Montclair

Montclair is Feltre, Italy

Through Flickr, I recently discovered a European woman who shared photos of her U.S. travels.  Vittoria had visited with her Montclair friends, and loved the morning fog and clear days here.

“It reminds me of an American version of a little town in Italy called Feltre. For those of you who know Feltre have a look at the other photos and tell me if you agree.” Vittoria Vieceli

Feltre is a sub-alpine town located in Northern Italy, halfway between Venice and Innsbruck. The hills do look strangely familiar.

European places have long histories, and Feltre comes with the requisite walled city, cool churches, and frescoed homes.  The town has been under French, Austrian and Italian control over the years.

The most famous son was Vittorino da Feltre (1378-1446).  He’s a well-regarded educator, who believed kids from all economic strata should be taught together.

According to Vittorino’s biography, “Many of his methods were novel, particularly in the close contacts between teacher and pupil and in the adaptation of the teaching to the ability and needs of the child.”

All in all?  We’d be honored to call Feltre our sister city.

The Ever-Fascinating Fault

Oaklander Andrew Alden, who oversees About.com’s geology guide, recently blogged about the Hayward Fault in Montclair. Apparently, we live near a wide zone rather than a nice, neat fault line.

Let’s first take a look at the Hayward Fault map through the Village:

In particular, Montclair Park is one place where the fault widens. Alden explains that “where two strands overlap, a block of ground between them may slump in tension or rise in compression.” This slump is quite familiar to all, as the pond!

Another tidbit to share: the Hayward Fault has not ruptured here yet. When the big Hayward earthquake took place 150 years ago, it traveled south from San Leandro to Fremont. This doesn’t translate to more risk when the next one hits, right…right?