Wrapping Up

I’m home now and reflecting upon the many lovely places we visited.

As you I know, I crossed Torino off of my fantasy-live-in-Europe list, but I continued doing reconnaissance as we traveled the beautiful lake communities. When we reached Locarno, Switzerland I immediately settled into a state of mellow contentedness. Maybe Locarno is the place!  

It’s at the north end of Lake Maggiore at the base of many majestic alps. Beautiful viewing in every direction. You could live down close to the lake or further up the hillside accessible by funicular, cable car, and chair lift. The lakeside pedestrian area was clean – free of graffiti and cigarette butts. It didn’t seem all that crowded, although we were off hiking during prime daylight hours. 

Locarno’s population numbers around 15,000 which makes it larger than Orta or Bellagio and, I think, not 100% tourist dominated. It seemed like in Locarno, you would have more access to ‘normal’ services and retailers. Not Target or Costco level stuff, but options beyond the intense tourist-centric offerings in smaller towns. 

Switzerland is not a member of the EU, yet it enjoys agreements that bring it a number of EU-like benefits. It retains its own currency (Swiss francs and not Euros) which was a minor obstacle for us when we stopped for gelato. The Italian/Swiss border at Lake Maggiore is easily crossed with many people coming and going as a matter of routine. Best of all, they speak Italian in Locarno so my six weeks of Duolingo lessons would not go to waste.

Sounds perfect  . . . except that Giovanna told us Locarno is “the rainiest area of Swizerland.”  Googling, I find that Locarno’s wet season lasts 6.2 months.  Oh no!  I’m not crossing Locarno off the list, but the search continues.  Stay tuned for future adventures.

The Thing About Food

When we were on our own, food was a challenge.  The biggest problem is that in Italy, restaurants serve lunch from around 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm.  Then they close and re-open for dinner at 7:00 or 7:30 pm. But our schedule usually delivered us to our new destination around 3:00 pm.  We were famished by then and couldn’t last until 7:00 pm for food.  So we’d find some sort of sub-par café or a grocery store and get whatever we could.

The hiking tour was entirely different because Mt Sobek and our guide, Giovanna, had it all worked out.  They scheduled ahead of time with restaurants or farmhouses who provided amazing, multi-course meals made from locally produced meats and cheeses, and from beautifully prepared fish and game. It was more than all of us were used to eating but it was fantastic. 

In Italy, it goes like this: first an antipasto platter that includes cheeses, lean slim-cut meats, and maybe some veggies or olives. Second, a pasta course. Third, a meat or fish course. Then, il dolce: tiramisu was always a choice but was varied in its execution. Panna cotta and fruit tarts and usually something chocolate also figured in. The restaurants didn’t usually offer gelato but there were plenty of gelato shops around to address that need.

A few meals stand out. One was mainly polenta prepared three different ways.  Another included both thin-cut veal and incredibly tender venison, accented with veggies. We also had delicately prepared fish several times and, on our last night, large servings of shellfish as a first course.  We had a few vegetarians on the tour who were accommodated with equally delicious options. Had we been on our own, there is no way we would have found our way to such wonderful restaurants and/or had known how to order.  There are definitely advantages to the guided tours!

 

                                

Gorgeous Views

It’s hard not to take photo after photo of the stunning scenery surrounding the beautiful lakes in Northern Italy and Switzerland.  Following are some choice photos capturing the latter few days of our tour. 

For those interested in the food (which was amazing), I’ll make a separate food porn post.

 

 North end of Lake Maggiore

View of Lake Como from our hotel roof garden

 

 

 

 

 

Scenes from hikes 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I tried to post two panoramic video clips here but had to load them to youtube instead.  Here are the links:

Link to panoramic video # 1

Link to panoramic video # 2

 

 Scenes from Bellagio and Varenna on Lake Como

Grotto in a Bellagio garden

Walkway as viewed from our hotel room balcony

Varenna

Our entire hiking group all dolled up for our final dinner

Happy me high above Lake Como

 

 

Oddities and Observations

I wrote last year about the eager-to-please Irish and the eye-rolling French.  My take on Italians is that, when it comes to tourists, they have settled into a state of good-natured resignation. If you’re a fumbling tourist, an Italian will quickly deduce what you’re trying to do and do it for you. As you’re trying to formulate the right Italian words, for example, a server will just ask cappuccino and brioche?    

More than once I’ve had a cashier scan my items at the self-check-out, or take my credit card from me and wave it over the card reader in just the right way. They have a knack for doing such things so as to impart an air of efficiency rather than impatience, although I suspect impatience is what they truly feel. This veneer of civility peels away when it comes to traffic situations – stay out of the way! 

Fun sightings:

 

 

Lots of cute critters

 

Two Beautiful Hikes

We’ve had two spectacular days already.  Early on Monday, we took a bus to a trailhead about 20 minutes outside of Orta. From there we hiked five miles, all of it uphill, for a total elevation gain of around 2400 feet until we reached the summit of Mottarone. Although it was overcast and foggy at the very top, the threatened rain never materialized and the views on our way up where fantastic. We looked down on Lake Orta in one direction, and on Lakes Maggiore and Varese in another. 

 

 

 

We had another plentiful and delicious lunch at a Mottarone restaurant before bussing back down for a second night at our Orta hotel. We got back in late afternoon and had free time for the evening.  I think most of us elected to skip dinner in favor of shopping and walking and wine drinking.

 

This morning, Tuesday, we again boarded the bus for a 40 minute or so ride to the town of Belgirate along the west side of Lake Maggiore. From this town, we hiked along hillside trails that took us through beautiful wooded areas, ending in the town of Stresa, a little further north on Lake Maggiore. This hike, too, was around 5 miles but easier than yesterday as we had less elevation. 

From Stresa, we took a boat to Isola dei Pescatori (Fishermen's Island) where we had yet another wonderful lunch.  Our first course was a mixed salad, followed by a platter of salmon, pate, and marinated vegetables.  The main course was pasta, ending with a choice of desserts (chocolate mousse with strawberries for me).  After this, we took another short boat ride Isola Bella where we had a private tour of Palazzo Borromeo.  The palace is still owned today by the Borromeo family and although it is open to the public, there are private residence rooms on the top floor.  A colorful flag indicates when a family member is in residence, which was the case today (!).

The palace is filled with artwork and beauty, and is surrounded by ornate gardens spanning 10 levels. Although it is much smaller and older, it has the same opulent vibe as the Hearst Castle. Oh, and there are white peacocks.

After this tour, we returned to Stresa and boarded our bus for the drive to Locarno, Switzerland. We arrived at the lovely Belevedere Hotel where we have settled in for two nights. Tomorrow, we reach another summit by way of funicular, chairlift, and feet.

We've been sooo lucky with weather.  As I write this at night, there is a thunder & lightening storm right outside our window but our days have been rain-free.