The Enchanted Valley

The Enchanted Valley

2009 was a plentiful year when it came to trips and outings, so we decided to round it off with something magical!

After a good 16 years we return to our enchanted valley, which had made us dream so much, but this time with a special guest: our little mouse.

So I arm myself with patience and start phoning to book the holiday…oh, I forgot, our enchanted valley is the VAL SENALES in Trentino. Sixteen years ago we were young and green and a B&B was more than fine for us; now, as "adults"….ha, ha, ha……we prefer half board! Obviously the first attempts went badly……everything was full until Epiphany, of course, because, if I hadn't already told you, we want to spend New Year's Eve down there. To cut a long story short, I find a room at the Hotel am Fels in Monte Santa Caterina.

Our little mouse already has her head full of stories about that valley, so she's very curious and excited to go.

Departure day is 29 December, and as we get closer to our destination we notice that a fundamental part of the "magic" is missing……the snow. The last time we went, there was already plenty of it in Merano……where has it run off to this year! I'm a bit disappointed, but I trust the weather. When we reach the hotel, the owner reassures us that there's no lack of snow on the slopes…..if anything. We head to our room and unload an enormous amount of suitcases. Yes, because with 4 jumpers the suitcase is full! The hotel on the whole isn't bad; the disappointment was with the dinners….and on New Year's Eve, I'll tell you about that later.

I want to make it clear that we're not a family of skiers……so you'll ask: "what on earth did they go to the mountains for?". Well, don't look at everything so closely! So, to be consistent, where do we decide to go on the first day? Of course, to Merano……to the Thermal Baths……ha ha ha. The place is nice and well organised, but I have to say I've seen better. The changing rooms are shared, so everyone wanders around, they're not very formal about it, while the showers and toilets are separate. To sum up, there's the salt-water pool, the cold pool, the children's pool, the outdoor pool, all with timed bubbles (as my daughter would say). What's more, as a kind concession, there's a super-crowded steam bath and salt-water inhalations available at no extra charge, though I never quite understood what they were or what they were for.

If you want to access the saunas, you have to pay a supplement at the entrance. The baths are crowded, but the little fish had a great time…….her scales were starting to grow! After "soaking" (as we say in Milan) in the pools we took a stroll around the little market……what a marvel, so many things. Being a bit of a glutton, I got myself a skewer of fruit covered in chocolate…….and do you think someone wouldn't copy me? We'll think about the diet when we get back to base.

As I'd warned you, the dinners at the hotel were very sad, probably calibrated for the many German guests……few Trentino specialities……not to be dismissive, but you eat better in hospital! On 31 December we decide to go up to the slopes at Maso Corto……..and there the magic begins…..LOTS of snow and the fairy-tale atmosphere that surrounds these mountains. We decide to rent a sled for our little mouse…….would you believe it? In the end mum and dad had more fun and made a mad racket……..but what an effort, up and down……hurray, that way I burned off the chocolate-covered fruit skewer!

We refuel at the Piccolo Hotel and then decide to take our little mouse to see Lake Resia……moving. We'd ended up there by chance 16 years ago and liked it a lot, so we go back. The problem is we didn't remember exactly where it was; the 16 years that had passed and our age weren't in our favour, and we were about to give up when…….there it is! Lake Resia, before the 1950s, was a village that was sacrificed for the construction of a dam, and its peculiarity is the church bell tower that emerges from the lake. In winter it's very beautiful because the lake freezes and you see this bell tower poking out as if by magic. After a few slips on the way to the lake, we find ourselves on this sheet of ice…..who knows if it'll hold us, and the adrenaline rises.

Of course it's safe, but you never know…… I, just like 16 years ago, made a quick dash…and this time too I got away with it! Today is a grey day and the clouds are very low, the atmosphere is almost surreal, it feels like being in an enchanted forest and the view is breathtaking.

In the evening, mum and dad are exhausted, so we treat ourselves to a relaxing sauna and I must say it worked. So we get ready for the big dinner…….all dressed up, we go down and……..we're faced with a disappointment. Everyone dressed as usual, some who had already started eating……..and this smells a bit off to us. In short, by 10 pm we'd already finished the BIG DINNER, yes, but: "will they have organised some entertainment?" No, they won't……grrrrrrrr. The Germans (there were half a thousand of them) had taken over the tavern, the only place where anything could be organised, and the 4 Italians left holed up in their room. What bad luck! It was too cold to go out, so we didn't have much choice…….

Welcome 2010! So, as the first activity of the year....we go looking for our ancestor on the glacier. For those who don't know, in 1991 the body of a man (Ötzi the Iceman) was found, later discovered to have lived in the Neolithic period. We take the cable car and I can assure you that for me it was almost like giving birth, and we reach an altitude of 3200 m. Myyyy, it's so cold. We looked like 3 madmen, all equipped with snowboards or skis; we were the only ones who were sort of "accidental tourists"! But like true pioneers we don't let the cold intimidate us and we arm ourselves with a camera……I swear it was enough to die laughing, people looked at us as if we were aliens.

I should point out that at 3200 m there's only one structure, a very large one, which serves as hotel, bar, restaurant and of course the ski slopes, so anyone who reaches that altitude, on average (to be generous), is there to ski, not to be an accidental tourist. BUT WHO CARES! What we saw is a spectacle; I felt tiny in front of that view, and I can assure you that given my "height" that's saying something. Anyway, between photos and snowmen, lunchtime arrives and we eat it at the self-service, in front of a unique view….my eyes had their fill! We repeat the adrenaline-inducing route (as far as I'm concerned) and come back down to earth to make…….blue snow angels, HURRAY.

For the last day of our stay in this enchanted valley we decide to take the little fish to an outdoor water park…….nooooo, just kidding, it's all indoors and nice and warm. The Naturno water park is full of children, of course, with a big slide, water jets, a fast-flowing whirlpool to carry you along and a hot tub where parents can relax. Fun guaranteed for kids and adults. This evening, though, we treat ourselves to a typical Trentino dinner and decide to go to the Hotel Oberraindlhof….a fairy tale, in keeping with the place.

Departure day has arrived, and after cramming all the suitcases into the car we set off for cheerful Milan in an endless traffic jam……

Conclusions: the hotel is nice, but the food is mediocre; it's sad to be in Italy and feel like foreigners, but that's the price you pay for these fantastic places.

Val Senales remains our Enchanted Valley; the magic of those places is unique and we relived the same feelings as 16 years ago……or rather, amplified, because with us was the little fairy who was missing the first time!