Maria’s Obsessed with…Tirol!

“I’m Obsessed!” is a weekly series where one blogger (or artist, blog reader, crafter, etsian, etc) will share what they are currently obsessed with and why. If you’re interesting in writing a post for the “I’m Obsessed!” series please email me kendra[at]likeabirdblog[dot]com

This week, we have a grand obsession from Maria!

Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she writes about education, online degree programs, and what it takes for adult students to succeed when studying for an online post-grad degree from home. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.

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A building in Dorf Tirol

Ever since I studied abroad in Europe, I’ve been obsessed with Tirol.

Straight out of Heidi, Girl of the Alps, Tirol is a picturesque region in Western Central Europe, namely Austria and northern Italy, and was once known as the County of Tirol before the southern areas were ceded to Italy after WWI. Despite mild political tensions, it’s home to enough beauties—like Innsbruck and Trento, some of the world’s best food, and jaw-dropping landscapes—to make you forget all the cares and woes you came with.

Nestled in the foothills of the Italian Alps is a very special place called ßloss (Schloss, or Castle) Brunnenburg. Built originally in 1250, it was restored by Boris and Mary de Rachewiltz in the mid-20th century. Mary and her son Sizzo are the daughter and grandson, respectively, of American poet and expatriate Ezra Pound, whose influential work I studied under the de Rachewiltz family’s auspices in late 2007. Pound himself called the castle his home after leaving America and while writing several entries of his epic work, The Cantos. Today, the castle is also The Ezra Pound Centre for Literature (and on most days very cold to study in for hours at a time).

Most people visit the region for its ski resorts, the Hohe Tauern National Park, or the famed schnitzel, but for different reasons Tirol will always pull at my heart strings. (More like tear my heart out of my chest, but like I said, I’m obsessed.)

When there’s a cool autumn breeze, I think of the chilly September mornings I spent wandering the trails at the foot of the Alps and alleys of small, Tirolean towns. When I smell maple leaves in the wind in the Appalachian Mountains, I think of the fruits Sizzo’s wife Brigitte pulled off the trees for me at my home-stay in Brunnenburg. When I nibble on Pecorino cheese and sip a glass of red wine as we so often did while overlooking vineyards and valleys, I think of suave Sizzo—ever sporting a fedora and a half-cocked grin—going on about minds leaping like dolphins. And when I pour sugar and cream into my morning tea, I think of Mary, wrapped in a shawl and staring out of one of the castle windows.

I was only there for three months, but it screams home.

(If you want a comprehensive look at what you can do in Tirol, check out the always reliable Lonely Planet link here)