Postcard from The Dolomites
Review of Weekend In The Dolomites
By Silvia Giordano
The first “Mensa In Quota” (at altitude) was held in Italy at the beginning of February: a weekend in the central Alps, between the regions of Trentino and Lombardy, in one of the snowiest areas of Italy. The initiative was organized by the secretary of Emilia-Romagna, Silvia Giordano, and the secretary of Lombardy, Gaia Satta.
Ponte di Legno, a town about 1300 meters above sea level and at the foot of the Presena glacier, which reaches an altitude of 3000 meters, is the place we have chosen for this special event. The proposed activities were designed both for those who love snow sports and for those who simply love the beauty of the landscapes and their good food in the mountains. And obviously we haven’t forgotten about our unfailing common passion: board games!
The participants of the “In Quota” weekend arrived on Friday evening and settled in the shared apartments in the village. The first evening passed between gastronomic specialties typical of the areas of origin of each participant, Italian wines, and board games.
On the beautiful sunny day of Saturday, there were those who skied, those who snowboarded on the 100 km of slopes of the area, and those who walked along the nearby trekking routes. There were some who simply sat in the hut to admire the glacier and enjoying the sun’s rays.
In the afternoon, we attended a concert at high altitude inside an ice dome; it was a very cold, but truly exciting hour, in which the musicians played electronic instruments built with ice and played the best songs of Nirvana, in unplugged version. Once the concert was over, after so much effort, the moment finally arrived for delicious Italian food. In a restaurant also at high altitude, with a magnificent view of the Presena glacier, we participated in a Michelin-starred dinner that truly left us in bliss, with its beautiful dishes with locally grown ingredients.
Sunday flew by in the blink of an eye: time to climb back up to altitude and let ourselves be won over by some more sun, more “bombardino” (Zabov-based alcoholic drink, typical of mountain areas), and typical mountain dishes, all always accompanied by the spectacular landscapes of the Alps.
We plan to repeat this event again in the future, in order to bring together more and more people from Mensa who are passionate about snow, the mountains, their foods, wines and landscapes.
Floreat Mensa (even at high altitude)!