In this overprotective world sometimes “throwing caution to the wind” lends itself to the lost art of adventure that is uncommon in the lives of some young children today. The adventure can occasionally have an unfortunate and possibly terrifying ending but most of the time it leads to wild stories, new discoveries and of course racing heartbeats! On a recent family trip to Italy, my 11-year-old son and his 7-year-old cousin had an unexpected adventure that could have been a parents’ worst nightmare but due to a bit of luck and smart thinking, resulted in an important lesson for all.
In the medieval lakeside town of Varenna, high above the shimmering waters of Lake Como, there sits the remains of an ancient Roman fortress called Castello di Vezio. In its modern incarnation, it serves as a breeding, nursing and training center for birds of prey as well as a popular tourist destination for its far-reaching views of the lake and the surrounding peaks. One of the methods of getting there entails a 30 minute hike up a very steep and stoney path that is easily found from the main part of Varenna. The Castello di Vezio is a highly recommended outing; even for our motley crew of kids and adults altogether totaling 11 and ranging in age from 7 to 77. As we began our climb, the youngest two, whom I will call Peter and Jack, were complaining about the heat and steepness as most kids will do. So like any parent searching for a way to put the kibosh on whining, I declared, “whoever makes it to the top first gets a double gelato!” With that, Jack and Peter were off and running as if possessed by some unseen force; little did we know that would be the last time we would see the boys for quite some time. I assumed that they would surely tire as the trail was steep, heavily wooded and they had rather a long way to go until they reached the castle. As the rest of us slowly ascended the devilish trail we passed a tourist couple who were headed back down to town. We inquired if they had seen the two toe-headed boys running ahead and they assured us that indeed they had seen the boys at a spring not far from where we stood. I thought, “well they will be waiting there in the cool shade for certain”…boy was I wrong! As we rounded the corner and arrived at the spring, they were no where in sight. The spring was a large carved stone pool with crisp water coming from deep within the mountain constantly filling it in and spilling over the sides; a welcome respite for all. However, I felt an urgency to keep climbing so that I could find Jack and Peter. Setting out along the moss-covered stones, I came to a fork in the path. The left fork led down another dark and steep trail away from the castle and the right led up into the small medieval village of Vezio that flanked the castle. The two trails were well-marked and I assumed that Jack, my 11-year-old, would be able to read the signs (which were in Italian but had clear pictures) and know to take the right fork to the castle. After navigating through the maze of alleys in Vezio I came to the castle entrance. Not only were the boys not there but no one had seen any sign of them at all. My heart beat quickened as I turned back to tell the others. Quickly, a strategy was made; part of the group would stay at the castle in case they appeared, cell phones turned on, while myself, my husband, my brother and his wife would split up to find the two boys.
The Castello di Vezio is situated on the tip-top of a small mountain surrounded by olive trees. A few trails lead down in different directions and the small village of Vezio borders its walls except where the mountain drops off into a cliff above Varenna. In terms of area to be searched, there wasn’t that much… or so we thought. We began our hunt for Jack and Peter through the narrow stone alleyways of the village, a maze-like setting with low hanging arches and dead ends around every corner. At the one small cafe, everyone stared at us blankly when we inquired in broken Italian if they had seen the two boys. From there, we looked among the gravestones of the ancient graveyard and rambling church that bordered the village…still no sign of them. When it seemed like there was no chance left of finding them we regrouped near the spring, at the last trail junction where they had been spotted. We thought that they wouldn’t possibly have gone down the other side because they knew the castle was on the top of the hill. Nevertheless, my brother began his descent down the other side of the mountain while I contemplated returning to Varenna in case they had somehow found their way home. According to my brother, the other trail led to a waterfall, across a winding mountain road to another village, and an old olive mill. Finally, after what seemed like hours, I could hear a distant cry, “I found them…”. A collective and heavy sigh of relief rang out! When the boys appeared they were hot and sweaty but full of smiles and tales of their amazing adventures. They had mistaken the sign for the olive mill as the Castello di Vezio (even though it led downhill the wrong direction…), they had indeed seen the “awesome” waterfall, crossed a small road and found the mill with brochures to prove it. After realizing they were not at the castle, they had decided to retrace their steps, a wise choice, and that is when Peter’s Dad found them. Much to their credit, at one point Peter had thought they might try splitting up and going different directions to see if they could find us but older cousin Jack kept his cool and said, “Nope, we stick together, I don’t think it is a good idea to split up!” As a parent, it is terrifying when you think your child is lost- especially when in a foreign country. In this instance though, we had luck on our side because it was such a small area, not crowded and quite safe. The end result was learning a lesson about the importance of sticking together and stopping at trail junctions if you aren’t absolutely sure of the way.
After a quick lunch of paninis at the entrance to the castle and lots of Jack and Peter retelling their adventures to their cousins, we all enjoyed a fascinating visit inside the ancient ramparts. Trying on armor, climbing to the top of the tower for the amazing views and checking out the “ghosts” that seemed to be everywhere. As there was no gelato in sight, we opted for returning to Varenna for where we all ordered double gelato at the delectable Gelateria Riva along the banks of Lake Como.
For more information check out the following links:
http://www.castellodivezio.it/
http://www.varennaitaly.com/en/
https://www.facebook.com/Gelateria-Riva-Varenna-197413160296765/
musingsandadventuresblog 