Paradise found
In Italy
Worth a kings ransome
The Kings hunting ground
Gifted to the people in 1922
Italy’s oldest national park
Nestled at the end of the Conge Valley
Paradise found
In Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost he regrets the loss of innocence and in some ways the loss of beauty to sin and greed.
Gran Paridiso is the opposite to that natural beauty returned to the people.
Its the big daddy of the Alps
Stelvio
2760 metres high
From Lake Como four passes to reach the top
Maloja pass through to Saint Moritz
Then climb the Ofen Pass
And onto Santa Maria at the foot of Stelvio
Then the climb on the Umblia pass
Bikes and cars making the climb
Higher and higher
Till the top
Looking down the valley
Across at the glacier
Standing atop the Stelvio Pass
The brochure called it the lake of dreams.
But it’s a lake of life and vitality.
From the tourist towns like Bellagio
The narrow streets of the villages full of smells of fine food, chatter and laughter
And beautiful villages that held forged dreams that became Italian classics.
Like Carlo Guzzi’s dream for an industry for his village
So if Lake Como is a village of dreams it’s also the essence of Italian love and lust for live, beauty and exuberance.
The piecemealadventurer Mandello de Lario where dreams do come true.
The Alps are a beautiful but precipitous place.
The mudslide is a reminder of the both the beauty and power of nature.
It takes my thoughts drift back to the indigenous Australians and their relationship to land.
No deity in the heavens it’s is the land that nurtures and provides. It’s the land that has wrath.
So as I sit in the Vezere a place where humanity survived the ice age. I can reflect on the power of nature.
Humanity may try to destroy itself through nuclear war or climate change or our greed and averice nature will continue.
My heart goes out to those who lost lives and property in the beautiful Swiss Italian border country.
I want to thank the countries of Europe for boring tunnels and building motorways so there is less traffic on the beautiful mountain passes.
Riding the passes of Austria, Switzerland, and Italy to Lake Como was sublime.
Emerging from a congested Fern Pass and then onto Reschen Pass the traffic eased, the pace quickened and the dance of a motorbike carving the curves of a mountain road took form.
The Reschen Pass links straight to the bottom pass of the Stelvio. On a run through to Bormio.
The Umbrail Pass is just below Stelvio and with the weather closing in Stelvio was for another day.
With Bormio the objective before too much rain fell.
From Bormio to Lake Como there is a tunnel or Passo Gavia. One on the highest roads in the Alps.
The last miles to Lake Como is small villages that link together as one and tunnels. Pushing hard to get to the booked room before dark. The GPS suddenly announced that in 500 metres I would reach my destination. In the middle of the tunnel! I was 100 or so metres below there I was to stay. A lesson in making sure I enter a detailed and accurate address lol.
