Torre Pellice: 3rd Times a Charm

    After not seeing the Matterhorn, it was time to head south towards familiar countryside; Italy. On our way there we passed through a narrow ravine which was overflowing with spring run off. Thousands of waterfalls cascaded down the slate walls and into the river below. 

   I had tried to warn my parents of what to expect when we got into Italy because I knew it would be just as much of a shock to them as it had been for me when I first visited. Even so, they were still astounded by the immediate change we experienced as soon as we crossed the border. The pristine nature of Switzerland faded in seconds, replaced by a rugged canyon landscape, overgrown forests, old towns, and rough roads. 

   Now, I would like to make it clear. I don't necessarily have anything against Italy, especially not after visiting three times. I just like to emphasize what a dramatic change one experiences when leaving the north of Europe and heading south or east. When I talk about my trip to Greece, you'll understand that this switch does not always equal "worse", just different. 

   The reason we decided to go to Italy was becase ever since I was a little girl, my dad has loved a book called "Rora." The book focuses on the historical figure Joshua Gianavello, a follower of Christ and a courageous leader of the Waldensian people. (See my first post on Italy for context on the Waldensians). He has been one of my dad's personal heroes for many years. So, when my parents decided to come visit me, I told my mom that I really wanted to try and come to the Waldensian Valleys with papa, because I knew how much it would mean to him. Together, we found a route that would take us to Italy. If you hadn't noticed yet, the route we took through Europe was one giant circle. North to Germany, west to France and Switzerland, south to Italy, and soon we would head back up north to Austria. 

   I had already been to the Waldensian Valleys, so I reached out to the guide who had given me a tour in October, and we set up a couple of days to tour the valleys. I think that it was even more meaningful to tour the valleys this time because I knew it was meaningful to my dad. We also had a lot more time, so our tour guide, Max, was able to go into more depth about the history of the area. 

    If you haven't been to this part of Italy before (which I assume most of you have not), I should explain to you that the people here are hearty and tough and they built their villages on the slopes of very dramatic valley landscapes. The villages are huddles of stone roofed buildings that cling to a slope so steep, that if it happens to be raining, you're liable to slip back down to the bottom of the valley when trying to walk from your garden to your front door. The roads here are steep, narrow, and full of sharp curves. My mom absolutely hated driving here. Our bed & breakfast was located at the top of a mountain in the Rora Valley and when we arrived the sky was dark, rain was pouring, and thunder was booming through the valley. We were tired and a bit shaken up from our journey. 

  Thankfully, the owner of the bread & breakfast had lit a fire, so we warmed up and cuddled with her sweet cat. One of the best things about Europe is the cats. 

   The next day we met up with Max and headed to our first destination, the cliff where the Waldensian people were massacred by the Roman Catholic Church. When we got to the top it was a sobering experience, and a wonderful opportunity to ponder and discuss the persecution of the Christian faith in the past, and how we, like the Waldensians, can live for Jesus today. 

Like I said, the mountains here are very dramatic and steep.

Made a friend. This one didn't bite me.

Max's son, Joel, wanted to help give us a tour. Since I had already seen everything, 

I kept him busy and we became good friends. He was a cutie, and quite 

knowledgeable about Waldensian history. (Sorry for the bad picture.)

Thanks to Max, we finally got some pictures as a family. 

Hiking to a fortress where the Waldensians were besieged after 

attempting to return home to Italy after their exile. 

The College of the Barbs

The Waldensian cave church. 

Me and my mom had a lot of fun looking for pottery while we walked around.

I was way better at spotting it then her, which made her angry. :)

For lunches, we had a typical Logan vacation meal. 

Chickpea's from a can, olives, avocado's and crackers.

   We hiked past this really cool abandoned homestead. There were wild goats living inside, and when I approached the ran out of every entrance into the old buildings, and scared me half to death. To be fair, I probably scared them too. A tree was growing up through the middle of one of the houses, so they must have been pretty old. I found a pitchfork inside too. This wasn't the only abandoned house we found. There was also one on the first hike we took, and I found an old shoe inside that one. 

  In the evenings, we ate in Torre Pellice. The first night we got pizza and it was delicious! Now, I have to make something very clear. People who come back from Italy and claim that they can no longer eat pizza in the USA because it "just isn't as good," are lying to you. Because there is no way to even compare Italian pizza with American pizza. They don't taste anything alike. Italian crust is thin and crispy, there is more cheese then sauce, its more salty then sweet, and extraordinarily greasy (especially in Naples). It's delicious yes, but in a completely different way than American pizza, and when I got back to the USA, I was delighted to have a good old, marinara covered, soft crusted, dominoes pizza. 

  The next night we got Italian Gelato and ate it on a bench outside the shop. So, my third sojourn into Italy was looking to be a success. Next time I go to Italy, I really need to try going somewhere I haven't already been.