DANCE OF DEATH AND CHURCH ART - 15TH AND 21ST CENTURIES

It is always amazing that wherever you go, even not knowing anything about an area, there is always something to see of interest on your doorstop.  Here at Carisolo, just 15 mins walk from our tent, is a this well known church  of St. Stefano – with outside and indoor frescoes painted in 15th C but church been here since 11th C.  The paintings were good enough outside but stunning inside (restored)



Down one wall was a huge mural of the Last Supper and, in a special exhibition that was just on for the summer, some talented glass-blower had faithfully recreated the fresco in coloured glass.  Fishes on the plates, knives, loaves of bread, wine – quite brilliant.  Also on the right hand side there is a red  rawn (abundant in local rivers at the time) on the floor – we nearly picked it up until we saw it was part of the painting! 



Wouldn’t want the glass on my mantlepiece but can appreciate the skill.

Difficult to see on the outside, on the second row down, but repeated in another nearby church is the Dance of Death -  in which the skeletons shadow the rich and poor and great and lowly in a long procession from beginning to end ie Death will get you all regardless of money or position.
The theme was widespread in Europe in the 14-1600s and if you are really interested, this link will tell you more.

We listened to a great audio tour about all the frescoes - lots of saints and St. Stephen in particular with his stoning to death fairly prominent.

Reminded us of all the volunteers at home at churches and other local functions – without them so much would be lost culturally.  This church is only open in the summer and manned for several hours each day to prevent further thefts of the irreplaceable contents.

WALKS AND WILDLIFE – a photo post

Nothing much to say on these except they are nice views and piccies of walking in the Brenta Dolomites.

TARN HOWS, A REFUGE?

We have picnic-lunched in some spectacular spots all around the world – mostly involving lakes/streams, amazing views, trees, blue skies and a decent rock to lay our essential sit-mats on.  Yesterday was one of those spots – we took a proper cable car (as opposed to the metal buckets at Molveno!) from Madonna di Campiglio (around the other side of the Brenta Dolomites, to the West), then walked an hour in brilliant sun with clearest views yet (after rain and wind cleared the pan European pollution from the valleys). 



And found this – Lake Malghette


After idyllic lunch, walked around the lake and even better views



And what did we spy at the far end – yet another Refugio with views, food and hospitality par excellence.  A log cabin been there for a hundred years and the photos of it in the snow nearly make us want to learn to ski – nearly.  Had to stop for ice cream, though!

QUESTION:  Is this a better than Tarn Hows?

Certainly a close competitor if Tarn Hows has the blue skies, but not sure the Lake District National Park planners would allow a cafe right on the lake





and the Park Authorities here don’t keep the bridges up as well as the National Trust!

REASONS FOR BRITS TO CELEBRATE

CELEBRATION FOR BRITS NO.1  - 76 YEARS OF WAITING IS OVER!!

And we missed it – but hopefully it won’t be the last.  Fantastic performance.

CELEBRATION FOR BRITS NO.2 – IT FINALLY RAINS ON THE HONEYBONES 

Just to remind us of our wettest ever summer and stop us crowing over the Brits at home – we were getting bit over confident after a week of sun.  But, just for one day.

CELEBRATION FOR BRITS NOS.3  to 333 – STACKS OF GOLD MEDALS

AND A TOUR DE FRANCE

When will it ever end?–  perhaps it has!!  But what a summer of sport – Celebrations indeed.

LOCAL LIFE

Busy walking the highways and byways in and around the Brenta Dolomites for the past week.  As per last year there are endless photo opportunities and spectacular views at every turn.

We have been up many a cable car to reach the heights, but this metal basket takes the biscuit for needing a steady head when looking down, a steady companion who does not rock the boat (I mean bird cage) and steady legs for getting on or off the thing, as it keeps moving all the time.  Thought I had cracked the normal ski lift fall-off-at-the-end syndrome, but this was even trickier!  

Not to be undertaken during a thunderstorm - metal basket on metal wires reaching up to metal wheel at top of a mountain

NOTES FOR WOOD GATHERERS
Phil and Joan, our new neighbours at Beck Head, have been on a massive bush and tree clearance exercise.  For them and any other wood pile creators this is how to do it – large or small, it needs stacking correctly.

VILLAGE LIFE CONTINUES

And today we saw this guy using the local fountain and wash area to clean out his pot, as it must have been used for hundreds of years in every village across Europe

FALLING FOUL OF THE REGULATIONS

As well as having to cope with electronic toilets (seat goes up automatically, so have to hold it down and sit down very quickly!), electronic flush (as get up/open/close door – whatever), electronic taps in basins (wave hand in front of sensor to keep it flowing – difficult with toothbrush in hand), electronic showers (stop and don’t start until you step away and then back again), we have fallen foul of following rules and regs – and you thought Italy was more laid back than the UK

• Graham was having nice peaceful swim in next door heated pool – got unceremoniously ejected for having no hat!
• Can’t pick up the veg/fruit in local Coop without wearing a disposable glove.
• Supposed to get pre-bus ticket, which failed to do – travelled free but lived in fear and trepidation of inspectors.
• Locals tried setting the dogs on Graham, but they didn’t seem too interested in his misdemeanours

Wonder what else we will fail to discover – seems like travelling as Johnny Foreigner is still a mysterious adventure.

Compensation

For all the problems, though, the mountains are as high and as spectacular as last year in the Dolomites to the east of here.  Cable cars and ski lifts get you up there among them

and then a walk around and leisurely drink and cake at local high level hostelry before descent. 
The first day we did this, we walked down – all 5 hours and have now knackered my hips, calves and bum for several days – ah well, have to stick to the flatter routes for a while.

FIRST CAMPING STOP–BRENTA DOLOMITES - MOLVENO

This a new area to us to the west of the Dolomites where we stayed last year – the Brenta Dolomites  (to west of Trento and north of Verona and Lake Garda if you are looking) - and recommended to us by fellow travellers from Witherslack  (Jeff and Val) – using their maps and advice again to great advantage.

We recced this campsite on the way home last year and it has lived up to expectations – great views, right on the lake and surrounded by huge peaks.  See views from tent and lake below.

Most of you will remember we had to replace our badly leaking tent from last year and that we then lost the first replacement on a windy night at Beck Head – destroyed on the barbed wire fence!  Here is the new tent and extension – and tested immediately by usual mountain thunderstorms converging on us, just as we returned from the first night pizza (always eat out after driving and putting up tent).  No leaks and everything still in place in the morning – result!!!  

And for the first time we have electric -  hurray, I am ecstatic.  With my trusty little fan heater I can now warm up in morning or evening (though not that cold first day )– but we are at 2500’ so still time to cool down. as September progresses.  Also got electric light and netbook plugged in for first time – we really know how to live it up, we do.

Spent our first day enjoying the sun, views and exploring lovely alpiney local village.  Everything we need – supermarket 5 minutes walk, wifi on the campsite, great individual washrooms and showers, bar, restaurant, freezer for cold box slabs, washers, etc etc.

Interesting that since we visited last October they have restyled half the site and taken out the camping slots and replaced with gravelled slots for campervans and added 30 odd 1 and 2 bedroom chalets.  Tents will be totally redundant soon – just us and a couple of other large ones + 5 or 6 overnight small ones with bikers and hikers.  Majority are semi-permanent vans and extensions or campervans passing through.   Season winding down now and after this weekend prices drop and little children depart back to Italian schools , where they belong!  Then it will just be us and the lake and the mountains.