Summer Retreat: Finding Perspective in the Alps

It’s August in Europe, which means just about everyone is on holiday, and most of them are at the beach. When the heat of summer comes like a blast furnace, I prefer to seek the mountains. My happy place in the summer is the Alps. It’s where I gain perspective while finding cooler temperatures.

The mountains open up my thinking and force me to have bigger thoughts, ideas, and awareness. They also allow me to see beyond the city walls of Rome. I can see beyond the confines of my daily life. They show me life from a different perspective.

I decided to escape the August temperatures to find cooler mountain air in the Alps of Italy, Switzerland, and France.

First stop, San Pellegrino Terme

My friend Linda and I met in Milano and began driving north into the Italian Alps. We stayed for a few days in San Pellegrino Terme, famous for its thermal baths and bottled sparkling water.

San Pellegrino Terme is about one hour north of Milano, in the foothills of Lombardia and the Italian Alps. It has an almost ethereal, storybook perfection that one doesn’t see often in Italian mountain towns. You can see and feel the wealth of the city. They have turned their precious liquid resource into a financial boom for the town.

I enjoyed was finding Italians like me, who avoided the beaches and headed to the hills. There were people from all over Northern Italy visiting. I found myself listening to identify the distinct accents of the torinesi, milanesi, and veneziani, and other visitors.

It’s definitely worth a few days’ visit. You can find more about the city of San Pellegrino Terme, here.

After our rest and relaxation in San Pellegrino, we headed to Engelberg, Switzerland. Then, we would finish our journey near Lake Geneva.

Revisiting my mountain companions and my perspective

March 2020, just as the pandemic was beginning, I went to Geneva. I had plans to spend the weekend at the annual Geneva Auto Show. But, with the pandemic spreading, the day I arrived, they announced that the 2020 show was canceled.

I had prepaid for my hotel and train ticket, so I spent my time exploring Geneva and the surrounding region.

As I was preparing for my trip home to Torino, Italy made the decision to close its borders. This, of course, created utter chaos with train travel to and from Italy.

Not being fluent in Italian at that point just gave me another excuse to wait out the immediate news. I couldn’t understand the impact by listening to the news, and the phone lines were impossible to get through. Even though I was anxious, it felt safer to remain in Switzerland until I knew my next move. It also felt more adventurous to seize the opportunity and explore more of Switzerland, where life continued as normal.

I had only packed for a few nights. I bought myself a Swiss Army backpack to make room for a few new pieces of clothing I would need. I found a few shirts, socks, and underwear, which all fit nicely into my new backpack. These additions would be enough to get me by while I toured the city and mountain regions around Lake Geneva.

After I had exhausted my hotel stay in Geneva, I moved on to more affordable accommodations in Montreux, near Lausanne.

I chose that town because I wanted to take a unique train trip. The trip was from Montreux to La Gruyère on the GoldenPass railway.

A very dairy moment in La Gruyère

La Gruyère is famous for its dairy cows and cheese. The fact that fondue was on just about every menu also contributed to my decision to visit.

That day trip to La Gruyère turned out to be the highlight of my stay in Switzerland. It helped me cope with all the uncertainty of that moment. The undeniable beauty of Switzerland, with its stunning landscapes, provided a much-needed perspective, even when the world seemed grim.

These vintage train cars of the GoldenPass railway have expansive windows and glass-paneled ceilings. They whisk you from one amazing view to the next. They climb from the lake shores of Montreux into the snow-capped mountains surrounding La Gruyère.

If you are near Lake Geneva and have a free day to explore, I highly recommend a day trip on the GoldenPass Railway. This is especially enjoyable in the winter when the snow is at its peak.

I spent those days in the Alps. They were the best thing I had done for myself at the time. With all of the uncertainty, the mountains were my companions. They were always around me, giving me perspective and comfort. I was tucked into their valleys, and they protected me from facing much of the reality that was coming.

I wrote a little bit about the experience in this blog post. What came through in my short update was fear and anxiety. Everything was shifting underneath my feet. So much so, I actually titled the blog Remember to Look Up! I was trying to talk myself into being positive at the time.

Surrounded by mountains, I felt safe from whatever was coming.

Fast forward – Same place, different time, different perspective

This time, there wasn’t the anxiety of the unknown. In fact, life was changing again. This time, I had the reins in my hand. This wasn’t an escape from reality but an exploration into something that I had seen before. It was familiar, comfortable, and a reconfirmation that even with surprises, the mountains still stand.

I find that these two trips around Lake Geneva mark turning points in my life. The first one four-years ago that ultimately led me to France. This latest trip starts a new chapter. I am preparing to move to Sanremo in Liguria at the end of 2024.

Something about those mountains assures me that no matter the situation, they are there for me. They have seen an untold number of problems, disasters, and moments of chaos throughout history. Their valleys have nurtured the souls of a million dreamers.

Thank you, mountains, for sharing with me a new perspective with every visit and every chapter.

And finally, an update on the Ligurian move

So many of you reached out to congratulate me. I appreciate your support of my decision to move to Sanremo in the region of Liguria. Thank you for your support and kindness. Rome has been a beautiful gift, but Sanremo will be something altogether different and equally amazing.

Before my trip to Switzerland, I met with the contractor to check on progress. The apartment is coming along well, and the kitchen has been ordered and is being fabricated in Italy. However, August is a month when little gets done outside of necessary services, as most manufacturers close for the month.

The kitchen will be ready towards the end of October, and the apartment will be ready in November. I plan to move at the end of November. My sister will be joining me to celebrate. She will, of course, help me pack and unpack. We’ll have lots of fun setting up my next adventure in Liguria.

Thank you for trekking along with me. I wish you a beautiful finish to your summer, continued joy, and, most importantly, a healthy perspective!