After lunch, we took a ride around Lago d'Orta in a small boat. There were many beautiful, old mansions at intervals around the lake and an odd house that looked like a large toilet! Wonder if it is the summer home of someone whose millions came from plumbing? This lake is much less fashionable than Lake Maggiore or Como and so is quieter and more to my taste.
As soon as we settled in we walked down to the village of Orta San Giulio (more hills) and separated for lunch. I found a wonderful restaurant on a grape-vine-covered terrace projecting into the lake. As it was my last lunch in Italy, I toasted my month-long adventure with some wine and a great meal (after one or two experiences having wine for lunch along with everyone else, I had gone on the wagon). It was a perfect spot with a wonderful view of the little island in the center of the lake.
I really love this place and am very sorry I didn’t arrange to stay longer than one night, as had many of the other people in our group. Orta San Giulio itself is a small village with the usual stone streets and buildings decorated with window boxes full of flowers. It is right on a lovely lake that is several miles long and maybe a half-mile wide, surrounded by pretty mountains and some very lavish villas here and there. Above the town is a UNESCO world peace site, the Sacri Monto, with nine 16th and 17th century chapels and other religious buildings from all faiths. This region is also known for wine (e.g., Barolo) and Nutella (a chocolate-hazelnut spread that's extremely sweet but being touted as a healthy breakfast food!) I was given a wonderful room (again, sorry to be leaving so soon) in the Hotel La Bussola with a balcony and a smashing view of the lake and mountains.
As we walked to the bus in Levanto along the seawall/promenade, we saw how the little storm the day before had transformed the Med - - proper surf had appeared and the local surfers were having a wonderful time.
In the morning we drove up and over the Appenines near the coast, across a relatively flat plain, and then toward the mountains in the north where our last stop will be in the town of Orta San Giulio on Lago d’Orta. This small lake is located just beyond the Lombardy region in the Piedmont. On the way, we stopped at another truck stop and found the same delicious food that there’s been everywhere else - - freshly baked croissants, orange juices squeezed to order, all sorts of fresh fruit. Even there, the Italian demand for good tasting, fresh food is always met. We crossed over the Po River and began to see the snow-covered Alps in the distance. It was interesting to drive through miles of rice paddies watered by a ditch system similar to that I’ve seen in California.
As soon as we settled in we walked down to the village of Orta San Giulio (more hills) and separated for lunch. I found a wonderful restaurant on a grape-vine-covered terrace projecting into the lake. As it was my last lunch in Italy, I toasted my month-long adventure with some wine and a great meal (after one or two experiences having wine for lunch along with everyone else, I had gone on the wagon). It was a perfect spot with a wonderful view of the little island in the center of the lake.
I really love this place and am very sorry I didn’t arrange to stay longer than one night, as had many of the other people in our group. Orta San Giulio itself is a small village with the usual stone streets and buildings decorated with window boxes full of flowers. It is right on a lovely lake that is several miles long and maybe a half-mile wide, surrounded by pretty mountains and some very lavish villas here and there. Above the town is a UNESCO world peace site, the Sacri Monto, with nine 16th and 17th century chapels and other religious buildings from all faiths. This region is also known for wine (e.g., Barolo) and Nutella (a chocolate-hazelnut spread that's extremely sweet but being touted as a healthy breakfast food!) I was given a wonderful room (again, sorry to be leaving so soon) in the Hotel La Bussola with a balcony and a smashing view of the lake and mountains.
As we walked to the bus in Levanto along the seawall/promenade, we saw how the little storm the day before had transformed the Med - - proper surf had appeared and the local surfers were having a wonderful time.
In the morning we drove up and over the Appenines near the coast, across a relatively flat plain, and then toward the mountains in the north where our last stop will be in the town of Orta San Giulio on Lago d’Orta. This small lake is located just beyond the Lombardy region in the Piedmont. On the way, we stopped at another truck stop and found the same delicious food that there’s been everywhere else - - freshly baked croissants, orange juices squeezed to order, all sorts of fresh fruit. Even there, the Italian demand for good tasting, fresh food is always met. We crossed over the Po River and began to see the snow-covered Alps in the distance. It was interesting to drive through miles of rice paddies watered by a ditch system similar to that I’ve seen in California.
After checking out some of the little towns and trails of the Cinque Terre, I took the train for a 15-minute ride back to Levanto. I arrived in a downpour, and discovered that the rain jacket I bought 7 years ago in Ireland has lost its protective powers! I warmed up with a shower and spent a few hours reading and giving my ankle a break. That evening, the hotel put on a wonderful buffet banquet for us. There were all sorts of delicious vegetables, fish, regional dishes and LOTS of wine and after dinner drinks (limoncello and something made from walnuts that were lethal!). What a feast! The picture shows Dominic taking a picture of the owner of the hotel (who was also responsible for our dinner). Even tho’ it seems that all we’ve been doing is eating and drinking since the tour began, I don’t think I’ve gained any weight because we’ve done so much walking. As advertised, Rick Steves tours are NOT sedentary!
The town at the other end of the Via Dell'amore is Manrola. It is a cute little town, with the vividly colored buildings that I have seen anywhere in Italy. We had a wonderful seafood lunch at Il Picciola (recommended in the Rick Steve's book) sitting on a streetside terrace between beached boats. I'm not sure why they were on the street rather than in the water. It could have been that the weather was changing - - it rained later in the afternoon and the sea got quite rough.
