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Published: June 14th 2017
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Geo: 46.1445, 8.72654
Given that the Lago Maggiore is known for its fantastic sunshine, we were feeling a little cheated by another day of pouring rain! But, another good opportunity to do some school work – Steven and Matthew went grocery shopping instead. Don't know about sending those two out together to shop - they came back with Lasko beer which was 75c for 500ml, but had nothing on the can that identified the country that it was made in. He thinks it is Slovenian, but at 11.4% alcohol, he's already happy!
After lunch, we drove to the Valle Maggia and to the Botta church. Botta is a famous architect from this region, who has done some amazing modern stuff. It was a lovely winding drive to Mogno, and we are fairly confident that the white stuff falling on the windscreen was snow! (We even saw a granite table, smashed when the snow caused a chimney to fall and land in the middle of the table!) The church at Mogno was rebuilt in the 1980s, following an avalanche that destroyed the old church. It reflects the old – the height of the new church matches the height of the steeple of the old
church, but is very, very modern – nice for the kids to also see some amazing new buildings as well as all the wonderful old stuff! The stones used are all local, and very striking. Steven and I recalled that when we had come before, there was an ossuary, where the cemetery of bones disturbed by the avalanche were rearranged and able to be seen at the end of a clear cylinder. It wasn't there any more – maybe they have covered it up so it is no longer on display!
We then decided to do the walk from Mogno to Fusio, which was about 30 mins. It would be a lovely walk – the rain started as we were walking, and that was a little unpleasant, and the kids are not the best walkers (or rather, cannot walk without asking how far we have to go, and are we there yet?)! But the scenery is lovely – some snow over the mountains, but lots of green on the trees! And we were so lucky – just as it was crossing our minds HOW we were going to get back to Mogno and the car, (and no-one wanting to tell the
kids it was another 30 minute walk back), we saw the local bus parked at Fusio. I made Steven run for the bus, to ask when the next bus (if we didn't take that one) would be – when the answer was 2 hours, we realized how lucky we had been, and leapt onto the bus!
We then drove back to Fusio – a cute little town, clinging to the side of the mountain, and I directed Steven up a road that was so narrow that the kids were able to wind down the windows and pat goats on both sides of the car simultaneously – and the goats were in a stable!
Back down the Valle Maggia, stopping to buy some wine ("Americana grapes" – don't bother!), price some stone dog bowls (ridiculously expensive – not getting one for Miranda's wedding gift!) and stop at a cute little grotto for a coffee.
That night, we had dinner at the house of Davide Perissinotto and his wife Eva – a lovely night, with wonderful company. They have three lovely girls – the older two are 16 and 14 and then they have a little girl exactly the same age as Matthew! They are
very pretty and clever girls – the older two were very interested in Australia, having studied it at school (their Nonno, Marcello, came with Elio to Australia, but returned after a few years and moved to Switzerland). Little Alice was very cute, and obviously the apple of the eye of her parents and sisters!
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