Capri/Chiavenna, Italy –

Some of you may have braved the crowds at the entrance to the Blue Grotto on the lovely Isle of Capri and taken in its eerie blue glow.  Perhaps it is not a secret magical cavern but it is magical nonetheless.  Surprisingly, our little alpine hamlet of Chiavenna derives a fair amount of fame from its own grottos, or “crotti” as they are referred to in the local dialect.  No lovely blue glow here I am afraid.  Our grottos are of the pitch black variety, but they still have a magical element to them.

Ages ago, the glaciers that cap our nearby peaks stretched far to the south into the plains beyond Milan.  Their movement carved out the deep and elegant fissure that today we call Lake Como.  Ages later, their retreat left behind an enormous, exotic rubble here in our narrow valley and the cracks between these skyscraper sized chunks of rock formed natural caves. The magical element in this system is the constant flow of air that descends from high up in the mountain and cools these caves.  This alpine kiss keeps the internal temperature of our “crotti” at 41 degrees fahrenheit year round.  Basically, from the time man first settled here, he was equipped with hundreds of walk in refrigerators and into these refrigerators went all the things he treasured most; wines, meats and cheeses.

With all these goodies locked up in dark pockets inside the mountain, the spaces just outside our “crotti” became social hot spots.  It was here, that the population would come together around small stone tables to enjoy an earthenware jug of cool red wine, sliced meats and cheeses, ribs and roast potatoes prepared on a scalding hot piece of slate.

Here’s a photo of one of our first experiences around the “crotto” table and we enjoy similar experiences with our travelers today on our Assaggio trip.  In fact, that trip embraces all the elements of this odd mountain magic, from the deep blue waters of Lake Como to the glaciers high above the Engadine Valley which first brought the “crotti” to life.  We hope you can join us down at the “crotto” one day!