"No sooner had we arrived in Italy than the loveliness of the earth and the serenity of the sky made the greatest difference in my sensations"
(Percy Bysshe Shelley)
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Trentino
She along with all the rest: canalled Treviso; miraculous Padova; Vicenza, the
city of Palladio are all but handmaidens to Venice, the goddess of melancholy.
To the north where Veneto meets Trentino in the clouds it is possible to resist the lure below.
Here, in the crisp, hale air of the Dolomites, Austria simply melts into Italy.
The sheer power and magnitude of these immense mountains enthrall and invigorate. Ancient
castles keep watch over passes and crossroads, guarding picturebook villages of steeples and
spires. Is it real, this scene seemingly torn from the pages of a child's book? It is, and so
are the countless sweet valleys and tall forests that kneel at the edges of crystal clear lakes.
Trentino is nature's gift to Italy. It is a paradise for walkers, skiers and climbers, and a refuge
from the drone of modern day life. Here heaven and earth have joined with lederhosen and pasta,
grappa and beer and pizza mit würstel. Venice, the queen, is not far, but today, and from here,
she's only a dream.
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