Lake Maggiore
Monday 8 July
This is our first “package” holiday in a long time and we are off to Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, staying at the Astoria Hotel in Stresa and are travelling with our friend, Elizabeth.
Flying from Birmingham tomorrow we need to get there the day before so catch the late fast ferry with an overnight in Solihull.
Tuesday 9 July
Flybe flight on time (ish) to Milan passes without hitch as does the coach trip to hotel. Adjacent hotel also being used by Riviera Travel but we are in the Astoria.
Hotel Astoria, Maggiore
Both hotels are fronting onto the lake but with a road between the hotels and the lake which was somewhat surprisingly quite quiet.
Our Bedroom is old fashioned in decor but clean with a large Southern facing balcony overlooking the outdoor swimming pool.
The towels provided though are not what you would expect from a 4* hotel, more like thick but large tea towels. They are effective though.
Dinner at 7 each evening but we are disappointed with the quality. First course and deserts were good but main course’s veg were almost certainly tinned. Could do better.
Wednesday 10 July
Isola Bella
Good night despite bed being very hard, and a good spread for breakfast before we set off on an organised tour.
Bad news about my camera, the lens filter / cover has shattered and cannot be removed from the lens so until it is fixed, I-phone pictures all the way.
A private boat ride for the 40 or so of us in the Astoria for the short trip to the private island of Isola Bella for a 45 minute tour of the Borromeo Palace followed by some time in the perfectly manicured gardens and terraces.
Display at entrance of Borromeo Palace
The house had a famous occupant for two days in August 1797, Napoleon Bonaprte and by all accounts, his stay provided a lot of disruption at the time.
Harpsichord dated 1692 in Borromeo Palace
The house has a number of floors of artefacts, pictures, with painted ceilings in many rooms on all the floors we are allowed in, not all as the top floor is for the private use of the owning family.
Inside the Borromeo Palace
The gardens at Borromeo Palace
The gardens surround a couple of sides of the house and in style is reminiscent of Portmeirion in N Wales.
One of the features of the gardens are the white peacocks and we are told that at least one of them (I counted at least 5) likes his photo being taken with his feathers on display and true to form, one did strut his stuff.
Gardens at Borromeo Palace
Inside the Long Room with wonderful tapestries on the right
After a refreshment stop where I manage to mend my camera to make it at least useable, we transfer by boat to the island of Isola Superiore o Dei Pescatori where we have lunch in one of the many restaurants before Elizabeth and I walk around the island with various stops for photographs in the narrow streets that contained many small shops.
White Peacock strutting it’s stuff
Isola dei Pescatori from Isola Bella
As the island is only 375 meters long and at 100 meters at it’s widest, the walk doesn’t take long and we are in time to catch a ferry back to Stresa and our hotel where as we all have BBC TV, it is tennis watching time although I do go out for a walk into town.
Fishing nets drying on Isola dei Pescatori
Dinner tonight marginally better but with tinned potatoes which were universally given the thumbs down.
Sally & Elizabeth by Lake Maggiore
Thursday 11 July
A lot cloudier today and we are off to Switzerland today with a boat trip up Lake Maggiore slowing down for various points of interest such as an abandoned fortress castle which is being renovated.
Castle under renovation
Many small settlements along, predominantly to start with, the western side of the lake, and we get off at Cannobio, close to the Swiss border for a stroll around this fascinating little town and a coffee in one of the little cafes where the staff seemed to be a bit rude to foreigners.
Cannobio
Our next part of the journey involves a coach ride to Locarno in Switzerland as the boat is not allowed into Swiss waters.
No one was interested in us at the border so passports stay firmly in our bags.
It is only a half hour coach ride from Cannobio to Lugano where we are dropped by the Railway Station and have 2 hours to find lunch and explore.
Street fare (and fair) in Locarno Switzerland
A music and street festival is being set up but nothing interesting to buy and after lunch we walk along the lake wall or just sit and watch the world go by before returning to the station for our next part of the journey – the Centovalli train to Domodossola back in Italy.
Underground station at Locarno
Swiss village from the Centovalli train
The journey starts under the main railway station at Lugano and I get the impression it is a relatively new terminus, the old one perhaps not meeting up with the main station in the past.
The journey takes just over 2 hours with the train limping up some way before dropping down to the city of Domodossla.
We have a reserved coach with panoramic windows and we are told, views on both sides.
Crossing a gorge on the Centovalli line
We seat ourselves on the right as the train departs but this is clearly the wrong side for initial views as after the train exits the tunnel from the station, the valley is on our left for a good part of the journey.
Lots of little foot crossings and road crossings all of which have lights flashing as we pass.
The route must be a lifeline for many small villages with their tall church bell towers especially if the trains run in the winter snows.
After we cross back into Italy at Camedo the type of housing changes, the railway track is not so well kept but the views are now on our side.
Small villages scatter the line side but as we reach Domodossola the hillside becomes much steeper as we drop down through zig zag after zig zag to reach the level plains surrounding Domodossola.
Railway Station at Domodossola
Our terminus is again under the main station and as we exit the train to street level we have just enough time for an ice cream and a view of the impressive station building before we are back on our coach for the return journey to the hotel.
We get back just in time to watch the end of the England v Australia World Cup 50 over match which England very convincingly won.
Slightly better dinner tonight and have time to talk with Sarah and Harry. Tomorrow we stay in Italy – see Pt 2.
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Stressa
Lakeside village in Italy
Lake Maggiore and Switzerland (Pt 1) Monday 8 July This is our first “package” holiday in a long time and we are off to Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, staying at the Astoria Hotel in Stresa and are travelling with our friend, Elizabeth.