This is the second in the series of blog posts from Rutland High School student and biathlete, Chloe Levins. Her last post detailed the Junior World Biathlon Championships in Romania and visits to some of Vlad the Impaler's haunts . This post describes a week of training in the Italian Alps and her experiences with Tyrolean culture.
Upon the conclusion of Youth/Junior World Biathlon Championships in Romania, another youth biathlete, Amanda Kautzer, and myself were privileged to continue our European adventure in the Italian Alps. We made ourselves at home in an apartment tucked in the shadow of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen.
The town where we stayed, Antholz-Anterselva, is a municipality in South Tyrol. South Tyrol, one of the most northerly regions in Italy, borders Austria. Before World War II, it was actually a part of Austria. Because of this, about 98% of the population speaks German rather than Italian. As a member of the European Union, Italy functions on the Euro. One Euro is equal to about one American dollar and 10 cents.
In Antholz-Anterselva, one narrow road leads through three small villages eventually ending at the main ski venue 2000m above sea level. We stayed in the lowest village, at approximately 1200m and made a 15 minute commute to the venue every day. Our village mostly consisted of apartments, hotels, and grocery stores, so there weren’t many options for us to immerse ourselves in the community. One observation we made, however, was that all stores closed during the day between 12PM and 3PM and all day on Sunday. From speaking with a friend, we also found out that children in school get a one hour break in the middle of the day for lunch and relaxation purposes.
Upon the conclusion of Youth/Junior World Biathlon Championships in Romania, another youth biathlete, Amanda Kautzer, and myself were privileged to continue our European adventure in the Italian Alps. We made ourselves at home in an apartment tucked in the shadow of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen.
The town where we stayed, Antholz-Anterselva, is a municipality in South Tyrol. South Tyrol, one of the most northerly regions in Italy, borders Austria. Before World War II, it was actually a part of Austria. Because of this, about 98% of the population speaks German rather than Italian. As a member of the European Union, Italy functions on the Euro. One Euro is equal to about one American dollar and 10 cents.
In Antholz-Anterselva, one narrow road leads through three small villages eventually ending at the main ski venue 2000m above sea level. We stayed in the lowest village, at approximately 1200m and made a 15 minute commute to the venue every day. Our village mostly consisted of apartments, hotels, and grocery stores, so there weren’t many options for us to immerse ourselves in the community. One observation we made, however, was that all stores closed during the day between 12PM and 3PM and all day on Sunday. From speaking with a friend, we also found out that children in school get a one hour break in the middle of the day for lunch and relaxation purposes.
Amanda and I stayed in an apartment by ourselves. Our landlord was an Antholz native with five young boys. She was very generous and spoke three languages: German, Italian, and English. As a farm-owner in the middle of the village, she offered us fresh milk from her cows nearly every morning. She provided a very warm and comforting environment for both of us. Although the apartment was easy to adapt to, one thing was not: cooking for ourselves. Because we made every meal on our own, we didn’t not get to experience much of the local cuisine.
The Antholz-Anterzelva Ski Stadium is deeply rooted in the biathlon culture. Antholz has hosted biathlon World Cup or World Championship events nearly every year since the mid-1980s. The altitude and prestige of this venue makes it a great option for professionals to complete a training block in preparation for important competitions. Since the senior World Biathlon Championships in Oslo, Norway are coming up next month, many of the best professional athletes in the world were training there for this very reason. Amanda and I practiced on the range everyday next to some members of the Ukrainian, Latvian, Belarusian, Estonian, and Bulgarian national teams.
The Antholz-Anterzelva Ski Stadium is deeply rooted in the biathlon culture. Antholz has hosted biathlon World Cup or World Championship events nearly every year since the mid-1980s. The altitude and prestige of this venue makes it a great option for professionals to complete a training block in preparation for important competitions. Since the senior World Biathlon Championships in Oslo, Norway are coming up next month, many of the best professional athletes in the world were training there for this very reason. Amanda and I practiced on the range everyday next to some members of the Ukrainian, Latvian, Belarusian, Estonian, and Bulgarian national teams.
On one of our last days in Italy, we ventured out of our apartment and into a nearby city called Dobbiaco. While there, we roamed the cobblestone streets of a gorgeous valley-city. There were multiple stores selling coffee, fresh bread, pasta, and (of course) Yankees hats. We stopped into one coffee shop for tea, cappuccinos, and famous Italian pizza! It was delicious.
Through word of mouth, we also found out that the week before we arrived was an annual festival that occurs in this part of Italy every year. It was a festival in celebration of the coming of spring! Supposedly, the locals dress up in costumes, similar to Halloween, and parade around the town with drinks and food. From the way it sounds, it would have been a fun celebration to be a part of.
Through word of mouth, we also found out that the week before we arrived was an annual festival that occurs in this part of Italy every year. It was a festival in celebration of the coming of spring! Supposedly, the locals dress up in costumes, similar to Halloween, and parade around the town with drinks and food. From the way it sounds, it would have been a fun celebration to be a part of.
After one week of good training and food, Amanda and I left Italy in excited pursuit of our next destination: Lillehammer, Norway.
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