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Tuesday, September 24, 2025

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Home in Berbenno! So nice to be back.


Travel Day

Milano to Sondrio to Berbenno di Valtellina

 

It is a slow day. Damilia and I went out for breakfast about 07:00. We went in the direction of the train station and stopped at Miniera d’Oro for breakfast. It was cappuccino and brioche for me, Damilia got a cappuccino, brioche alla crema, and a panini. It was all very good. Even with the panini it still didn’t come to ten euros.

 

We walked back to the apartment to find Mary up and dressed. We packed our things up. Then realizing we still had nearly fours hours before our train to Sondrio departed, we sat and played a couple hands of canasta. Check-out of the apartment was at 11, so we finished packing things up and headed out just before that.

 

We walked to the train station, that took all of fifteen minutes. Fortunately it is a beautiful day, neither too hot nor too cold, and not raining. I had already purchased the tickets on the Trenitalia app, so we didn’t need to stand at the machines and purchase tickets. It was all of 11:30 and now we had a goo hour before our train. We stopped in a bar in the station and had another cappuccino. Mary got a panini for her breakfast.

 

Just before 12 we walked back to the main waiting area. There we waited for them to post the train platform for our train to Sondrio. My guess was track 7, which it turned out to be. We boarded and quickly found seats. There were several tour groups heading to Varenna, probably the most touristy spot on Largo Como, so seats were at a premium.

 

Between Milano and Varenna, which takes just less than an hour, the train was packed! Once we got to Varenna the train nearly emptied out. The poor little train platform in Varenna, actually it is in Perledo but why quibble over names, was completely overwhelmed with people. Thank goodness we weren’t headed here.

 

We moved to the lake side of the train and had beautiful views all the way into Sondrio. It was drizzling lightly when we arrived in Sondrio. Damilia headed to her apartment, and I headed to Avis. It is just over a half mile to Avis, by the time I got there it had stopped drizzling.

 

Renting the car was really easy. I had prebooked it on the Avis app about a month ago. The poor clerk didn’t speak any English, so she had to put up with my Italian. However, we were able to communicate what was needed, I hope. The bottom line is I got a set of keys and a contract. I then drove back to the train station and picked up Mary. Together we headed to Berbenno.

 

Currently they are working on upgrading the tracks and stations between Lecco and Tirano. There were some improvements at the Sondrio station I noticed. However the road leading back to Berbenno, which runs next to the train tracks, is a small two-lane road. Now they managed to build and very nice four land road around Morbegno but once you get past Morbegno it returns to a two-lane road. This causes traffic to be really heavy. The traffic was, as a result, somewhat fierce, but I managed.

 

We then checked into the B&B. Very impressive. The room is huge. The view impeccable. It is nice to be home. Mariagiulia texted us and invited us to dinner. We walked up the hill to their house for dinner. My Italian isn’t even half as good as I would like to think it is. I thought she said she was not home until 18:30, but apparently what she met was we should be there at 18:30 for dinner. She called just before a quarter to 19:00 and asked where we were. We were only about 700 meters down the hill walking towards their house when she called. 700 meters down hill from there house is also about 100 meters below their house.

 

We got there and apparently Alfio had driven down to pick us up at the B&B. He was in the B&B when we walked by. He was talking to Luigi, the owner operator of the B&B. We had walked down to the alimentari to get me a bottle of honey for my many teas. Then we walked past the lattertia, where I learned how to make cheese and butter. Then started the climb up the to Mariagiulia and Alfio’s house.

 

We had a very nice dinner. Soup, sliced meats, cheese, bread, and fruit. It was wonderful. As long as Alfio and Mariagiulia spoke slowly and used little words I understood most of what was going on. Marialisa, Mariagiulia’s mother, will be 90 in November. Her “friend” Bruno had a fall earlier in the year. He has Parkinson’s disease and is currently living at Casa Di Riposo S. Benigno Opera Don L. Guanella here in Berbenno. Remo, Alfio’s father, will be 92 next month.

 

They don’t generally talk about Pina, Marialisa’s sister very much. There has always been something there but I could never figure out what it was. Yes, she lives across the valley from Berbenno but I don’t think that is it. She turned 77 this year. We do have to go over and visit while we are here.

 

 

It was raining fairly hard when we walked back to the B&B. Alfio offered to drive us but us silly Americans wanted to walk. I needed the walk to ensure that I got my 10,000 steps for the day. I did manage it but I only had 10,716 for the day.

 

Ok, buonanotte e caio, Enrico e Maria

 

 Our room in the B&B



The Breakfast room



The view from our room this morning, of which I can not get enough



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