Tolè; A Little Place of Wonder

      There is this beautiful town on top of the Appenine mountains. The place is called Tolè. It is a fraction of Vergato, a province of Bologna. Not much is written about this place and you can only find a little information about it on the internet. It can only be reached by car or by bus which arrives just a few times a day (less on summer).  It is best to visit this  place during summer since the air cool and there are clean fountains everywhere where you can drink and freshen yourselves. There are a lot of feasts especially at night. Some are music festivals where they invite talented performers to entertain the audience for free. 

Musical events are offered to the people for free.

Pretty artworks attached on the walls.

Houses in the middle of the forest.

    A little church serves as an indication of the town center. It has a little piazza outside and some benches to sit on. There are about three hotels and a supermarket. It is also near a pool with a discotheque for young people to enjoy themselves at night.

Potatoes are well protected here.

     The fields of Tolè during summer are golden and there are pretty bales around. In the middle of this are pastel-colored houses with painted walls. The paintings depict the appearance of the place long time ago. There are little areas or vicoli with little themes on it. Some are for cats and the others are for fairytales like Snow White and Pinocchio. The roads are well developed and you can ride a bike or jog peacefully.  The view is breathtaking. The terrain is full of wildflowers with hundreds of colors. You can also hike up to the top of the mountains and observe some wild animals like deers and birds roaming around. 

Art is everywhere.

Paintings on the walls

A little area dedicated for cats.

Cat sculptures

Wildflowers are everywhere in every color.

Wildflowers and blue skies.

The fields are golden with bales all around.

Fields of gold

The roads are well developed for people to walk or ride a bike.

Tolè is best in summer.

I just want to share a verse from one of my favorite songs:

Those who start wars, never fight them
And those who fight wars, they never like them
And those who write laws, they can't recite them
And those of us who just fight laws, we live and die them
-Spearhead-

This photo was taken in Venice last spring.

Lugano, Switzerland: Short and Sweet

One foggy morning, my aunt and uncle living in Como, decided to take me on a short trip to Lugano, a  rich town located near the border of Switzerland and Italy. It is just about 30 minutes from Como. They speak Italian here but the money is in francs. Here are some photos I took after our 3 hour visit!

Once we've arrived from the train station, we had to walk all the way down to reach the lake.

There was a little market going on around the center.

We were greeted by a breathtaking view of the lake. Even though it's raining, there are still a lot of people around.

Swans

Swans!

And more swans!

Flowers like these poppies are wonderfully arranged around the lake too.

The Swiss flag

A church located near the station overlooking the lake.

Summer in the Countryside!

Just a while ago, I went for a short bike ride around the countryside. I'm surprised by the beauty of summer. The fields are golden although the red poppies are dying.

Fields of gold

I picked some chamomile flowers for a sweet tea.

Sikh Festival in Italy

Last April, the Indian community from Punjab celebrated their Sikh festival. It's an annual celebration attended by hundreds of people. 

Mother and child watching the parade.

The sacred book

They parade barefoot

Performers entertain the audience with their unique performance.

A test of strength

Rose petals were thrown from a helicopter during the middle of the feast.

People from other religions can also participate in the celebration and are invited to eat inside their temple.