Bob & Camille head up the Collina d’Oro to see some of the old haunts – June 12, 2014
TO MONTAGNOLA AND THE BENCH
Montagnola is a village just up the Collina d’Oro (gold hill) from TASIS. It’s where, as students, Bob & his friends would go to drink beer and blow off steam, away from campus. The foot path is about a 10 minute walk and passes Hermann Hesse’s place. The Bench is legendary to countless TASIS students as it is a nice rest stop halfway between that school and the bar – plus it has a great view, day or night.
MONTAGNOLA
Another quaint Swiss village. There’s a little more traffic nowadays, but it is essentially the same as it was 40 years ago. Our favorite watering hole, Augustina’s is down the street on teh right where the natural stone wall is. It is still a bar, but Augustina passed away some years ago.
AKA – THE HOLE IN THE WALL
Here’s a better view of Augustina’s, and on the right a photo they trotted out the night we were there of Augustina back in the day. (Thanks Amy!)
NIGHT VIEW
The night we went to Augustina’s, we headed back down the trail in the dark only to find that it was tastefully lit the entire way – not so back then!
BACK IN TIME
From the night at Augustina’s – Lucy, Denise, Amy, Jennifer, Camille, and Linda enjoying a drink. Bob, playing “donkey Boy” on the porch with a beer and a cigarette – just like old times. Photos by Amy.
OH THOSE SWISS!
They keep everything so coiffed. Flower pots on road signs – who waters them? The Smart car seems to fit this lifestyle much better than an SUV.
FLOWERS EVERYWHERE
Hydrangea in many colors were ubiquitous, as was lavender. Just lovely for the eyes and nose.
THE 8 SIDED HOUSE
A legendary destination for adventurous school kids in the 70s. Once a sanatorium for rich Nazis with tuberculosis, it had fallen into abandonment and disrepair. As teens, Bob & his friends would sneak into the dilapidated hulk to explore its contents, hoping not to be discovered by the onsite caretaker. It is now a posh resort/spa – the Resort Collina d’Oro.
THAT NATURE THING
Camille finds Karl, a European cousin of her favorite tree back home.
VINEYARDS AND SYCAMORES
As we returned to the village of Agra, we were taken by the beauty of the local vineyards – this area in Ticino is known for its Merlot. Also impressive are the old sycamores, lots of character.
AGRA – NOW AND THEN
The photo on the left was taken on this trip – June 2014. The photo on the right was taken by by Bob on a trip he took up to Agra with a schoolmate in the fall of 1975 – not much has changed.
AGRA – NOW AND THEN
Bob & Camille stopped for refreshment at the Ristorante Pensione Agra – the same spot Bob and his friend Dave stopped in 1975.
AGRA – NOW AND THEN
These “repeat” photos were unintentional. It wasn’t until we were pulling this month’s photo album together that we realized some of the shots were nearly identical. Bob in 2014 on the left – Dave in 1975 on the right.
PICTURESQUE CHURCHES EVERYWHERE
Catholicism remains the predominate religion in the canton of Ticino, and there seems to be a beautiful old stone church in each village.
SHRINES AND GRANITE
Shrines and granite work are common sights in this area.