and foremost that he's a great driver, and I'm a lousy passenger that can get car sick and fearful, so this was going to be a good relationship builder, to say the least.

You cannot rely on the satelites to pinpoint your location in the mountains. It's "close" but so is the edge of the cliff. The roads are not built for E class size vehicles, but more for Fiat Pandas. We had some very scary moments over the next 17 days. (Foreshadowing, we didn't go over any cliffs, but we did scrape up the car. Twice. One on each rear quarter panel.) Look at these stunning views. We ate lunch out on this most beautiful patio, and simply took it all in. Many of the churches sit on mountaintops and are left open for worshippers to stop by any time. We stumbled across this one which I thought was simply stunning. Painted murals of christian rites on every wall.

We spent all day driving, and went out for a very nice dinner when we returned. Those are whole hams hanging overhead. This was very common in the markets and even the restaurants. Look at this Caprese salad, the tomatoes were so fresh! My pasta dish was topped with black truffles, outstanding local wine, we finished with lemoncello, and then had to have just a little more gelato. Because.

The hotel whimsy was everywhere. Tomorrow we head to Switzerland, Lauterbrunnen specifically.