Day 8 - 05.19.11: Bellinzona and Monte Generoso
Castelgrande (Castle Grande) in Bellinzona
In the morning, everyone took the train to Bellinzona to see the Castelgrande, one of three castles in the town. Romans first built a fortress there in the first century A.D., and during the Middle Ages, the string of castles and fortifications were built to protect northern Italy from invasion. It was a very beautiful morning, and the weather was perfect. We explored almost every inch of the castle, from the top of the tower, to the underground passages beneath it. It was fascinating to stand in the middle of this amazing structure and realize how much history took place right here in this very spot over many centuries.
View of Bellinzona from Castelgrande
Ramparts of Castelgrande
View of other two castles from Castelgrande
Castelgrande
View from Monte Generoso
On top of Monte Generoso
After a good morning, we headed back to the villa to get our packed lunches and set off to climb the Alps. A cogwheel train took us to the last stop near the top of Monte Generoso, and we walked the rest of the way up. We ate our bag lunches on the side of the mountain. The view was amazing. When I finally got to the top, I could see farther than the horizon. It almost felt like I was flying. Then everyone decided to climb to the other peak next to ours. After walking to the other peak and back, we headed down to the train station. A few people wanted to walk to the next stop. I thought that sounded fun, so I went with the walkers. We made it to the next stop with plenty of time to spare. At the stop, there were swings and other playground equipment there for little children. I love swings, so I made a mad dash for one. Then we took the train down. I didn’t realize how sunburned I was until after I got back to the villa! That night I went to Lugano with Megan, Maria, Hannah and others. Because it was so late, almost everything was closed, but we did manage to get some gelato. We then met up with another group of students who also went to Lugano. Eric and David were in the middle of a game of chess on a huge board. After sitting around and talking for a while, I headed back to the villa and skyped my parents before going to bed. It was nice to be able to talk to them after being gone for a week.
