Snow like rain, the most here since 1985. Minus 3. We have to take the bus because the roads are so bad.



Excitement at breakfast, we have a few hours to clean up the church before quindici ore, 3 o’clock. We are all proud of the work! Showtime!



The President of the Region of Piemonte arrives, dressed in Olympic blue. Giugiaro, Italy’s top designer opens a retrospective of his work on the same day and at the same time at the fort -- we share the stage with him, but it seems to be all about Pitture Sotto Zero! Giugiaro is so famous and so respected in Italy that all the Italian journalists are here, but some of it is undoubtedly our unusual exhibit.



Everyone gathers in Cafe des forcats. We see Clareta and Alessandra, Piero Addis and Paolo Facelli, Allessandro Isaia from Organising Committee for the XX Olympic Winter Games, and Barbara Papuzzi. Gabi and Gianni, Sergio and Renato and the beautiful surpise of the day: Piero’s daughter, whom I promptly introduce to Erik and Jaz. The crew still dressed in paint-stained ski pants and jackets. Gord dons a black shirt and an Ice Painting Project scarf.



Let it snow. Outside they hold up umbrellas against the falling white and we walk in groups through a foot of snow to the Governor’s Palace. Flashbulbs go off like fireworks as speeches are made in Italian. Gord says thank you to everyone in a very short English paragraph.



Then the procession to the church, Gord and the President of the Region of Piemonte cut the ribbon to the door of the chiesa, Gord in his red jacket, the President in his blue.



The crowd walks through the church, looking everywhere. Because of the bad weather we have perhaps 65 people.



Gord wants everyone to experience it for themselves, but Gabriella explains in Italian anyway.



Giugiaro speaks to Gord, so pleased with the work. His group looks at Gord with a friendly professional jealousy: they went on to become designers, Gord stayed with painting and look at what he has done!



The night before, like Christmas eve, was magic. Sasa Petricic kept us up late in the church, filming everything for a segment on The National. The snow, Gord’s worst nightmare, fell relentlessly, beautiful, quiet, making another kind of world at the fort.



Erik and Jaz took slabs of ice in the wheelbarrow to the dumpster as instructed by Gord. We all suffered to lose our favorite pieces, Erik and I stole a couple pieces, red and blue, to place around the fort: discoveries for hikers. But the snow covers them all. Today, we're all exhausted.