Waking up this morning, I started to notice an unwelcome soreness growing in my throat that I tried to put off to the smog and air pollution in the city. Today (Friday) I realize that it’s the full blown sickness that I was hoping to have avoided. I took my time getting started and had been planning to switch hotels to a place (Hotel Paradiso) that was much more convenient, comfortable, had internet access and cost the same price. The other part of my plan for the day was to catch a train that would take me to the outskirts of the city so that I could explore the surrounding countryside and see what I might find in the realm of coppice and pollarding.
I arrived at the new hotel fairly early - around 9:30 or so - but to my surprise they let me check right into my room which made life infinitely more convenient than I had anticipated. Once I was checked in, I headed over to the train station, picked a semi-random destination and caught a train bound in that direction (southwest).
But before setting off (the train left from another station in the southern reaches of Milan), I strolled around the streets of this new (to me) district that appeared to be much more working class and down to earth. It still featured similar architecture but without the same caliber of commercial development. I did a small loop and eventually discovered a series of canals spread throughout the area. It was truly enchanting and again reminded me of the charming character of Europe that I think I’ve been missing in the center of Milan. I only had a half hour or so to explore before my train was bound to believe but I definitely made the most of it.
One thing I hadn’t anticipated in my planning is that this country is far more developed than much of the states and trains generally don’t stop to drop people off in the middle of nowhere - they drop people off where people are. So what this meant is that my destination was actually a city that was likely twice the size of Burlington Vermont where I live. It proved to be an incredible destination - it was an ancient city with a central piazza that dated back to the 15th century, surrounded by a castle, mall and arcade (not the type of mall and arcade that we have in the states - an arcade being an outdoor covered walking space adjacent to building facades).
I strolled around the city, trying to intuitively find the quickest route out but it took some time for me to find it. Eventually I was getting closer and stopped at a pizzeria along the way for a late lunch. I’ve come to learn that my schedule does not mesh well with that of the Italians. They seem to close things for a couple of hours midday either during lunchtime (for banks and other official business) or between the lunch and dinner hours which is when I’m often just finally getting around to eating. So what it means is that I had to settle for pizza for the 10th or so time in the 4 days I’ve been here. Life could certainly be worse. I ordered a half liter of the house red wine as well and it seemed a little off (vinegary) but I did what I could to enjoy it.
With a full stomach, I set back off heading southwest - at least I assumed. I wasn’t sure if I would walk for a few hours and then double back or try to walk to the next train stop. I didn’t have a good map with me so I really wasn’t sure. I did notice that the train tracks started running parallel to the road I was on after a half hour or so so I knew that I’d catch up with a stop at some point though I wasn’t sure how much time/distance that might take.
I wish I could say the walk was productive but for all the energy I invested, it really wasn’t. I probably walked at least 5 miles - the second half of it along a much busier road than I would’ve liked to have been on - and really only got a few distant glimpses of any pollards along the way. As has come to be the norm, I saw numerous black locust stands and also passed by several fairly mature poplar plantations (8-10” diameter dbh) but nothing worth writing about.
I knew I had reached a point where I should decide whether to turn around or not and I was hoping to come onto some sort of sign that might let me know what to do. Seeing as how the countryside was fairly non-desrcript along the road I’d just walked, the thought of turning back and walking it again was pretty unappealing. Just then I came to a hotel along the roadside and asked the friendly proprietor how far it was to the next train stop. He said 3 kilometers so I eagerly pushed on.
I almost missed the train stop - in fact I would’ve had I not been paying pretty close attention. It was not in a town center but tucked away off the main road, only visible from the overpass I had nearly crossed. I knew the train was on an hourly schedule and figured that I was pretty close to catching the service for that particular. It was hot and I was pretty dehydrated and I definitely was not into the thought of passing another hour at this isolated stop so I high tailed it over to the station and within 2 minutes the train arrived.
I felt pretty exhausted on the trip back and more or less headed straight home. After unwinding for a bit and trying to rehydrate, I got on-line and made a bunch of phone calls to try to make plans for this Sunday’s fruit tree giveaway. It was wonderful to hear from friends that I haven’t seen for a month and left me feeling eager to return home. Around 10 or so I set out in search of dinner and ended up choosing a place just up the street. They had a beautiful wood fired over that was cylindrical in shape and tiled on the exterior. I ordered a salad (the first raw green stuff I’ve eaten in what feels like weeks) and gnocchi which was excellent. The rest of the night I unwound in my room and caught up on writing.
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