Zermatt, Switzerland – The Murmelweg – Part Two

Part of the reason for even going to Zermatt has to be the hiking. Not only are the views breathtaking, even on a marginal day, but the air is fresh and clean and very enjoyable. And then there are the mountains, Zermatt has them and much more.

Zermatt

To get anywhere, aside from the town, will require time, energy and a lot of walking. Or, you can purchase tickets to get up the mountains. These can be purchased separately, multi-day pass or the flexi-pass. We found the multi-day pass to be perfect for our needs, since we had no intention of skipping any days (they get a small premium for the flexi-pass, not sure why). The Peak Pass that we purchased, allowed us to travel to all three experiences, the Rothorn (Sunnegga-Blauherd), Gornergrot and the Matterhorn Glacier Experience.

Sunnegga

To get to Sunnegga and Blauherd you can either employ one of the hiking trails or take the cable car up to Sunnegga. From there you can start your hike or take a gondola ride to Blauherd, which gets you closer to the Stellisee, if that is your destination. From there however, you will have to hike.

Matterhorn -Sunnegga – Zermatt, Switzerland

Gondola ride to Blauherd – Zermatt, Switzerland

The gondola ride goes up and down over some very treacherous terrain. So we decided we would take the gondola ride up and hike back down to Sunnegga.

Blauherd – Stellisee

The Stellisee is a good fifteen minute hike from the Blauherd gondola terminal over rather even, if not slightly downward sloping terrain. It is rather easy and should afford most people no difficulties.

Road and hiking trail to Stellisee – Zermatt, Switzerland

Patti ready to hike – Blauherd – Zermatt, Switzerland

Stellisee hiking sign – Zermatt, Switzerland

Patti with Matterhorn backdrop – Zermatt, Switzerland

The Stellisee is a rather barren, pristine alpine lake nestled on the side of the Unterrothorn. Many people will usually hike up to the refuge on the other side, but since the conditions were not ideal, we decided to just take a photograph of it and start our hike back down.

Murmelweg

Named for the eponymous animal that has made the territory it goes through its home, the Murmelweg is a casual, if not easy hiking trail back to Sunnegga. There are a few technical areas, but nothing that most people will find impossible to pass. I would wear hiking boots though, the trail goes over rocky terrain and a good boot will help stabilize your ankles and aid your hike.

Hiking sign back to Sunnegga – Blauherd – Zermatt, Switzerland

Alpine flowers – Blauherd – Zermatt, Switzerland

Taking the Murmelweg to Sunnegga – Zermatt, Switzerland

Trail behind looking towards Blauherd – Zermatt, Switzerland

The below video is a fairly good example of what to expect.

We chose this route over the five lakes trail, which you can actually see as you hike this trail, only because we heard that route was rather boring after about the first two lakes. However, if you have the time and motivation, I would commend it, since it has more elevation changes and a bit more challenging than this trail.

Erick and the Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Trail turns into rocks – Murmelweg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Patti on the Murmelweg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Patti leading the way – Murmelweg – Zermatt, Switzerland

A murmel hole – Murmelweg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Alpine flowers and valley before Matterhorn – Zermatt, Switzerland

Matterhorn and adjacent peaks – looking towards RiffelalpAnimal carvings with little tails – Murmelweg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Animal carvings with little tails – Murmelweg – Zermatt, Switzerland

The area of Findeln and Gornergrat below – MurmelwegAnimal carvings with little tails – Murmelweg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Getting close to trail end – MurmelwegAnimal carvings with little tails – Murmelweg – Zermatt, Switzerland

Our Route – Map

The following reference map details our trail route. The route was a bit over two miles with only a few hundred feet elevation decline and took us about an hour and a half to complete, stopping frequently for photographs.

Blauherd-Stellisee-Murmelweg-Sunnegga Trail – All Trails – Zermatt, Switzerland

Restaurants

Osteria Bella Italia

An Italian restaurant that is part of hotel on the Bahnhofstrasse, the Osteria Bella Italia is what my wife and I call and overpriced, corporate dining establishment serving food they want to be Italian. It’s not bad, but the preparation is what I would say a bit sub-optimal. Then there are the prices. I paid 22CHF for a small bowl of pasta with garlic and oil, totally unheard of in Italy.

Cauliflower soup – Osteria Bella Italia – Zermatt, Switzerland

spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino – Osteria Bella Italia – Zermatt, Switzerland

4 August, 2022

Udine, Italy – Underrated, Unlikely and Urbane

Udine – A City On The Beaten Path

Somewhere in the northeast of Italy, north and east of even Venice, is the small city of Udine. The largest city before you enter Slovenia to the east and Austria to the north. From here you can see the Austrian and Julian Alps.

From Ljubljana we took an Austrian train to Villach and then over to Udine. Along the way were able to enjoy sights of the Julian Alps out our window and just relax.

Ljubljana-Udine_TrainTrip_01

Ljubljana-Udine_TrainTrip_02

Ljubljana-Udine_TrainTrip_03

Probably one of the most underrated and unlikely places we have been this year is Udine. Unlikely, because it is usually not on anyone’s radar, though we met numerous French and German tourists enjoying it. Underrated, because we think it has some things to offer, that others might not find in the exact same way elsewhere.

The people in Udine are very urbane and really enjoy tourist in their small city. They make an extra effort to speak and understand English, where you may not find such proclivities in other Italian cities and towns.

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Udine Castle

Destroyed in the sixteenth century by a violent earthquake, the Udine Castle was rebuilt soon afterwards and stands today housing several museums. It actually sits atop an artificial hill, by all accounts ancient and predating Rome in nature, and is the highest and largest artificial hill in Europe.

The Civic Museum of the Risorgimento

This museum has artifacts from local historic events following the fall of Venice, up to the time of the mid 1800s. Including documents and written accounts of the annexation of Friuli to the Kingdom of Italy in 1866.

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The Archaeological Museum

This museum contains an impressive ancient coin collection and other artifacts from ancient and Roman times. Including amphorae, old oil lamps and other funerary objects. Though a small collection, it was rather interesting to learn where each was found locally and their relative histories.

Udine – Udine Castle Museum – Roman Stones

Udine – Udine Castle Museum – Roman Artifacts

Udine – Udine Castle Museum – Another Exhibit

Gallery of Ancient Art

A gallery of art comprising works of local artists from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Most of the work appear religious in nature. Some of those that caught my eye in particular are the following.

Udine – Udine Castle Museum – Painting – Giuseppe Garibaldi

Udine – Udine Castle Museum – Bronze of Soldiers

Diorama of the Battle of Montebello

Complete with a map showing the order of battle, this diorama clicks all the right boxes for the model builder at heart.

Udine – Udine Castle Museum – Diorama – Order of the Battle of Montebello

The museum has an extraordinary diorama of the Battle of Montebello. For anyone that is or was a model builder, or a warfare historian, one can stand and just marvel at it for some time.

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Churches

There are several noteworthy churches in the area, though we were not actually able to visit all of them inside.

Chapel of Palazzo del Monte di Pietà

A chapel, which has beautiful frescoes and is now actually part of the bank Intesa Sanpaolo, is in the Palazzo del Monte di Pietà. Often walked right by tourists, if they are not paying attention, this chapel is a gem, see for yourself.

Udine – Palazzo del Monte di Pieta – Doorway

Udine – Palazzo del Monte di Pieta – Altar of the Pieta

Udine – Palazzo del Monte di Pieta – Ceiling

Church of Saint Maria di Castello

A church that is at the top of the hill and adjacent to the Castel is the Saint Maria di Castello. Complete with bell tower, a remarkable example

Cathedral Santa Maria Annuziata

The Cathedral of Santa Maria Annuziata is known for its octagonal bell tower. It can be seen from the castle hill, along with the church which is a major landmark in the city. Formerly consecrated as the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore in 1335, it has three naves and chapels along the sides. Since it was not open at the time, we were only able to get some photographs of the outside.

Udine – Cathedral Santa Maria Annunziata

The Corte di Palazzo Morpurgo is also close by the front of the cathedral, so just wandering across the street from the front of the church should bring you there.

Hotels

We chose the Astoria Hotel Italia for its old world charm, eschewing some of the more contemporary offers that were available. When we travel, it’s one of those things that can set off one place from another.

The Astoria Hotel Italia

The hotel Astoria Italia has maintained itself as though it fits into the landscape. It sports new amenities, like contemporary and renovated bathrooms (a must), while keeping some of that old world charm. I disagree with putting contemporary style beds in such old rooms, which they clearly want to preserve, but I am probably in the minority (I rather prefer, if its old keep old, like it came out of the nineteenth century, then you get that step-back-in-time feel).

In any case, our hotel was great and provided a very central place from which to explore the rest of the old city.

Udine – Astoria Hotel – Old Room Keys – The Old Fashioned Way

Restaurants

The restaurants in Udine serve typical northern Italian fare, with some twists for Tyrolean and other close neighbors. It is a fairly cosmopolitan city and one can find Sushi and other worldly franchise food here, so selecting a place to eat should not be an issue.

Ristorante Pizzeria Al Gelso

This restaurant was right around the corner from our hotel, in fact, it is actually adjacent to it (without us knowing). We walked around the corner anyways and entered it from the garden seating direction each time, even though there was a main entrance on the main street. The food is excellent, all with that home-cooked taste, and there’s pizza for those who are unsure what they want, everyone likes pizza!

Ristorante Pizzeria Al Gelso – Spaghetti al Ragu

Ristorante Pizzeria Al Gelso – Caprese Salad

Osteria Alla Ghiacciaia

A lazy and very relaxing restaurant right next to the canal, a perfect place for lunch or dinner.

We really enjoyed our lunch here, watching the darning-needles, or dragon-flies, flit back and forth over the stream. Although this restaurant becomes very busy for lunch, the service was especially good and punctual, so anyone having problems waiting (which is most common in Italy), it might be a place to visit. The food is very good, fresh and delicately spiced. We kept it simple, bean soup for a started, followed by salads, just to keep things a bit light.

Udine – Osteria Alla Ghiacciaia – Bean Soup

Trattoria Antica Maddalena

This trattoria has a bit of an upscale palette, with a menu and prices to match. As our last evening in Udine, we chose it for its high ratings and interesting looking menu. Unfortunately I forgot to take a photograph of the outside of the establishment, but have a few of the upstairs. You may want to book reservations if you want to sit outside, when we arrived the outside and downstairs seating were completely booked. So act early, if you want to enjoy this restaurant and its food with a street view!

Udine – Trattoria Antica Maddalena – Spaghetti with Garlic Cream Sauce, Peppers and Shrimp Tartare

Udine – Trattoria Antica Maddalena – Cheese, Eggplant and Spices Ravioli with Insalata Mista

Udine – Trattoria Antica Maddalena – Chocolate Soufflé with Fruiti Bosco Ice Cream

Udine – Trattoria Antica Maddalena – Pineapple Carpaccio with Crema Ice Cream

Epilog

We leave Udine as the endpoint in our latest trip, which has taken us from one part of Italy – Trieste, through Slovenia and a little bit of Austria, back to Italy and underrated Udine. Though we both ate too much, we really enjoyed this trip and had several surprises along the way, which made it all that more memorable.

So, if you are ever on a train traveling east from Milan, perhaps to Venice, Austria or Slovenia, you may want to stop at Udine to see what it has to offer. We stopped on our way back and were not disappointed, we think you wont be either. Happy travels!

1 July, 2021

Back in Turin

Making Our Way Back

Not to make light of the pandemic, but we have shaken off the disease for now and are finally back in Turin after nine long months of rest and relaxation in North Carolina. Having gotten vaccinated some time ago, we booked a non-Covid flight and hoped for the best.

Our flight was full and everyone thankfully wore masks. It did however leave an hour late, because there are just some people in this world who either cannot read directions, or just live in the own alternative reality. So, it took an hour out our lives so that the crew could find their bags and leave them behind.

So, some advice: If you cannot, or simple do not want to follow directions, please DON’T TRAVEL!

The train from the airport to Milan was about half full and it appeared that things in Italy were getting back to normal.

However, when we reached Milano Centrale, we discovered that this big city still suffers from post-pandemic stress. Just the shear lack of passengers and movement within the train station, was a bit disconcerting.

Where are all the trains and passengers?

But we finally made it back to Turin and found our apartment essentially how we left it. With a little cleaning and adjustments here and there, if anything just to knock out the dust (caused by lack of use), everything was back in good working order.

Turin Restaurants Are Alive And Well

Luckily we found the restaurants, Osterias, Piolas and bars in Turin all open and waiting for business. We wasted no time in sampling what we had missed for the past nine months, finding the food just as appetizing and delicious as when we left.

Ristoranta Sciamadda

A restaurant on our list of places to visit, the Ristorante Sciamadda is a very busy place during lunchtime in Turin.

Erick’s Octopus with Potatoes – Ligurian Style

This restaurant specializes in typical Ligurian Seafood fare and at very reasonable prices. They have a good wine list and sell wines by the glass or bottle that will match nicely with anything you pick from the menu. Appertifs are something different though. If you ask for a Sambuca, you will most likely be politely rebuffed and suggested to try one of the Ligurian Appertifs. I chose the Pernambucco which was chilled and very refreshing. Infused, I can only say that it tastes like a mixture of oranges and lemons and is quite refreshing. So do not be dismayed, though I would not put it in my caffé!

Piola Sabauda Osteria

Kind of a play on words, since Osteria and Piola actually mean the same thing. Piola derived from the local Piedmonte dialect and Osteria a general term used in Italy to define an establishment that has homestyle cooking. This term apparently tacked onto the end of some restaurants to attract non-native Italians and tourists familiar with that term only.

Agnolotti Al Ragu Bianco with Parmesan Cheese

Plin al Sugo D’Arrosto – Another Agnolotti

For lunch, Patti had the Plin al Sugo D’Arosto and I had the Agnolotti al Ragu Bianco. Both were very good, well seasoned and served with a mixed salad provide a sufficient lunch for anyone. We are going to have to stop this, or we are going to put on too much weight..!