Tuesday, 7 November (Day Fifty-one)
This morning we woke to what promised to be a clearer day. The Alps and hill at Superga seemed sharper and we talked about how we could get up to the Basilica finally. There are a couple of bus routes that take you to the Sassi Superga Tranvia, described as a narrow gauge railway that climbs the side of the hill.
So after a hearty breakfast of leftover matzo ball soup, off we go, me with my foot newly strapped and looking a bit grey today.
We take the number 3 tram and then get off to explore a bit. The view from the bridge over the Po is beautiful
As we get to Sassi, the promise is holding up. The Alps look clear! We had no idea at this point how the view would improve.
The Sassi Superga Tranvia terminal is pretty. It’s also very quiet so we begin to supect that there is no transport up the hill. I go into the bar and am told that there is but not until 2pm. We had hoped to catch the noon train but had arrived three minutes late. We’d expected to wait around till 1pm and we still have to but for a bus. It’s a bit disappointing and Krish suggests we abandon it but I know it’s going to start raining again Wednesday and everything looks so clear that I say let’s go for it. So we do.
It takes an hour and twenty minutes to climb up to the Superga. The bus does it in twelve minutes. It’s a fairly winding and steep climb. Part way up a hiker sticks his hand out and the bus stops and lets him in. He seems relieved. When the bus stops he asks, can I buy my ticket and the driver tells him cheerfully that it’s OK, no problem. Good vibes!
On the way up we start to see a bit more of the Alps and I’m astounded. It’s hard to focus but it looks exciting. By the time we reach the top, all is revealed. I can tell we are both delighted and stunned by the view up here. The Alps stretch before us for miles. I’m not a big fan of nature and scenery and neither is Krish. Neither one of us were awestruck by the Grand Canyon! But this time we are in awe. It’s majestic, beautiful, and I feel peaceful, spiritual, grounded.
A picture in this case is definitely worth a thousand, or a million, words. So here it is.
Oh yes, and there’s the Basilica at Superga! (It seriously is an afterthought.)
…which turns out to be closed until three. This is amusing and annoying at once. The church doors are firmly shut but so is the museum that houses the Savoy royal family tombs. I would have liked to have seen those. And so too is the restaurant and the toilets. Oops.
It’s lovely up here. The smell of damp autumn leaves is gorgeous too. We wander around a bit, knowing that the bus and train down again are not for a while. We discuss finding the train station but not sure where it is or if we will again find it not operating. We do know there’ll be a bus so opt for that. However, it seems we have at least half an hour to wait. We start to wander off again and I spend a euro to look through the telescope. Then, just as we think about heading for the train station to use a toilet we see the bus coming up the hill and we scramble to get on it.
We are a small group on there. Three Italian school children in their teens, and a mum and dad and their small son. We set off down the hill, the bus driver chatting to the students. I get the feeling they know each other. We’re not heading straight down the way we came – but down the other side, letting the students off one by one along the way. It’s like a hillside village, with a few small apartments but mostly single homes and some quite magnificent. It reminds me of the hills in Orange County. What must it be like to live up here?
A local man gets on and it’s heartwarming to see that even he is happy to see the mountains. He chats to the driver and I think I hear the word spectacular once or twice. The man crosses the bus with his phone to take a photo or two. Lovely that he likes the view enough to want to photograph it for what might be hundredth time. I don’t blame him.
And the driver drives the whole way, chatting and laughing and there are times I wonder how he does it. Italians talk with their hands, even while driving.
At the bottom we find the bus towards home. We’re kind of sorry to leave but I have to get back and it’s chilly and damp.
At home we have a pizza slice snack, and later leftover pasta with nut sauce. And I finish watching Mindhunter – a really good series!