Whether you like him or not, when a person like Hemingway says “it is the most beautiful valley in the world” you have to check it out. And so we did. After visiting my friend in Turro we headed to celebrate Easter in the Trebbia Valley, which was only a 45 minute drive.
Around Milan there is honestly not much to see. The landscape is flat and filled with industry. But then, less than an hour below Piacenza there is suddenly this green lush valley through which the Trebbia flows. A beautiful valley which separates the flat landscape surrounding Milan from the sea.
Corona free Bobbio
The first stop on our trip to our stay for the night is Bobbio. Bobbio is just a small town at the beginning of the valley. The main attraction is the Roman bridge, Ponte Gobbo or Ponte del Diavolo, built entirely of stone from Roman times, which connects the village to the other side of the river.
We didn’t spend much time here but we did walk around, had a coffee, visited the market and were surprised by the amount of people on the street. If it weren’t for the face masks – which you have to wear everywhere in Italy – you wouldn’t know there was a pandemic.
Easter in Italy during Covid-19 regulations
The pandemic is something different here in Italy, and especially in this region. This is actually the area (Piacenza) that was hit the hardest last year. Many people died and even more got ill. But, also here people get tired of the restrictions, people want to move on. Nevertheless, the government has learned from last year. This year there will be no Easter celebrations, travelling to other municipalities is forbidden and only two people can come to visit.
Which means, we were also forbidden to drive to another municipality. Thus, we decided to explore the region and see for ourselves if Hemingway was right.
The artist village Brugnello
As soon as we left Bobbio the road went up and around the mountains, deep down the Trebbia River was visible. We had lunch at a very nice picnic place but when police told us we weren’t allowed to stay here we moved on to find another spot. And we are very thankful for the police to urge us to find another stay for the night because this way we ended up in Brugnello. The cute and beautiful little village on top of a cliff overlooking the river whirling through the mountains like a snake.
Brugnello is also known as ‘artist village’. It’s a tiny cluster of stone houses and perched on top of a 464-meter rocky spur jutting above the river. The origins of this villages dates back to 560 A.D. someone tries to tell us in his best English mixed with Italian words. The village is inhabited by artists who are restoring the houses and streets, hand-carving each home’s shutters and using local stone to decorate the lanes and make chairs and benches. Thus, artist village. “It looks good but we are not done yet” the owner of the only restaurant in the village tells us. Normally the area is packed with tourists from Milan, now the streets are empty. And so is the parking lot.
We asked the villagers if we can stay there for the night and they give permission. Well, who would say no to such a cute van! A parking lot sounds a bit boring but this one is actually amazing. It’s the parking lot of the hotel and has a magnificent view not only on the village but also on the river down below and the green all around us makes this the perfect Easter hide-out.
After a couple of nights spending at this beautiful village it’s time to hit the road again. We are on our way to Venice and before we reach the amazing city of canals, gondolas and bridges we will check out a very famous balcony. Can you guess which one?
Love, Milene & Yuri
