Greetings from Mondovì

On the second-to-last day of 2012 we took a drive to Rocca Ciglie, a little dot on the map we’d never visited before. With its castello, medieval tower, and substantial church, Rocca Ciglie resembles many other hill towns in Piemonte. But its specific charm lies in its location on a ridge between two Alpine ranges, the Alpi Marittime that lie to the south, between us and the Mediterranean, and the Alpi Graie, which form the border between Italy and France to the west, Switzerland and Austria to the north.

We found long views in all directions; a slight haze over the mountains turned everything blue, even the snow cloaking the highest peaks. The day was sunny and warm enough that we loosened coats and scarves and shed our hats while we sat on the porch of a little chapel dedicated to San Bernardo, lunching on cheese and tomatoes. Rose bushes beside of the porch stairs bristled with bright red fruit and a few drooping flowers, dried now along the edges. We walked afterward on trails and farm roads that were by turns muddy, stony, or thick with frosted grass. Breathing the scents of earth and manure, squinting against the sun, it was a good day to be alive.

The year 2012 was one of upheaval and loss and seemingly endless transition. It was also a year of exploration and discovery, liberation and possibility; the year we rode the roller coaster together (literally, in the park at Borjomi Springs, on the first day of our journey from Georgia to Italy) and walked away laughing and gasping at our own daring. We began the year in Tbilisi, celebrating at home with new friends, and we finished the year in much the same way–eating, talking, enjoying new friends–this time in Mondovi. We’re down off the roller coaster for the moment; moving on together, laughing every day and curious to see what the new year will bring. Happy New Year.