G&G Walton’s Visit–Scenic Views and Castelrotto, Italy

We got ready and packed up, ate at the breakfast buffet at the Edelweiss Lodge and then hit the road.  I started driving but soon my Dad took over.  The drive through Austria and northern Italy was gorgeous.

  Then we stopped and spend a couple hours in Castelrotto… a quaint city nestled high up in the foothills of the Italian Dolomites.

These two are my Dad’s pics…

Grandma and Grandpa in the Piazza Kraus – named for the family who ruled the town 1550 – 1800.

 

Luke stands beside a model of the town’s bell tower…  The freestanding bell tower dominates the town.  it was once attached to a church, which burned in 1753.  Italy is often called “the land of a thousand bell towers”.  The bells of Castelrotto are a big part of the town experience – they ring on the hour throughout the day and night… they mark the hour, summon people to Mass, announce festivals and warm when storms threaten.  I the days when people used to believe that thunder was the devil approaching, the bells called everyone to pray.  Townspeople thought their sound cleared the clouds.  (Information from Rick Steves)

The church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, and the paintings that flank the high altar show how each was martyred (crucifixion and beheading).  The pews and matching confessionals are carved of walnut wood. 

Castelrotto’s fountain dates from 1884.  St. Florian, the protector against fires, keeps an eye on it.

I love European graveyards.  These are beautifully laced with iron and filled in with colorful flowers.

Above right is the Mendel Haus – the wood carvers shop.

It was an overcast day so we didn’t get a great view of the Dolomites reaching high above us but the views as we left the city were just as beautiful as coming in.  On our way to Verona…