Thursday September22
Today’s main attraction was the funivia ride to the top of Mont Blanc from Courmayeur. If you have the time and you want to do so, you can cable right up over the summit and into France (don’t forget your passport). We only wanted to go to the top and see the views over the valley. We succeeded in going to the top, but views over the valley were spoiled by a fog that wouldn’t lift. We tried to wait it out, but after an hour at the top nothing had changed. An interesting side note is that they were doing a photo shoot for some new Danish clothing company at the top. We started talking with the models (men unfortunately) and had a very interesting conversation. Then yesterday morning we saw the guy on an Italian toothpaste commercial.
In what ended up being a very strange maneuver we headed back down to Asti, a town south of the Torino. Because the distance between the two places is so much we made it just in time to check into our agriturismo, and not to explore the area. In fact it was so late that the restaurant at the agri was already closed. But they insisted on making us dinner just the same. What a privilege it was! Other than the strange ambiance of being completely alone in this huge restaurant, save for the lady who reappeared every once in a while with more food. It started with a cold meat tray, and bread. Followed by a ravioli stuffed with something that neither of us could place, but that was supremely delicious. You know that whatever it was came from the ground not too much earlier. The main course was Veal Milanese, with a side of peas that came from the neighboring farm. The Milanese was delicious, but the peas were incredible. The best I’ve ever tasted. To accompany dinner was a bottle of Barbera (Bar-bay-rah) from there very own winery. Desert was a perfectly sweet lemon sorbet, and a bottle of Moscato desert wine. I’m not a wine fan, but this was great. They had just finished picking this year’s Moscato grapes the day before we arrived. And to top it all off a nice little aperitif called Grappa. Grappa might as well be the Italian word for Kerosene! I thought I was going to die, it is almost tasteless at first, then you feel a swelling in your throat, and the bottom of your tongue feels like it is losing sensation, then it’s in your stomach, and then... it’s time for bed!