Urban exploration: Codigoro
I was in Verona for Marmomacc on Friday and, as usual, I had planned to prolong my stay in the area, only this time my excitement was spoilt by two negative thoughts. This first had to do with a relative's state of health, which kept my mind uneasy as long as I was away from home. The second was the sinking feeling that this edition of Marmomacc would be the last I was attending because of a change of policy at work. I could always console myself thinking I could take a trip to where and when I decided, but somehow this was the end of an era. This tradition of mine dated back to quite a long time ago and it was doomed to end miserably.
In the last couple of months I have made two experiments of urban exploration. The first time the idea was triggered by the description I read of a theatre show centred on the abandoned lunatic asylum of Mombello. The short introductory text was enough to make one's hair stand on end, and to whet my appetite. That's why I proposed the plan to a friend who's a keen photographer, and on a Sunday morning we were out on the errand. The place was easy to find and I was surprised that we had not a fence to climb over, but an open gate because on the same grounds there are units such as a high school, an orthodox church and a residential community, all alive and well.
The top of Mount St Primo offered a magnificent sweeping view over Lake Como and the highest Alps, a combination of snow-speckled mountains and blue waters in the frame of early summer greenery. The temperature was responsible for some mist in the distance, but both branches of Lake Como were visible from the highest summit in the Larian Triangle, so called because this mountainous area is encompassed in the upside-down Y shape of my favourite lake.
My visit to Vinitaly took me to South Tyrol as an extra weekend trip this year. The choice was dictated by chance because I found a convenient car-sharing ride to Bozen. I therefore set Udine aside, and a related logistical nightmare, promising myself I'd visit another time to mark the 100th anniversary of WW1 in the relevant places.