Blogs from Piedmont, Italy, Europe - page 4

Et nous voici en Italie, bien contents d'arriver au but de notre voyage : retrouver Angela, une amie argentine que je n'ai plus vue depuis 53 ans.... Il y aura un deuxième but plus tard... Comme le St Gothard nous a fait gagner du temps nous décidons de nous poser ici deux nuits... Nous sommes installés juste face au lac où cygnes, canards et campeurs nous offrent tout le spectacle paisible nécessaIre pour ce bon arrêt. Le lendemain nous allons à pied jusqu'à la ville de Cannobio qui est très belle, très italienne et où nous constatons qu'en effet, le printemps si pas presque l'été est bien installé ici... Une bonne glace fera donc bien l'affaire dans l'après midi... Ce sera notre derni!re étape avant de retrouver nos amis a Verbania. Estamos en Italia, bien contentos ... read more

We woke up in our little B&B in Premosello Chiovenda, a small village in the Ossola Valley between Lago di Mergozzo and Domodossola, with sunshine and a blue sky. Fantastic. This is why we came to Italy over the weekend - to escape the rain at home in the northern Alps in Switzerland. We had a shower, packed our few belongings and left. We still had not really an idea what to do today - well, do not get us wrong. There are many, many things to do in this region with great hiking, mountains and the Lago Maggiore close by. But we really enjoyed the Sacro Monte (Holy Mountain) we visited the day before in Domodossola. And we did not bring our hiking gear. What better way to discuss this with a breakfast in a ... read more

My last 2-week camp with ACLE was up in Domodossola. Most Italians had heard of this 18,000 person town in the north of the country’s Piedmont region because when they spell things, they say ‘D as in Domodossola’. It’s also notable for being the first major rail station across the border from Switzerland. Oh, and it has a sanctuary which is a popular pilgrimage site (Sacro Monte Calvario) for Catholics. For me, Domodossola represented my dreams of being back in the cool and beautiful mountains after two weeks in Cremona’s heat. The town itself where the camp took place is actually in a valley, but it was slightly cooler than Cremona had been. I lucked out with my host family, because they stayed in an apartment in the mountains in the summer instead of in the ... read more

Turin, the home of Fiat. Why did we want to stay here? Originally we had planned for a three night stay but as it got closer to book our accommodation we decided two nights would be enough. After yesterday’s awful drive we are pleased we decided on two nights. Our apartment is comfortable and we don’t mind the slow start today. Once we get ourselves organized we’ll visit a tabacchi and buy two 24 hour bus tickets. It is only a short distance into the centre of Turin but the bus is best. Last night’s washing is dry, a breakfast of cereals, yoghurt and some brioche filled with apricot jam purchased that morning (we think baked the day before), the day planned, and we’re off. We walk to the nearest tabacchi, not that close, and get ... read more

This morning the weather is a little kinder but we have the feeling any sunshine will not be with us for long. There is low cloud around the hills that climb above the lake. Our plan after breakfast is to visit the resort town of Stresa on Lago Maggiore, a short drive away. We have heard so much about this town we felt we needed to take the time and pay it a visit. Also on the list for today is a visit to two factory shops selling home wares. But first, breakfast. Down in the bar the locals are in the middle of an animated discussion. We say a friendly “buon giorno” and receive the same in reply. Then the discussion continues. We feel on top of the world, the yachting world. We decide the ... read more