October 17 Orta San Giulio

October 17 Orta San Giulio

We started our day with bright sunshine over the lake. We decided to hike today and so we left the campsite and drove about 17 kilometers up a mountain, Mottarone, elevation 1491 m. The view from the top was spectacular. To the north and west there the snow capped Swiss Alps, to the east, Lake Maggiore and bare sharp peaks, and to the south, more lakes. From the top we saw at least seven lakes.

The trail started out as an easy one, we were just walking along the top of the mountain admiring the view. It was so peaceful, so peaceful and quiet that the only sound was the sound of falling leaves from the few trees. It was as if the leaves were crinkling as they floated to the ground. Unlike the Cinque Terre where there were zillions of others, on this trail we were alone.

Then came the part of the trail that took us down the mountain. We hiked down a very steep trail for over an hour before we headed back up. Both the down and the up parts were gruelling and we stopped often for "breathing" and water breaks. After three hours or so we were back at the van and headed down the mountain and back to the campsite where we spent most of the afternoon sitting by the water, reading and resting our tired muscles.

After our lazy afternoon we decided to walk into the town and explore the historic centre. It is a very old town with lots of narrow, cobblestone streets and of course, a few churches. Of particular interest was a very old looking church with a very tall spire. When we got close to it, we realized that the church is now a hotel.

We stopped for dinner at a locat ristorante and each ordered a mystery meal. Neither one of us was sure what we were going to get, since the menu was in Italian and the server spoke no English. My meal was a smoked, sauteed cheese with a delicious salad on the side. Michelle's plate was full of mixed meats; pork chop, lamb chop, along with a couple of varieties of sausage. We both enjoyed our meals and heartily. On the way back to the campsite, even though we were full, we could not resist the gelateria.

Tomorrow we head to Switzerland.