notes on expresso 2

that’s how they say it here

total expresso count: 5 (3 today)

Hello readers!

I am not sure why I named my Italy travel newsletter notes on spaghetti. Yes, they eat spaghetti here. But Italy’s true star in my heart is the one and only espresso.

The espresso (espresso, apparently) of Italy is darker and less caffeinated than those found in specialty shops in America. It’s honestly nice to drink at all hours — even after dessert!

And even during hikes.

Truth be told, esteemed subscriber Noah Curran and I slept horribly last night (thanks jet lag). After passing into a deep sleep around 4:30 am and bolting awake at 8 am, we marched on to the rifugio hut named Juac.

As Noah and I climbed the somewhat-icy trail up to the hut, I daydreamed of downing an espresso surrounded by the beautiful mountains and maybe even a warm bite. And I got my wish!

I mean it was beautiful. Seeing the crisp peaks of the Dolomites as a backdrop for a cute little mountain hut made me stop breathing the crisp mountain air for a second. Sitting on picnic tables in front were a few couples who had zoomed past us with micro spikes on their boots.

Guzzling the espresso after the brutal night of sleep was amazing. Even more amazing — the potato and sausage plate I had! Despite the sausage looking rather bland it had a hint of seasoning and was rather juicy when biting into it. The sliced potato was also rather tasty — filling me up enough for an extended hike back.

We decided to indulge and also ordered a cheese and bread plate. Now that almost sent me over the edge!

On our hike down, Noah wanted to check out Castle Wolkenstein — a ruin that was located just off the trail. I was thoroughly intrigued as well so we set off to find it.

After winding up a short, icy and rocky path, we came across the entrance arch. But at the arch was a silent, steadfast guardian: a no entry sign.

At the moment it was unclear to us why such an interesting ruin would be blocked off. Turns Out it’s kind of dangerous! It’s been in ruins since the 1600s and people aren’t really sure what its purpose was for. The only person it’s named for stayed there briefly — and perhaps not willingly.

This will sadly be our last night in the Dolomites! Living amongst these mountains has been wonderful, but the hikes have been hiked and the food is squarely Tyrolean — which is to say an Austrian-Italian mix of some sort. Starting tomorrow: our Italian spaghetti adventure will begin!