Pollone

"If you have some spare time make a short visit to Pollone where I am expecting you."
(Excerpt from a letter by Pier Giorgio Frassati to Antonio Villani on July 23, 1923)

Peaceful Pollone. This quaint village at the base of the mountains in northern Italy was the family's home away from home. The current population is still less than 2,500. Church bells ring throughout the day to mark the time and to call the faithful to Mass. At the end of the summer, the cows are still brought down from the mountains along the narrow streets. The little library holds several of the books written by Luciana Frassati. Roses are everywhere.

The name of the road into Pollone is Via Pier Giorgio Frassati. The road is narrow and completely uphill. Just at the town's entrance, on the right, is the cemetery where Pier Giorgio was buried in 1925 and remained until 1990. A little farther up the hill on the left is a monument to Pier Giorgio's father, Senator Alfredo Frassati. Keep going up and on the right is the entrance to the Ametis/Frassati villa. From the gardens, far off in the distance can be seen the peak of Mount Mucrone.

Today, Pier Giorgio can no longer be seen walking the streets in the early morning on his way to Mass or taming his father's stallion, Parsifal. He can no longer be heard reciting the poetry of Dante or singing loudly out of tune. But come to Pollone and retrace his footsteps. He is expecting you. And you will find that, like the street that bears his name, he is urging you onward and upward, verso l'alto, to the top. ///

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