Dove si trova Chatillon?

Greetings. There will be wonderful photos forthcoming but let us first acquaint one and all with the reason for why we spent five nights in Chatillon, Italy in Val d’Aoste (Aosta Valley). On the left is Mary Te Landry, partner of Charlie Landry before he left us. She is a member of the Family Duc who have maintained an apartment in Chatillon for over four hundred years. Mary would kill me if I even attempted a joke about her not living there the whole time.

On her left is her cousin Paula and on Gini’s left is her husband Maurizio. They are the Bergaminis, related to the Ducs and current residents of the top two floors of this vertical domicile. The kindness and generosity of these players cannot be overstated. Because of many visits we are proud and pleased to call Maurizio and Paula our friends and hope to continue to enjoy their company for many years.

 

From the outside the apartment looks quiet and antico. Stone is everywhere (this is Italy and the Alps, what do you expect?). Here is Mary in Duc Square. The apartment is the second from right. The door is just to the left of the white car. There is a long stone hallway as you enter and you can tell that you are in a place where the walls are literally two feet thick. And then you come to the stairs:

There are still two floors below this. Mary’s bedroom and balcony are on what Americans would call the second floor. Here it is the first floor. A gorgeous museum-like dining room is across from her bedroom. Sorry about the lack of a picture.

Our en suite bedroom/balcony is on the next floor which is across from the lower floor of Maurizio and Paula’s apartment. The kitchen is the first floor below and has a newly converted room which we will refer to as The Disco. Paula and Maurizio have been ardent students of the tango for several years and enjoy dancing immensely. So they have converted part of the stable to afford incredible acoustics and ambiance for their dance parties.

So voila! clean out the old stuff, put in a beautiful parquet floor and convert the old barrels and ammunition boxes to help stock the bar. they also provide the proper ambiance.

One must not ever truly lose the sense of the history so the original door with mega-keys was carefully maintained:

Oh yes. There is a most interesting feature of the Val d’Aoste and that is the view is quite spectacular from almost anyplace in the towns:

These views are never boring and one can get lost in them easily as the day goes by. However there is the night and the full moon proffered itself upon our arrival (clicking on pictures recommended)

.

Though Hannibal’s stomping has long faded there are still reminders of the Roman threads in Chatillon. A modern bridge provides for a town thoroughfare but also provides a view upon the Roman footbridge still spanning the rapids:

Every small town in the world has its appealing niceties. Whether it be a wood carving in the local playground celebrating alpine craftsmanship:

Or the entrance to a local cemetery vigilantly sequestering the remains of Duc and Bergamini alike:

Some of our family and friends have oriented their travels this way and have accommodated themselves locally. The family favorite is Le Verger. For 20 years we have been fortunate to be able to sit and enjoy some coffee, grappa or lemoncello with the couple who run the hotel. Once again Mary, Gini and Chris hiked up the hill to see them. This time it was discovered that solar panels now bedecked the roof. Right on!

As we were walking we encountered a sign that summarizes some of the Italian attitude about enjoying life and let the worrying be damned. Exhibit A:

“tutte le direzioni”….All directions. Let’s not sweat it…look…wherever you are going you can get there this way since all directions lead from here. Va bene.

Another ritual is to visit Mary’s Aunt/Maurizio’s mother Marie in Aosta. It has become mandatory to polish off a bottle of Prosecco along with selected pastry as we look out the back yard at a low Roman wall at the foot of the great Alps. Chris was able to provide some entertainment by bringing along his computer and iPhone and displaying pictures taken over the years. Some were of visits to Aosta both winter and summer, others were of Chip, Landry family members and a few incriminating depictions. The coup de grace was when Chris was able to fetch Marie’s son Maurizio’s photo of him as a young child from Facebook and present it to her as if conjured on the spot from the ether. The look of wonder on her 92 year young face was priceless along with the enjoyment of her niece Mary:

A new experience was provided by our chauffeur and guide, Maurizio. He packed us in his car with a bag of sweaters, coats and hats and headed for Switzerland. This entrance was a first for Chris and Gini had not been there for over 40 years. Mary, herself, was 20 years absent from the quintessentially neutral country. We made our way to Gran St Bernard where a thousand years ago Bernard of Aosta dedicated himself to helping travelers and pilgrims braving the pass now know as Col du Petit St Bernard. Many died in their attempt to make their way to Rome but over the centuries monks and trained dogs alleviated the danger with shelter, food and spirituality.

Their numbers are now diminished from when up to 600 visitors a day would be accommodated. The dogs are still trained.

Maurizio had found a new friend.

The purity of the centuries long effort was reflected in the abbey’s chapel:

Why not when inspired by such a venue:

Here is some data and a token of the visit:

Again to prove the world is a small place we had decided to drive a few hundred meters down the road and have some lunch on the Italian side of the border at Hotel Italia. Of course the woman hosting the restaurant was a school classmate of Maurizio’s who had not seen each other in decades. C’est la vie, mais no?

We're Not In Ohio Anymore, Gini

No this is not Ohio. After a 36 hour respite we were able to catch our flight to Paris Tuesday evening, June 18. Gini was not a happy camper with the conditions in coach. A guy who probably plays defensive lineman kept his elbow in a key position to allow for discomfort most of the trip. Space seems to be more cramped than on previous trips.

However, thanks to a deal with American Express we were able to spend our five hour layover in Air France lounges. This provided breakfast, lunch, internet and couches. Had we wanted, a shower was also available.

And then…Venezia…

Of course there are differing opinions on this city but we drink the KoolAid on this one. We arrived at the airport, found an ATM, bought a phone card and contacted our host Andrea. We synchronized orologi and used our prepaid tickets to take the boat to Fondamente Nove in Cannareggio. He recognized us, as we did him, from pictures on AirBnB, our booking site. A true Italian (aka cabana boy) he grabbed Gini’s luggage and we were off. Within 50 meters we stopped at a waterfront restaurant and made reservations on his recommendation for that evening. That recommendation also resulted in a 10 percent discount.

We were led down a couple of typical Venetian alleys and brought through a courtyard gate.

This led to the courtyard and a wonderful sitting area:

It looked like we were in a good place from AirBnB. The kitchen was incredibly well supplied with cooking gear and also had some milk, juice, olive oil, etc. This is Italy, certo! The rest of the apartment was quite comfortable:

Mmmmm….a cute little love nest for our fortieth anniversary, e’ bellisimo.

We explored the neighborhood with some helpful directions from Andrea. Supplies were easily obtained from a local supermarket and nearby was a bakery. We really did not have a tourist agenda since we had been here many times before but we always enjoy ambling and rambling along the calle. Very soon we discovered that we were very near to the Church of the Miracles, a destination from previous visits. Many significant thoughts and concerns were meditated upon here, with Chip also:

We find this church architecturally interesting since it has slabs of marble on its outside walls usually seen in Firenze (Florence).

Another point of interest for us is the pier for the boat launch to the Hotel Cipriani:

This ride would lead us to where some of Chris’ Mom’s ashes were placed. Off in the background are the trees where they are at the base.

The Bienalle, an art festival, had opened and we did walk through San Marco along the water to get to it. However we balked at the 25 Euro apiece entry price and decided we would take a vaporetto ride instead to beat the heat.

There was an adventure involving the phone. One may have heard of the astronomical roaming charges that can accumulate when one is overseas. In preparation Chris had researched Italian SIM cards. At the Rialto Bridge the Vodafone store had completely sold out but we eventually found a TIM store. For 25 Euro a card could be purchased and inserted in the iPhone (previously unlocked through Verizon) that would suffice for three weeks use of voice, text and data. Except that the data portion did not work right away. A second visit the next morning was necessary as the iPhone was restarted and everything was ‘va bene’. We shall see when we get home when all the bills come to roost how brilliant this idea was.

The iPhone is a bit limited as a camera so we could not capture the Rialto Bridge on the canal at night very well:

Since we were coming back for a single night stay in a couple of weeks before heading home we thought we would make a reservation at a wonderful restaurant for that night ahead of time. In doing so we discovered that the restaurant would be closed that night…whoops! So we made an executive decision that one must scuttle the budget given these conditions and make do. We made a reservation for the next night. The Fiaschetteria Toscana is always a delight. Here is how we finished the meal:

Now some of our friends will be screaming at us since we still did not take a gondola ride after umpteen visits to this city. When we return we will attempt such a feat. Until then, arrivederci!

The Reception: Bryan, Ohio

 Greetings:

It is now public besides being official. Rittichier friends and family gathered in Bryan, Ohio to celebrate the happy couple. The theme here was simplicity and the rural nature of Bryan. When you have a couple of artists creating this signature it fittingly complemented the home residence of Alexa’s family.

Not quite “amber waves of grain” but pretty darn close. It was originally a strawberry farm that had its moment but was partially parceled and sold to provide college educations for the young women. Guests could be seen approaching for miles as the Midwestern grid allowed for uninterrupted views of the horizon. Ron had dutifully zipped and zapped on his Gravely mower/tractor to set the tone for the yard as back drop and gaming field. Behind the house was the big, beautiful barn that would be the headquarters of the party:

Guests would be directed to an open parking area and then guided to the enchanted entrance for the reception:

Chip and Derek had industriously and cleverly produced this beckoning archway. The bricks weren’t yellow but one followed a similar configuration to the porch to be met and greeted by the sets of parents of the bride and groom and to sign in (see guest book above). Should you wonder what to do next those busy little elves had conjured a directional composite:

 

Though it was tempting to head right for dinner and dancing there were some games that would be available for festive ambiance.

Not to be out-done by the elves, Chris had collated the official croquet layout from his iPhone and directed the field configuration:

Should one be ‘roqueted’ there was an even chance one could wind up in Indiana given the expanse of the terrain.

Then there was the ‘B’ section where one could take on teams in Bags and Bocci replete with stands for ardent fans:

 

And of course you remember Have Jenga, Will Travel:

Alexa certainly knew what she wanted with her table motif and had her crack staff (Carma and her sisters) busily configuring the party tables.

Amazing what can be done with a barn, no?

The food was excellent with a favorite of risotto stuffed portabello mushrooms.

One of the Kentucky touches was in the beverage category. There is an original ginger ale that had caught Chip’s fancy, Ale8 1 (A late one). One can do the proper research and understand why there was a large tub of it for the taking.

The sisters of course were still having a blast with their reunion:

Chip and Alexa insisted on a break from conventional wedding folderol and ignored any clinking and classic decorum.

A significant section of the barn had been set aside for dancing and pretty soon after dinner the sounds of “Footloose” were amping up that Ohio milieu.

And remember those red shoes? They were flyin’ in all directions:

Eventually everyone was outside and were afforded a special treat of spectacular fireworks that would rival any town’s July 4 celebration. So as not to allow hunger or energy to be a concern during these festivities, an outdoor stand was set up with long metal stickers, hot dogs and smores components arrayed on a graduated pedestal. The next hour or two was a community of satisfied diners, dancers and devotees basking in the glow of the fire exchanging anecdotes centered around the happy couple.

Just as a final note let it be said that as wonderful as this party was, it was rivaled by the bonding with the Rittichier family during the week. Chip is lucky and grateful to have Alexa in his life. The family is a lottery bonus. Peace.