Novara's biggest park is about a five minute walk from our flat. We usually park the car on a side street right next to it, which makes for a beautiful walk home.
Walking up the path, we're met with a wall covered in vines, which houses a small little fountain/water hole in the center. This was especially beautiful in the fall, as the vines growing on the wall all turned into deep reds and oranges. We climb the stairs to to second level of the park.
The park itself winds around a little, making it a great place for us to go for a run. There are a few different areas including a children's park with a big fountain, and a great number of statues and endless benches along the maze of pathways. Oh, and there's also the castle (though he's just a little guy and we're not sure that he was a true castle - perhaps more of a post or something).
Unfortunately it's under renovations so we haven't been able to explore much. We're hoping to go in at some point, but given the rate at which things get done in Italy, we're not holding our breath.
Detours aside, we walk straight up the path to this little fountain on our way home. This is one of our favorite things about the park, as during nicer weather, the benches are filled with old Italian men and woman at all times of the day (but especially in the evenings). The men gather on one bench, while the women all sit together on another, and one can only imagine the conversations taking place - ones that have most likely spanned on for decades.
Through the park, we cross into the "centre" of Novara. Special passes are needed to drive through it, so the roads are mostly filled with foot traffic. The picture below shows part of the city's chapel on the left, which is next to the opera house (the building with the arches in the background).
Oftentimes, special fairs or markets come through on the weekends and set up in front of the chapel. This particular weekend, there was a huge French market - we hugely benefitted from being able to buy some amazing bread, wine, cheese, and olives at the stands.
The streets of Novara centre are typically lined with shops, restaurants, and cafes on street level, while apartments take up the next two or three floors. It's common to see flags flying for the Novara soccer (or should I say football?) team, which is playing in Serie A this year for the first time in decades (Serie A is the highest division, so we play teams like Milano Centrale, Roma, etc. - all the "big shots" - it's a pretty big deal). We've quickly become Novara fans and have had a lot of fun going to the pub to catch games, cheering them on with the best of them. It's been a good way to fill the void we feel missing all the MSU games this year (and just like when we watch MSU games, Luke needs to constantly be calmed down and reminded to watch his language, especially now that he's been taught a few Italian profanities and enjoys using them profusely).
The Basilica of San Guadenzio is easily the most identifiable structure in Novara; its copula can be seen from a great distance when approaching the city. It has served as a "north star" for me whenever wandering around the city, as we live a few blocks away and I can find my way home from it.
Our city also has a little bit of ancient Roman ruins left, a 10x10 piece wall that is encased in glass.
This clock tower is about a block away from our apartment, right in the center of two major crossways in which a lot of the city's government buildings are housed. We've grown used to hearing its bells each hour and half hour - it's kind of nice to have something looking out for you to let you know what time it is, especially when you don't wear a watch and clocks don't exist in your apartment.
A small piazza exists right outside of our apartment and is home to our favorite pizza place (the one in the corner with the white tapestries hanging around its outdoor dining area). If you were to continue to walk by it and down the street, our door is about ten feet down on the left.
Once you've made your way through the first door and find yourself successfully inside our building (which we were told is one of the oldest in Novara), the two story climb begins.
Another door awaits, which leads into this small foyer area, complete with guard horses. If they allow you to pass, you go up the step and turn to the left...
and see our door!
Ah, yes - apartamento A
Welcome to our home! The view from our doorway just about says it all.
Walk by the kitchen, through the dining room (which is right next to the formal living room), past the (out of order) movie theater, and you find yourself in our master suite. The spacious balcony behind the doors offers an additional 20 inches of living space (but only if you're not using the pull-down screen).
The view from the utmost back corner of the bedroom (note the diligently working student in the background)
Again, trying not to get lost in the journey through myriad rooms, one can make their way to the bathroom by walking back towards the entrance.
Surprisingly, the bathroom is fairly large, though the same cannot be said for our water heater (which is the size of a pony keg and can be seen above our toilet). On the right, you see we have a beday - which is a lot different from a urinal (as SOMEONE thought it was for our first few weeks and used it as such.) We also have a small standing shower to the right (which provides great showers for about four minutes - then the hot water runs out) and a sink behind where the photographer is standing. Notice how EVERYTHING is marble?
Back to the kitchen.
If Italians are good at one thing, it's making the most of a (very) small space. Beneath our 2 sq. feet of counter space, you find our college dorm room sized refrigerator. Next to it, beneath our stove, exists our dishwasher (hallelujah!)
And past the sink, below our oven is our washing machine. Driers are nearly impossible to come by in Italy, so we have to hang-dry everything (which makes washing sheets an interesting affair - our apartment essentially turns into a fort for a few days until they're dry)
And that's about it! It's tiny, but for the next few months, it's home.
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