Pettenasco (Lake Orta)

We had been warned about slow traffic to get to Manila airport. Bryant collected us at 4pm and we drove to the airport, dropped our bags, passed through immigration and were sitting in the lounge well before 5pm. Tried some snacks and wine. Basically a mistake because Ursula had booked us business class on Etihad from Manila to Milan. Not so many wealthy travellers in Manila and the prices reflect this. Boarding was early. 6pm for a 7:30 departure. Didn’t matter as we were able to settle in and sip some pink champagne, a cuvee brut from an innovative rising star of the Champagne Valley, EPC. Absolutely delicious. I won’t bore you by describing the menu but we both ate and drank too much. Then slept. Those flat beds certainly make a difference. Before we knew it we were alighting in Abu Dhabi 8 hours later.
Unfortunately all we could fit in during our short visit to the Etihad lounge was a coffee. Next flight to Manila is only 6 hours. No heroics with the food and drinks although Tony was able to fit in a peach Bellini then a baklava with a Deen Bortoli semillon botrytis. We both had some useful sleep then were awoken with the most gorgeous scrambled egg with coffee.
Bit of a pattern here as it is pouring with rain as we land into the Milano dawn. 6:30 am so we have quite the wait for our hire car booking at 9:30. No problem. There’s a shuttle bus to the car depot which is out in the countryside. The driver provides an exciting ride. Welcome to Italy. The lady who does our paperwork is delightful. She even makes some touring and eating suggestions. Now the fun starts. Ursula gamely takes the first shift behind the wheel. The car is a Nissan Juke. Much bigger than our previous Italian hire car experience. We don’t have to use the back seat for the second suitcase. Manual shift of course. Haven’t done this for about 16 years, but it is like riding a bike. The car has sat-nav so we use it. In Italian, so the first challenge is to make it understandable. Not too hard.
We drive through the rain to B&B Il Barsot in Pettenasco. By now it is almost 11am and Luciano makes us a coffee while Maura fixes the room. Both are delightful. We freshen up and notice the rain has disappeared. Only a 5 minute walk down the steep hill to the town. Luciano: “15 minutes to walk back up”. Picnic lunch from the supermarket then we find the Passeggiata Lago which we walk with a peaceful stop for lunch. Lovely. Restful remainder of the afternoon then dinner at the lakeside Il Cormorano which belongs to a caravan park. We are so happy with them that we will go there on Friday night also.
Now it’s Thursday 11th September. Maura delivers a really nice breakfast and the stunning views make it a memorable experience. Only 2 more to come. Things don’t always go to plan. Tony is driving today and he doesn’t leave quite the same safety margin on the kerb side as Ursula. For some reason he worries about the oncoming traffic. We’re going to the markets in Omegna on the northern end of the lake. A laundromat is needed but after driving through town our destination turns out to be a laundry. Back to the market. The car satnav keeps on finding roads closed for repair without suggesting alternatives so it all takes a while. Finally we park near the lake and walk through the very long and interesting Thursday market.
Then along the lake to Pella where we walk and look and find lunch. Just up the hill is the church of Madonna del Sasso which perches on a cliff across the lake from our B&B. The plain outside belies the glorious religious artwork inside. We complete the lap of the lake. Dinner tonight is at Bar Dolphin where we are the only guests. Plain food lifted by the snapping fresh salad and our waiter, Eric, who is dressed like a kitchen hand and looks rather rough. Really good fun as he makes a game of not knowing any English nor Australian. Ursula was able to translate.
On Friday 12th September we first drive the narrow windy road to Mottarone a mountain top with magic views. We were promised a view of 7 lakes but the clouds didn’t follow the script. We walked up a ski slope to the top and enjoyed a coffee while waiting for the clouds to lift. They didn’t. Next stop was Orta san Giulio on the end of a peninsula jutting into Lake Orta. Lovely small historic town. We enjoyed walking the streets and had a nice lunch at a table in the street. Caught the small boat out to Isola san Giulio. There’s a Benedictine monastery, now inhabited by 70 nuns, and the 12th century Basilica di San Giulio. The Way of Silence is a walk around the monastery dedicated to the healing power of silence. There are uplifting sayings at regular intervals such as “Walls are in the mind” and “In the silence you accept and understand”. You can walk briskly right around in about 10 minutes, but we took much longer.
After returning to shore we walked around the Orta san Giulio peninsula then drove up to Sacro Monte di Orta. It is a religious complex, a collection of 20 chapels dedicated to St Francis of Assissi. Magnificent artworks and a stunning position over the lake. It is easy to understand why this is now included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
Dinner tonight was a repeat at Il Cormorano where we sampled our first pizza in Italy this time. Did not disappoint. Tomorrow, we drive past Lake Maggiore to Lake Como. We will be staying in the small village of Ossuccio.Read more