An Italian Adventure: Discovering the Beauty of Piemonte

This year's trip to Italy was full of ups and downs. I experienced stunning landscapes, savored delicious Italian cuisine, and exceptional hospitality from my best friend and his parents. So what went wrong?

Like most of my trips, this recent adventure was pretty spontaneous. My best friend Samuele, whom I met in Sweden, invited me to visit him in his home country of Italy after he passed his exams at the end of January. Without hesitation, I quickly searched for plane tickets and found one for 40 euros to go and come back.

However, two days before our scheduled departure, I unknowingly ate a portion of undercooked chicken. I found it a bit strange, but my hunger outweighed my apprehension. For the next two days, I felt perfectly fine and assumed there was nothing to worry about.

Everything was going fine until the day of my departure. At the airport, I had a severe stomach ache, which made the entire flight a painful experience.

Samuele was waiting for me at the airport in his Fiat Punto, marking the beginning of our Italian adventure. We spent the first evening in the scenic mountains in Pontechianale, where we experienced the third act of the most improbable vehicles in the snow. Such as the Addams Family living room, a Viking ship, a chicken coop, the Titanic, Noah's Ark, and even a tank.

This was a truly unforgettable experience, although I had not anticipated the relaxed Italian concept of time. The race began two hours later than scheduled, and we were forced to wait outside in -15 degree Celsius weather, all while I was battling a fever. After roughly four hours the race finally ended. It was really a unique concept and the atmosphere was just great.

There was a small party after the race. We stayed a bit and then went to Samuele's family cabin. He was so kind that he let me sleep in the only room with a fireplace. I fell terribly sick that night, I had a high fever and terrible stomach pain. To make it worse, the only toilet was in the garage, which could only be accessed by going outside. It was one of the worst nights of my life.

Despite feeling terrible, I was looking forward to going snowboarding the next day. We didn't have any medicine, and with it being a Sunday in the mountains, everything was closed. We had to drive for at least an hour before we found an open pharmacy.

We continued to Limone which contains more than 80 km of ski slopes. No one will be surprised that I was completely out this day. The day was full of unexpected challenges. As soon as we arrived, we were faced with large crowds and a lack of parking space. To save time, Samuele dropped me off at the rental shop while he went to park the car. As I mentioned I was a bit out, I completely forgot that I needed an ID which of course was in the car. Thus causing further delays. Eventually, we were able to rent the necessary equipment and hit the slopes.

We already lost a lot of time, and I couldn't spend another 40 minutes going to the car to put my shoes there. We decided to take the main cable car from where the slopes start. Samuele told me that I could leave my shoes there and I would take them at the end. I was a little skeptical because they were my only shoes and I bought them a week ago. After leaving the cable car, I was a little relieved when I saw that it was completely normal to leave bags there. After a difficult and long morning, we could finally start. We were enjoying the stunning views from the top of the mountain just before we started to hit the slopes.

It was a bit hard in the beginning since the last time I was on a snowboard was 6 years ago but eventually, it turned out pretty good. Despite earlier difficulties, we had a great day in the Alps. However, in the end, we made the mistake of going to the other side of the mountain, which meant we had to rush back to catch the last lift. Unfortunately, we missed it and we were forced to take a bus from Limonetto. We hurried but the bus left right in front of our eyes. With no other option, we had to wait until the next bus arrived, which meant saying goodbye to my shoes since they were on the other side of the mountain. Eventually, we made it back to the rental shop just in time, but with the shop closing soon, I had to quickly return my equipment barefoot. The staff was surprised to see me without shoes, and they laughed when I told them where they are. Thankfully, they were kind enough to let me wait in the bar upstairs until Samuele returned to pick me up.

The following day, we tried to call the cable car but no one answered. Samuele and I decided to go back to Limone and see if we would have more luck. We went to the local information center and explained the situation. The lady was very nice and contacted the cable car, informing us with a smile that my shoes were there and would be sent down. I was so relieved and happy.

We stopped at a local bakery for breakfast and began brainstorming our next activity over coffee. We ultimately decided to visit the beautiful Italian city of Cuneo, located near the French border.

After walking around the city, we returned to Samuele's hometown of Saluzzo. We had lunch with his parents. During my entire stay, I ate so many different delicious foods that I can't even count them. His father is a publisher and gifted me two books. One about Mont-Viso and the other about the local wine region.

In the afternoon, we explored the region from the book. We visited the ancient Roman city of Pollenzo, where houses have been built on the ancient foundations of the Roman amphitheater.

We continued to La Morra, where we enjoyed a beautiful sunset with the picturesque Mont-Viso in the background.

Last but not least, we visited Barolo, a city where you can find more wine shops than inhabitants. On the way home, we stopped at Italy's most colorful church. A truly unique and original structure.

We spent the night drinking gin and watching How I Met Your Mother.

On the following day of our trip, we had planned to visit Turin, where Samuele is studying. Turin is famous for its magnificent architecture, rich history, and stunning art. We wandered through the narrow streets, admiring the beautiful buildings. We were also joined by our friend Nico, who used to live with us in Sweden.

We stopped at All'Antico Vinaio for the best focaccia I had ever eaten. Later, we visited the Basilica di Superga, a Baroque church built according to the design of Filippo Juvarra on the Superga hill, on the outskirts of Turin. There's an incredible view of the entire city.

We then went back to the city center to explore even more. To learn more about the culture, we headed to the Royal Museum, which only cost us 2 euros for a reduced ticket as we're still young. The museum was larger than we had expected, and we spent almost four hours there.

Our next destination was the Egyptian Museum, which is known for having one of the oldest collections of Ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world. It's also the second-largest Egyptian Museum in the world. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to visit it on this trip, so I will have to come back another time. We took a break and visited Café Al Bicerin, a small café that served amazing Italian hot chocolate. It was also the most expensive hot chocolate I ever had in my life.

Despite having some medical problems in the beginning this was truly an amazing trip. I had a hard time but all the good things outweighed the bad. I finally got to reunite with my old friends and spent time with Samuele's lovely family, their dog, cats, and turtle. I ate amazing dishes, had the best gelato of my life and I had to experience a new incredible culture.

THANK YOU ITALY