Hello and buongiorno, it’s time to explore another one of Piemonte’s secrets; and this one is extra special because it was the one that introduced me to the Piemonte region in the first place.
It’s called Limone, a town often referred to as The Queen of the Maritime Alps. There are two Limone’s, one near Lake Garda and this one, located on the border to France.
Storytelling has become massively popular. The personal memoir has become a massively populare genre – businessese must have a story to tell, even my pool can tell a story.
Showing the cycles of seasonal life, the pool has its own arc; a lovely morning opens the day, full of bright Italian sun, then a dramatic evening finishes it off. Autumn rolls in along with the moody fog that helps make Piemontese wine so fine, then its time to cover it up as outdoor pursuits shut down and winter dictates its time to start an indoor lifestyle all over again.
But why has storytelling become so compelling on platforms like say, Instagram? Perhaps it’s because there doesn’t appear one truth anymore -instead, there are so many; everyone seems to have their own film playing out in their head.
I remember when we used to think one mainstream culture ruled us all and yet what are we but an ever expanding group of sub groups. Exapnding in the mind, through our machines, it’s all a trip and an odyssey for many, including me.
Let’s take a drive from Lake Garda to Lignano Sabbiadoro, located next to Venice.
it’s time for the beach, and the sweet smell of pine and colorful umbrellas that go on forever…
What wtih Venice flooding and Florence suffering under the weight of tourism – let’s visit some of Italy’s best kept secrets.
Here’s Lake Garda, located between Breschia and Verona, between Venice and Milan…
Hello and buongiorno, are you ready for your Daily Bailey Alexander? I hope so, there’s so little time and so many stories to share, like the time I stood in line for 12 hours to see John Paul II lying in State. I wasn’t even religious, but this was one of the most popular and beloved Popes, history’s most well traveled and first non-Italian to hold the title of Bishop since the 16th century.
The year was 2005 and I’d been living in Rome for a couple of years, in Trastevere, just minutes from the epicenter…
Excerpt from the video: The Slow Food Movement has become a world wide phenomenon yet it began here in Piemonte, where they take it so seriously you can attend a University for the gastronomic Sciences in the town of Bra, where the movement was born. This is where their headquarters remain, where they create international research and education for those working on renewing farming methods, protecting biodiversity and building an organic relationship between gastronomy and agricultural science.
Excerpt from the video: It’s November 1st, All Saint’s Day and soon to be All soul’s Day; let’s take a tour of the cemeteries of Europe and spend some time at Steglieno, in Genoa, the largest open air museum and monumental cemetery in Europe, perhaps the most gorgeous of them all. Achingly beautiful, haunting, magical statues that wind along avenues for days…it’s time to visit cemeteries, it’s time to meditate on the cycles of life and death
Excerpt from the video: Piemonte has so many seasons, far more than just 4. There’s a season for cutting the wood and carving large pencils for the vineyards, planting saffron and artichokes, a season for planting my roses, pruning them, picking them, a season for nature walks with Anna Fila Robattino, famous for knowing everything about herbs. Then a season for planting my own in my backyard.
There’s a season for swimming laps and taking advantage of the hot Italian sun, then the weather cools down, for hunting truffles and wild boar, then it’s time to harvest the grapes, or what the Italians call the vendemmia, then the time arrives for white pigeons to visit with cryptic messages, or vigilantes to bravely take away the odd hornet nest, but winter truly takes place when it’s time to uncover a live tree for Christmas, then hang the noodle angels, and white lights, before replanting the live tree back outside…
Excerpt from the video: “Why did I end up in Piemonte?” Well, when Gore Vidal was asked ‘Why Rome?’ He thought Howard Hughes had it right, “How did a long nailed recluse end up in a sealed hotel room?” Hughes simply replied, “I just sort of drifted into it. “
Here’s what I do know, Piemonte is a magical place; it even has its own magical valley called Val di Susa near the gorgeous city of Turin, Italy’s former capital, known for its famous black and white magic. In Val di Susa you’ll find Sacra di San Michele with its spectacular views, flying buttresses and dramatic stairs,.
Mysteriously, or magically, you’ll also find a straight line in between Ireland and Israel uniting the seven monasteries relating to Archangel St. Michael. Seven sanctuaries, so far apart, yet perfectly aligned.
Hello and buongiorno, my name is Bailey Alexander and I am here to entertain you with videos, photos and my book called “A Dilettante’s Odyssey” coming out this year.
Enjoy….
