Day 23...

Day 23: From Lugano to Lake Maggiore – Buckets, Blossoms and Thunderclaps

Today began with the bittersweet task of vacating our Airbnb in Lugano, bags packed and washing still damp. First stop: the local laundrette, where a kind lady rescued our laundry situation. Gill was only slightly envious watching someone else do the washing – but she did get the satisfying job of folding everything into the packing cubes.

With a van full of clean clothes and a newly re-taped wing mirror (thanks to Lidl’s 3M tape), we crossed into Italy and headed for Laveno on the eastern shore of Lake Maggiore. A stroll through the local market led to the purchase of some phone lanyards and a few herbs and plants for Harry and Sophie, which we’ll deliver on Thursday

Then came the unexpected highlight: the quirky "bucket lift" cable car to the top of Sasso del Ferro – a 1000m climb in what felt like a glorified garden pail. At the summit, paragliders filled the skies as we sipped drinks and enjoyed toasted ham and cheese sandwiches on a terrace with sweeping views of the lake, Alps, and neighbouring waters. It was a bit cloudy, but dramatic nonetheless – made even more entertaining by an excitable American woman whose booming commentary amused us no end.

We descended and caught the ferry across to Intra – I may have dozed off mid-crossing – as the rain began (but again, we dodged the worst of it). From there, we drove to our next stop: Camping Parisi in Baveno, where we secured a lakeside pitch.

Later, we wandered Baveno’s lovely streets and sheltered with cocktails at a bar as another thunderstorm cracked overhead. Dinner followed at Poste restaurant: Caesar salads all round, tiramisu for me, and panna cotta for Gill. Delicious.

Walking back, we passed the Grand Hotel Dino, its orange blossom displays glowing in the evening light, just as a water and light show began – a magical end to another rich and varied day on the road.Leer más