Northern Italy

 We made a little trip to Northern Italy. The first city we toured was Genoa. While there we walked around a bit. It was interesting to see how the streets and shops are very different from those in Siena; even the accent is quite different. We met up with another BYU professor who had served his mission in this area. He took us around the area and told us some of our church's history in Italy; which really isn't much but a bit. We saw Genoa's beautiful cathedral where Lorenzo Snow first came when he was called to serve in Italy. As we were walking down the street he would point out these buildings that were palaces. They were gigantic and stunning. 

Wives are really good camera stands.

The entry way of a castle

 After we had our fill of Genoa we headed off to a little area called Piede Monte; which translates to foot of the mountain. It is quite literally right at the base of the mountain. The air was fresh and quite brisk. It was refreshing to be in a different atmosphere. Back to the church history lesson: The mountain peak you can see in the picture below is called Mount Brigham. Lorenzo and fellow missionaries dedicated Italy to missionary work in 1850 here.

The darling hotel we stayed in while in Piede Monte

 The next day we went on a tour to learn more about the area and it's history. It was first settled by the Waldesians. They are a religious group that fled for protection. We hiked high into the mountains and saw little villages and old schools. It was a chilly day but very beautiful!

This is our group when an attractive Italian man is our tour guide. funny.

 We ended our tour in Turin. This is the Basilica di Superga in Torino. It is absolutely amazing and because it is on a hill there is a spectacular 360 view of Torino. There is also a monastery in the basement; which we stayed in over night! The whole place was unlocked and just begging to be explored! It is a museum/church/monastery/everything cool and desirable to explore late at night.

Meredith quite often stands in first position and this particular day was teaching the group about first position. This adorable Italian woman was behind us watching and imitating Mere. Once we noticed her she busted out spontaneously dancing! Obviously I loved her and had to photograph the moment!

We slept in cubicles.

 

sneaking around. avoiding monks. scaring friends. such a thrill.