Sacra di San Michele

I don't know about you.  I do like museums...  But day after day after day of museums is not me--I get full and need to digest it.  And, if it is meant to be vacation, I also like to be outside.  So, Russ and I started looking for something to do near Torino that would not be a museum...  A lake? Walk on the Alps? Hike?  The girls at the front desk of the hotel were useless with no suggestions for us.  So, thank God for the web and for being able to search.

Result: we visited the Sacra di San Michele.  We took the train to S. Ambroglio (we love the Eurailpass) and then hiked up to the monastery.  I mean: UP!

 So, here is the map--see all the various trails up there?  We went on the one in white, to the left of the mountain.  It was less than 1 mile, it said, but what a mile...  The shortest way up was also the most steep, right?  Yes, right.

The guy at the bar said 1 hour, his friend said one could do it in 40 minutes.  The lady who saw us getting started asked if we had water with us and said 2 hours.  It took us 1.5 hrs to do this mile!!

We started by this church...   Then you have the church from about half the way and then from up there.

Did I say UP?

But, the place was awesome.  Some parts built as early as the 300s, columns from the 900s, tombs from the 1400, afrescos from the 1500s, all the way to new glass walls and stairways.  Fantastic!

I am convinced, M. C. Escher visited this place!

Overall, a great day with the family!  We took 45 min to get back down, caught the train back, and were completely exhausted! So, nothing like a great dinner to finish a great day.