The Last of the Lakes

Well, wouldn't you know it, for our last day in Cannero Riviera we woke up to absolutely perfect weather!  We had our breakfast sitting outside on the terrace for the first time.  However, as our next destination, Lago Lugano, is not far away, it was a pretty safe bet the weather would be good there was well. 


Some of the table across from the hotel's terrace

We checked out - and checked out the Ferrari parked near our car in the garage - and then headed south on the west side of the lake to Intra where we caught the car ferry to Lavenno on the east side.  We drove north through Luino and then turned our backs on Lake Maggiore and headed for Ponte Tresa on Lake Lugano crossing back into Switzerland on the way.  Once again, we got lost in Lugano ("Mindy" got us sorted out) and eventually got on the road toward Gandria along the lake and back into Italy where we had booked a hotel, the Stella d'Italia in San Mamete in Valsolda. 

The Ferrari (German plates) parked by our little Fiat

 

View of Lake Maggiore just south of Luino

Looking down on Lugano (lake and city)

View of Lago Lugano from the road above Gandria (CH)

Back in Italy, one of the views from our hotel balconies in San Memete, Valsolda

If we thought Cannero Riviera was small, then this place is miniscule.  As we were checking in, Nawal asked the man on the front desk which way the centre of town was.  He told her she was standing in it!  That being said, the views from our balconies are beautiful and, as a venue for our last stop in the Italian lakes, it is perfect.  There just aren't any shops!  Our plan for tomorrow is to take the bus into Lugano and maybe take the ferry back.  Then, Sunday we drop the car in Como and take the train to Milan - AND the shops there!!  I can imagine Nawal smiling already.

 

The Borromean Islands of Lago Maggiore

This from the "Italia" Website about the Borromean Islands:

The Borromean Islands are jaw-dropping beautiful.  Loved by Ernest Hemingway and, in more recent times, by the English Royals, this Archipelago is made up of the monumental Isola Bella, with its 17th-Century Palazzo Borromeo, surrounded by beautiful gardens, the picturesque Isola dei Pescatori (Fishermen’s Island), Isola Madre, noted for its botanical garden, rich in rare plants, the little Island of San Giovanni that faces Pallanza, and the Rock of Marghera.  Lake Maggiore was a favorite resort locality for the noble families of Lombardy (e.g. the Borromeos and the Viscontis) that also constructed sumptuous villas here, beginning in the 1700s.

The Borromeos, a prestigious family of Florentine origins, became the Islands’ owners in the 14th Century when they began to transform them by building residences with elaborate gardens.
Still today Isola Bella and Isola Madre remain in the family’s possession, as do the two rocks, or little islands, of Castelli di Cannero, that bear the ruins of two Medieval fortifications.

Isola Madre and Isola Bella, also known as the “sisters,” are highly-frequented by tourists seeking out the splended palazzos and their gardens, famous throughout the world for their landscaping and for the attention to detail, care, and variety of the plant “architecture,” which is composed of over 2,000 different species.  On Isola Bella - from the name of the wife of Carlo III Borromeo, Isabella d'Adda - visitors delight in seeing Palazzo Borromeo with its halls and rooms on the piano nobile, coi saloni e le camere del piano nobile, realized from the 17th to the 19th Centuries, and with the lower portion of the house, boasting stone- and shell-covered grottoes.  Not to be left out is the garden featuring multi-colored flowers year-round, as well as a multitude of exotic plants. The salons, music and arms rooms, the gardens with their ten superimposed terraces were inhabited by both Napoleon Bonaparte (1797), to whom a room is dedicated, and Mussolini who made the residence the seat of representation during a 1935 international conference.

Knowing a little about these islands from previous visits, yesterday, in spite of the cool and cloudy weather (still!), I set off to visit the three main islands on this lake.  What was great was there was a very convenient boat schedule which enabled me to spend time on each of them with a late afternoon return to Cannero.  Nawal was having none of that because of the weather and decided to stay put!  Anyway, the fast ferry (a hydrofoil) left at 9:50 and about 1/2 hour later I was deposited on the first island, Isola Madre.  The main, and perhaps only reason, for visiting it is to tour one of the Borromeo family's villas.  The villa is very pretty but, unfortunately, I have no photos of the interiors to prove it because photography was not permitted inside.  The gardens as well are stunning and contain many rare plants including a Himalayan cypress which was damaged in a recent storm and is being restored. 

View from a loggia at the villa

The restoration of the ancient Himalayan cypress tree



View of the villa from the ferry

 

The Palazzo wall near the ferry dock

After leaving Isola Madre, I went to Isola dei Pescatori where I wandered around a bit and had lunch.  There are no dogs allowed on this island - not sure why - but that clearly delights the many cats wandering around, I'm sure!  The island has lots of little alleyways filled mostly with pizzerias and plenty of tourist shops and restaurants line the lakefront. 

At the ferry dock on "Fishermen's Island"

One of the alleyways

View of the villa at Isola Bella from Isola dei Pescatori

View of Isola dei Pescatori from the ferry

Next stop after my tasty and inexpensive lunch (a quattro of vino bianco and tortellini with ham in a cream sauce for about 10 Euros), I caught the ferry to Isola Bella, the one island I had visited before.  Once again, photography inside the villa wasn't permitted - although that didn't seem to stop the German woman near me from taking all sorts of photos, even when she was told not to!.  The rooms here are stunning and I am sure can be viewed somewhere on the Internet.  Especially impressive are the entrance room, the ballroom and the grottoes.  The gardens are spectacular and, like last time, the weather was not particularly cooperative.  However, hopefully some of the following photos will give some idea of the gardens.  At least the white peacocks, famous for roaming the gardens, were cooperating and had their tails fanned out.

The White Peacock

After visiting the villa, I had a couple of hours to spare before the ferry was scheduled to take me back to Cannero so, I did what has become a bit of a "habit", I went to a bar on the lakeside and had an Aperol Spritz.  Back in Cannero about 1 1/2 hours later, Nawal and I met up.  She had had a good day wandering up and down the hills of this town and was pleased with the extra exercise.  The restaurant we chose for dinner, Il Cortile, had been recommended by some Swiss friends and rated on Trip Advisor as the #1 restaurant in Cannero.  It did not disappoint and we had a great time.  The Spanish (and probably gay) waiter was so much fun, the food was great and we had a complimentary shot of chocolate-caramel grappa to finish our visit there.  What a great way to finish up our time on Lago Maggiore.

Nawal's impressive "chocolate cube" dessert

 

To Market, to Market to Buy . . . .

More than 20 years ago when my friend, Sue, and I were visiting this area, we were told about the very well known weekly market in Luino on Lago Maggiore.  At that time, we did go to it although the only thing I remember about it is how we got ripped off for parking.  Some guy directed us to park on some street and then demanded 5000 lira (about $5 at the time).  We learned later that he was just scamming people and that we could have parked on that same street for free.  Live and learn!  However, the market is still very big and it is so well known that tour buses filled with shoppers arrive from all over Switzerland and Germany, some as far away as Munich.  When Nawal and I were planning this trip and she told me she loves markets, we arranged our itinerary so we could go to the market today.  After breakfast this morning, we took the 9:05 a.m. and 15 minute ferry ride across the lake to Luino.  We could not believe how many people were on that ferry - as far as we could tell, all German speaking.  They were lining up at least 1/2 hour before the boat was due to go!

Last of the crowd boarding the ferry.  At that point I am sure there were over 150 people on the boat.

Our hotel by the ferry terminal

After all the passengers were "disgorged" from the ferry in a bit of a frenzied mood, we starting wandering around the market.  It is set up along the lakefront as well as on side streets and in the town's main parking lot and square.  I didn't count the stalls but there must be a hundred of them or more.  Unfortunately, however, once you started poking around in them, you realized much of the "wares" were the same in many of the stalls.  At least I did track down a lime-green leather handbag that I wanted.  I think the most popular items were scarves (bought one), bracelets, leather goods, sunglasses and clothing.  It was difficult to find anything special or very high quality though.  Nawal lit up when we got to the food section where she bought a selection of dried fruits, sampled some cheeses (including a truffle one), and admired the fresh produce including some oddly shaped eggplants (round). 

Above and below - some of the fresh produce



More of the food stalls - above and below

Before it got crowded - around 9:30 in the morning

It became more and more difficult to walk around as the morning progressed and more crowds arrived.  I did not hear any English (aside from us, of course) and the predominant language was German - not Italian.  A number of the sellers were Arab so Nawal was able to talk with them in their language.

I am afraid we didn't stimulate the Italian economy that much but at least we bought a few little things.  We were happy to stop finally for lunch at a restaurant where, despite what the menu indicated was available for lunch, was actually only serving two kinds of salad and pasta.  I am getting a little tired of caprese salads, by the way.  It seemed just as lunchtime was finishing, the kitchen started turning out some of the other items on the menu.  Perhaps they were on their lunch break!  By 2 p.m. we were done and took the ferry back to Cannero Riviera, along with a few hundred other people.  I'm fed up with crowds and being pushed and shoved around - at least until we get to Milan.

 

Leaving Luino

 

View of our hotel:  Nawal's room is in the bigger building on the left
And mine is in the little pink building on the right,  We both have lovely views of the lake.
Life is good. 

Next stop tomorrow:  the Borromeo Islands south of here.  Sure hope the threat of rain has gone by the time we wake up!  I'm getting very tired of cools temps and clouds.  Nawal did a count and we've only had about three or four sunny days so far.  That is simply wrong!

 

 

The Magic of the Lakes

Yesterday we visited Como at the south end of the lake.  In a way, it was a bit disappointing although the old town is very reminiscent of Florence, Vincenza and other Renaissance-era Italian towns.  As it was Monday, most of the shops were closed (guess who was more than a bit disappointed about that!) and, after we'd taken the funicular up to Brunate which has amazing views of the lake, we just took a fast boat back to Menaggio.  Little did we know that the bus we'd taken in the morning had passed through Laglio, the village where George Clooney's villa is.

View of Como from the Funicular to Brunate

Como's Duomo

We spent our last evening in Menaggio and, thankfully, unlike when we'd arrived, the weather was perfect.

Last drink at Bar Pess - same table as the one I'd shared with Mena and Trevor 5 years ago

Evening view toward Bellagio

Morning view from our Menaggio Apartment

Today we left Lago Como, drove by Lago Lugano (which we will visit later this week) and headed for Lago Maggiore.  The first time I heard of this lake was in 1962 when, as a young, impressionable teenager, I saw the movie, Rome Adventure, starring Troy Donahue, Angie Dickenson, Rossano Brazzi and Suzanne Pleschette.  Clearly the story stuck with me as, years later, Lago Maggiore which was featured in the film, was one of only three places I absolutely had to see on my first visit to Europe in 1979.  Clearly, I was a hopelessly romantic teenager!  However, the beauty of this lake cannot be denied.  It seems, each of these Italian lakes has its own personality.  So, we have left the "glitz and glam" of Lago Como and the more sporty culture of Lago di Gardi to be here which is, at least in Cannero Riviera, a much slower pace.  The northern tip of this lake is in Switzerland but the majority of it lies in Italy.  It enjoys a Mediterranean climate and not many people believe there are palm trees growing in CH until they visit Locarno and Ascona, both Swiss towns on this lake.

View looking north along the lakeshore

Medieval Castle just off the Lakeshore

View of Luino from my balcony

Nawal had booked our hotel here (one of the first 4 star ones I've stayed in - unlike me, she, I think, is used to this sort of thing) and our expectations given the hotel's website were totally met.  It is like I am staying in a villa as my room looks like some villa bedrooms I've toured.  The lakeside setting is perfect and, across the lake, we can see Luino where we will go tomorrow for its famous market.  I am adding the following photos only because I've never slept in a room like this.  All I can say is thank heaven for Visa!  I know how lucky I am!

 

Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous!

Back when we were staying in Praiano, we met an Australian couple who told us about a very unique restaurant on the only island on Lago Como.  It sounded really interesting so we Googled it to find out more about the Lucanda del'Isola Comacina and then decided we wanted to eat there.  The following is from the restaurant website:

In 1948, the silk manufacturer Carlo Sacchi and the speedboat racing champion, Sandro De Col, notwithstanding the island's curse, contacted Lino Nessi with the proposal to start up a Restaurant on the Island, at that time only inhabited by snakes. Sandro De Col suddenly died in a motorboat accident, while Carlo Sacchi was killed at Villa d'Este by Countess Bellentani. Having lost his heart, Lino Nessi was about to give it up when the English writer Francis Dale suggested him an exorcism, now known as "the exorcism of fire".  Since then, every time somebody has a meal at the Locanda dell'Isola, the fire ceremony is performed. 

From a neglected, cursed, excommunicated land, a new tradition of hospitality was born and still thrives, open to everybody, no matter what nationality or religion.  ........The fame of the Locanda began with Lino Nessi (known as "Cotoletta", i.e. "Cutlet") and continues thanks to Benvenuto Puricelli, the present owner. A stopover here is a must for travellers visiting Europe, retracing the steps of several famous people from all over the world.  The Locanda is "an exclusive, unique place, different from all the other restaurants".  It is right on the lake, is bright even in the coldest months , and it is the ideal setting for a meal in summer, thanks to the gentle breeze blowing from the lake. It can accommodate up to 200 guests.

Neither the original menu created by Cotoletta nor the flavours have been changed by Benvenuto Puricelli.

 

View of the Lucinda from the ferry dock

Having read the guest book on the website, we knew that we would be dining where the likes of the Gianni Versace, George Clooney, Madonna, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Britney Spears, Jennifer Aniston, Robert Matchup, Sylvester Stallone, Jurgen Klansman, Ali McGraw, Victoria Beckham, Franz Beckenbauer, Samantha Egger, Fabio Testi, Gina Lollobrigida, Ursula Andress, Kirk Douglas, Joe Cocker, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Konrad Adenauer, Lee Jacocca, and Billy Joel, to name just a few, had dined.  While there was no one famous there today, at least as far as we knew, we still thought it was going to be a bit of a "lifestyles of the rich and famous" experience.  As the website says, the set menu has not changed for 70 years and involves 7 (or was it 8?) courses.  The fixed price with wine is 73 Euros per person - not cheap but worth every centime (or whatever the Italians call them).

On the ferry there, we met up with the English couple (Colin and Brenda) whom we'd told about the restaurant yesterday.  It turns out they have lived in LA for the last 22 years when Colin's work took him there.  When we'd chatted with them before, we hadn't really found out much about them. Having now met up with them again, we quickly decided we all wanted to share a table.  So, the effusive owner greeted us and quickly showed us to a table for 4 on the terrace where the feast began.  None of us was too sure how formal the restaurant was going to be, especially given some of the previous guests.  It quickly became apparent this was an authentic Italian-rustic style restaurant with substantial food casually served.  The first course was a slice of tomato topped with a sliver of lemon.  With it, a large loaf of bread was plopped on the table from which we were expected to break off any bits or chunks we wanted.  Quickly a bottle of white wine appeared followed by a plate of delicious ham and thinly sliced dried beef.  Then came bowls offering a wide selection of vegetables including roasted onions (delicious), beets, carrots, celery, cauliflower, white beans and some bitter tasting green which didn't appeal to any of us.  The next course was fresh trout which apparently had met its demise earlier in the day.  This was followed by a platter of fried chicken.  Next, there was a chunk of Parmesan carved from a huge half-wheel by Benvenuto and served to us off his knife.  Then came dessert which was a slice of orange served with vanilla ice cream and a banana liqueur.  That wasn't the end of it though, next came the flourish known as the "exorcism of fire" which involved a long speech by the owner in Italian which we could not understand at all and him lighting a cauldron of brandy and adding sugar to it.  This was then mixed with coffee and, after a taste test by a gal selected by the owner as the "island's vestal virgin" (doubt she was one looking at her and her boyfriend!), it was served to everyone.  During the entire meal, the wine kept flowing.      

 

The arrival of the trout

 

And, it was simple (with only salt, lemon, olive oil and pepper) but delicious

Benvenuto serving the Parmesan

And, making the speech for the "exorcism of fire" ceremony

During lunch, we had great conversations with Brenda and Colin.  From our chat with them yesterday we knew that he had had something to do with film photography.  We also were "of accord" with them in terms of politics and some other stuff.  They'd already told us they were from London but moved to LA because of his career.  Then, as the conversation progressed we delved more into his work.  Let me say that Colin is very low key, unassuming man and doesn't offer up too much unless you ask him pretty direct questions.  Brenda, on the other hand, is quite chatty and, as the conversation progressed, divulged that Colin had accomplished quite a bit in the film industry on the technical side - never did quite figure out exactly what so will have to research that.  However, he is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.  When it came to the subject of Oscars, it turns out he has 4 - yes, FOUR!  Brenda kept saying "they are only in the technical category" to which I responded "They are bloody Oscars and I don't care what category they are for!". So, in a way, we ended up having lunch with a lovely couple who quite realistically could be characterized as part of the "rich and famous" (they'd been on the red carpet in LA many times) - much more importantly, however, they were a lot of fun and we have promised to stay in touch.  If you want to find out more about Colin's career, check out Colin Mossman on Google.  One of his sons is in a rock band and the other one works in the film industry.

Nawal and me with the Mossmans

Nawal, Brenda and Colin

Brenda, Nawal and me with Benvenuto

One of the views from the Locanda