vendredi 23 octobre 2009

Voyage en Italie


When we left, the sky was grey and full of snow with nothing to see on the horizon but clouds and fine snowflakes falling at regular intervals. The tops of the mountains around us in Austria became whiter and whiter and the fir trees looked as if they had been dusted with icing sugar. Yet all that changed when we arrived in South Tirol, on the other side of the Brenner Pass. A place where autumn and winter don't seem to exist; there is only summer, followed by some cooler months. In the valley lined on both sides by sculpted mountains with dark green vegetation, you find fields upon fields of apple trees but not the kind you see in your typical garden. They look so fragile and small, weighed down by large quantities of beautiful pink apples. Vineyards for grappa stretch far into the distance next to silvery grey olive trees. The cold and the snow from just a couple of hours ago seemed so unreal. High up above, little villages, towers and castle are perched on the rocks overlooking the way that Hannibal once took.


We stopped at the lake of Toblino with it's beautiful little castle in the middle and the cyprus trees I've always loved so much. Families walked by the lakeside, talking animatedly and young couples embraced and took photos.





There was the first night in an abandoned hotel in Dro with its glacial rooms, green swimming pool and rows of pink balconies with plastic chairs which made you feel the loneliness of the end of season. In the morning, we breakfasted alone in the icy lounge on tiny white rolls with cheese, croissants, doughnuts filled with crème patisserie and scolding hot coffee which I tried to warm my hands with. Outside though, the sun was already shining with perhaps the most beautiful, clearest light I have ever seen. Often, I find the heat and humidity of summer oppressive but it felt so wonderful to have the golden rays on my skin. The famous castello of Arco on top of steep limestone cliffs rose up on the skyline and then we reached the lush shores of Riva del Garda in the nothern part of Lake Garda with its light coloured villas, exotic gardens and palm trees which reminded me of le Parfum d'Yvonne. The light danced on the water and in the afternoon, little waves disturbed its calm surface on which dozens of little white boats and windsurfers were sailing.



Strange looking apples on Lake Garda

In Verona, we strolled close to San Zeno and searched for Juliet's house and her balcony where she called down to Romeo. On the walls, hundreds of little notes had been stuck by lovers all over the world with romantic messages and it was impossible to move for huge numbers of tourists who had also come to see the meeting place of the starcrossed lovers. Around the corner, I discovered a charming square with a statue of Dante which made me long to read the Divine Comedy in Italian, an idea which I quickly abandoned when I saw the two enormous volumes on sale. On the way to Vicenza that evening, I watched the dying glow of the sun which seemed to stretch its long fingers across the countryside for miles and illuminate the stone houses of the tiny villages we passed through.




Most beautiful of all though was Venice. After some Mr. Hulot moments at the station, I boarded the train from Vicenza early the next day. Nothing prepared me though for the vast expanse of blue water as we were arriving, a view that somehow touched me as I thought one day how the city will sink back into it and disappear. Close to the train station, I bought an apple cake, or strudel as its called here and set off to explore this place I had dreamed of for so long.



Every little street is full of poetry with its countless bridges reflected in canals as clear and smooth as Murano glass. The houses with the lines of washing and closed shutters seem to contain so many secrets and I wandered back and forth for hours with only the distant chimes of a church tower bell to remind me of the passing of time. I had never felt so inspired by light and colours before.



After fresh gnocchi with tomatoes in a charming wine cellar and a hot chocolate in a trattoria, I took the boat across from Fondamente Nuove to Isola San Michele or the Island of the Dead. Here there are barely any tourists and most of the other passengers were taking flowers to the cemetary. Large cyprus trees on the island stand over you like candles and the only sounds are those of the gravel as you walk along the different alleys and the splashing of the water all around. There is such a feeling of peacefulness here which deeply moved me like never before. I thought of the wonderful painting by Böcklin and the final journey to this amazing place where eternity begins.





The musical cries on the shore announced the return to Fondamente Nuove. Close to Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, I savoured a perfect tiramisù ice cream and came across a wonderful French bookstore where I bought Venises by Paul Morand and Christ Stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi and immediately regretted leaving Dictionnaire amoureux de Venise . The light was becoming softer and even more luminous. At last, the tourists made their way home and I felt another side of the city come alive with its special charm reserved for those who linger in the shadows. Though I returned that evening exhausted, feeling a little ill and also sad to leave this place which captured my heart, I know that it was simply the most perfect day and that there is so much more to discover and return for.



23 commentaires:

  1. Thanks for sharing! I'd love to go to Italy. That lake is so beautiful!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  2. Ton billet est aussi réconfortant qu'une assiette de gnocchis et ça fait un bien fou quand on voit le temps qu'il fait à Paris aujourd'hui... Merci pour ce bel aperçu de ton voyage. Je meurs d'envie d'aller faire un saut de quelques jours en Italie moi aussi, ne serait-ce que pour savourer quelques douceurs !

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  3. J'adorerais voir l'Italie en automne et aller sur cette île des morts... ça me rappelle un peu la Chartreuse de Ferrare, îlot de calme et de fraîcheur visité cet été par un après-midi brûlant. Mais le bateau vers cette île, ça doit être comme entrer dans le tableau de Böcklin (et un peu aussi dans l'Ecume des jours).

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  4. Rosa - I'm sure you'd love it in Italy and you're right, Lake Garda is amazingly beautiful.
    Julia - Je suis contente que mon billet t'ait fait voyager un peu par un temps gris. La lumière me manque déjà et je me suis dit en quittant l'Italie que je n'aurai pas un temps pareil à Berlin jusqu'à l'année prochaine. Venise en été ne me tente pas trop à cause de la chaleur et des touristes trop nombreux mais en automne ou hiver, quel plaisir de revoir le soleil et manger des pâtes!
    Rose - C'est peut-être ce que j'aimais le plus, aller sur ces îles différentes où il y a si peu de monde. J'avais exactement cette impression de Böcklin en prenant le bateau; le voyage est bien court mais magique pour aller à cet endroit si émouvant et merveilleux, je sais que ça te plairait aussi. J'avais oublié Vian - merci de me l'avoir rappelé.

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  5. Les photos sont vraiment superbes, tu as du passer un super moment, merci pour ce partage!

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  6. Les cypres, comme une signature du paysage italien, qui indiquent qu'on a bien passe la frontiere. Je les aime beaucoup aussi, tout comme cette luminosite particuliere qu'on ne trouve nulle part ailleurs. Merci pour ces tres belles photos de Venise en automne. Oh, partir en Italie...sigh.

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  7. Sarah - Merci beaucoup. Eh oui, c'était extra mais ça me fait toujours du bien de revoir mes images quand il fait froid et un peu gris à Berlin.
    Gracienne - Je n'avais pas vu des cypres depuis des années; ils me rappellent aussi mes vacances au Languedoc. Cette lumière dont tu parles, on ne la trouve que dans les pays méditerranées et c'est si agréable de pouvoir s'asseoir dehors fin d'octobre et profiter des derniers rayons. Cela me manque déjà!

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  8. Je l'attendais ce post poétique. Magnifique tes photos, on voit cette luminosité spéciale (mais bon je ne suis pas objective ;-) et on sent le vent qui caresse le paysage. Merci Vanessa pour ce cadeau! Bises et bonne journée

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  9. Venise à cette saison, c'est magique!

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  10. How beautiful. There is so much to return to. Your photos are so touching. Filled with sweetness and vunerability that is the othr side of Italy. I agree there is so much to return to. I lived there for 11 years, saw a lot but still feel it is a place where you can always go deeper. And yes, Venezia and the light! Thank you for this wonderful reportage. Perhaps we will get more photos.

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  11. I'm sure you refer to Les vacances de Mr. Hulot which is a good one.. my favorite is Mon Oncle, especially the bouncing glass scene. Legendary !

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  12. Dada - Merci pour tes commentaires toujours gentils. Bien tu aies un grand penchant pour l'Italie, je suis complètement d'accord avec toi que la lumière et les paysages sont extras. Tu sais, je suis un peu obsédée par Venise maintenant et j'ai hâte d'y retourner bientôt.
    Flo - Ah oui! Et l'avantage de Munich, c'est que ce n'est pas loin d'aller en Italie prendre du soleil en hiver (quand on a le temp, bien sûr!).
    Lisa - Thanks so much for stopping by! Yes, Italy is a place of such beauty but also of so many mysteries which you long to explore. I can understand why people are crazy about it; it must have been so wonderful to live there. For the photos, you know I'm a little picky and only like the ones I'm 100% satisfied with but I'll try to find some more.
    Pia - Yes, that scene with the passengers running from one platform to another is what I had in mind! Omg, the bouncing glass scene just kills me every time. I love Mon Oncle too and maybe I'll have a mini Tati festival this weekend.

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  13. Je viens à peine de me réveiller et tes mots m'ont fait vivre un beau moment d'oisiveté et même de recueillement. C'est un plaisir que de te lire, surtout pour moi qui rêve de poser les pieds sur l'autre rive de l'Océan. Merci.

    Passe une belle journée Vanessa.
    Josée xx

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  14. Josée - Merci beaucoup, ton commentaire me touche vraiment et ça me fait vraiment plaisir de partager ces photos. Je rêve aussi d'aller au Canada, voir des paysages blancs et magnifiques.
    Bon WE, Vanessa x

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  15. Just beautiful! I enjoyed the photo journey! Thanks for sharing.

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  16. Velva - Thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely comment! Have a great weekend.

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  17. Italy, dear Italy!!
    I'm an Italian girl and I love my land!!
    Your photos are beautiful, I see your blog in the future! by

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  18. Il ramaiolo - Thanks for your visit! I hope my photos can do justice to the amazing beauty of Italy. I'm totally in love with your wonderful country and hope to discover more.

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  19. Oh, Italy is so beautiful.

    I just happened to be reading about Lake Toblino the other night on Wikipedia.

    I think I must try tiramisu ice cream in the very near future!

    Thank you for the wonderful photos!

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  20. Michael - Thanks for visiting my blog and your comment. Italy is so amazing and I can't wait to return there - the sun. the landscape, the food. I'd never heard of Lake Tobline before but when we were driving past, the castle looked so beautiful, we just had to stop and walk around a bit. Tiramisù ice cream was something I tried as a kid on my very first trip to Italy so it brings back nice memories. I definitely recommend it!

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  21. Tes photos sont superbes et donnent des envies de voyage !

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  22. Merci Hélène de ta visite! Je suis contente que ça te plaise!

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