weekend retreat...

june and july in torino means hot, humidity, and dramatic thunder storms...perfect excuse to escape to the mountains, breathe some fresh air, bond as one only does when driven to physical exhaustion combined with bunkbed dorms, and hearty mountain cuisine....

rifugio zamboni zappa is located at 2,080 meters at the base of Monte Rosa, the second highest peak in Europe at 4,500 meters. We departed from Pecetto at the early hour of 7am with our group of 10. After a 3 hour drive, we found ourselves in another Pecetto near the border of Switzerland, and got in line for the summer chairlift....didn't know hiking could be this easy!

chairlift takes us to 2,000 meters and a 45 minute hike....

catherine and laurie near our base camp summit with a monte rosa backdrop

my joyful sherpa

descending back to rifugio zamboni after exploring the surrounding glaciers

Turin Dream Race 2007

Pininfarina recently participated in a soap box derby race. The responsiblity fell on Mark and a team of designers to come up with the car from concept to completion. Our dear friend Giovanni, known for his speed and excellence on the Go Kart race track volunteered to be pushed down a 2.8 km winding street that ended climatically in Torino's Piazza Gran Madre. Competition included a fleet of four Ferrari clubs who dedicate a good portion of their lives to this sport, Torino's school of design IED, and 4 others.

Besides the course having it's share of curves and descending from nearly 1,000 feet, the additional fact that it was a paved italian road added another twist. italian's never seemed to have mastered the art of laying asphalt, therefore a newly paved surface becomes a series of potholes and cracks within days. Only to be filled with a cheaper substance which is then washed away with the next rainfall. Through it all, Giovanni persevered and Pininfarina placed 5th overall, but 1st behind the Ferrari clubs.....basically a win in our eyes.

side view taken in parco valentino

some of the competition...

team pininfarina, a good looking group

giovanni mentally prepares for the grand descent...

screaming around the last curve before home stretch....

Golden Girls in Italia.....

for two blissful weeks in june, i had my mother, aunt, and grandma here....

how fortunate i was to share my new life here with 3 generations of family. i caught up with the girls in Siena where we stayed a beautiful Frances Lodge overlooking the ancient city from our restored farmhouse and pool. we passed the days driving through the tuscan countryside, listening to gregorian chants, marveling at Michaelangelo's works in Firenze, drizzling extra virgin olive oil over fresh bruschetta, and tasting fine wines. after a brief stop in le cinque terre, mark and i hosted them in our hometown and showed them the beauty of lesser known northern italy. we spent a weekend in lake como, a day in the alps, an evening in the quadrilatero for torinese aperitivo, a walk through the Savoy's royal estate, and a sip of bicerin.

here's a few highlights...

riding in the mini....
cypress walk...
town of pecorino cheese, picturesque piacenza...
barb swims towards siena...

mom shines among her favorite flowers in Torino....