Arrivederci Milano!

Arriving home in Sydney, 6th June 2015

We have been home in Australia for over a year, but I've been reluctant to upload this final blogpost. Perhaps leaving the blog open has been my way of gradually letting go of the incredible adventure that was 'our Milan transfer'. 

But home we are, settled back into our house in Sydney.  I'm working full-time again after my two years of la dolce vita, while it's Stefano's turn to catch his breath living the more relaxed pace of a freelance writer.  Before I close this blog, I thought I'd take a trip back to Milan one last time to document our final ten days in Italy.

Sant Ambrogio, the oldest church in Milan and our local metro stop.

We returned to Milan from Palermo to celebrate our final stay in the north of Italy with my sister Belinda who was on her way to visit her son Tim on a gap year in England. 

No sooner had Belinda landed at Malpensa airport than we whisked her away to the Italian region  that stole our hearts , the hilly Lange district in the Piedmont. 

The sun shone and the hilltop towns sparkled, so it didn't take long for Belinda to join our Piedmont fan club. We ambled through the Langhe vineyards basking under blue, spring skies, lounged by the pool at the agriturismo Carlin Carlota and

enjoyed spectacular views from the balcony while toasting Belinda's arrival.

 We revisited some of our favourite towns

Exploring the streets of Alba.

 and explored the spectacular ancient ruins of Sacra di Sant Michele.

We treated ourselves to a wonderful meal at Bovio, one of the oldest and most famous restaurants in the Langhe region, in the nearby town of La Morra, 

Best of all, we returned to our favourite agriturismo, Stra, in Novello, to share its charms with Belinda and discover more about this beautiful corner of northern Italy.

After yet another wonderful stay in the Langhe, we returned to Milan to say goodbye. 

A final glass of prosecco at the rooftop bar of la Rinacente.

In a flurry of 'last times' we whisked Belinda around the sights of Milan.  

Sforza Castle, the street markets, and a quick tour of our favourite church, San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore.  

Then there was only one last stop left.  A last stroll past the Duomo.  Sparkling as always in the spring sunshine.  

Arrivederci Milano.  

Ci vediamo prossima volta!

Stefano e Jenny!

Perhaps it's no surprise that I've taken a taste of Italy home to Sydney.  Not just gelato. 

It's been a while...

Last week we returned to our favourite place in Italy, the Piedmont, for a week of relaxation.  

But it wasn't long before the back road between Novello and La Morra tempted us. It was very quiet, with just a few hills to make it interesting,

and the scenery was stunning!

So, we borrowed the bikes from the agriturismo where we were staying and set off for a leisurely morning ride through the vineyards.

Memories of a wonderful cycling holiday in France, more than five years ago, came flooding back.

Even though we were slightly saddle sore afterwards, we both agreed that it was great to be back on the bikes!

Nostra vacanza in Piemonte era bellisimo!

We have fallen in love...

This love story begins online.  It started when I read a blogpost about the Piedmont region CLICK HERE.    "Ancient hilltop town...amazing views in all directions...its own wine...soak up the sun while drinking a cool glass of their white wine" (Noble, R.)  

You get the picture.   

Even before we'd left Milan, I'd fallen a little bit in love with Novello.

Only one and a half hour's easy drive from Milan, Novello sounded like the perfect place for a spring weekend and a great excuse to hire another Fiat 500.  

After a speedy trip across the flat plains which surround Milan, we left the traffic and drove into the gentle hills of the Piedmont.  I think it was as we went up the hill past Barolo, where the wine has become even more famous than the town, that Stefano began to fall in love too.

And then just outside Novello we turned down a small lane, winding through the chequered slopes of vineyards, to arrive at The Stra, a small winery which is also an agriturismo.

What is an agriturismo?
It's a particularly Italian concept. In 1985 the government wanted to encourage small scale farmers to stay on the land, so they developed laws to allow them to supplement their incomes by providing holiday accommodation, or to operate small restaurants on their properties. (CLICK HERE)  In the past when we've visited an argriturismo, whether it's been for a meal or an overnight stay, the food and wine has been fantastic as the owners try to serve their own produce.

At The Stra the highlight of our stay was the wine tasting offered by our host, Maresa.  She explained that their vineyard, and winery, has been operated by her husband Roberto's family for over four generations. Although they produce several outstanding red wines, including the famous Barolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, they are proudest of their white wine, Nas-cetta, as these grapes are only grown in this small area around Novello.
To read more about the history of this rare white wine CLICK HERE.

Maresa and Roberto are wonderful hosts.  Not only did we stock the boot of our little Fiat 500 with several boxes of their wine, but we vowed to keep this love story going. 

So in August, we will return to The Stra to spend a week lazing by the pool, strolling through the vines and sampling more of the food and wine from this little corner of the Piedmont.  

That's what happens when you fall in love. You can't stop dreaming of the next time you'll meet. 

Questo è solo l'inizio di questa storia d'amore. Salute!