OtR: Orta to Verbania

We had arranged with Nicolò to drive us to the covered parking structure at 9:30a … easier than wheeling our bags over the cobblestones. We were up early, however, and even with one last wander down to Piazza Motta after breakfast, we were ready to leave by 9:00a. So was Nicolò. Andiamo!

In hindsight, we should have avoided the heavy traffic on the coastal road along Lago Maggiore and gone directly to Verbania. Stresa and the other towns along the lake were packed with visitors. ‘Entitled’ drivers disregarded the red and green lights managing traffic in the construction zones, causing unnecessary back-ups. Very frustrating.

Having received notification that the apartment we’d organized through Booking.com was ready for us to check-in, we jiggled our plans and re-programmed the GPS to take us there. We would do our sightseeing after settling into the apartment instead.

By 10:30a, I was following the instructions to collect the keys and open the gate to the apartment complex. Parking — free — was one of the reasons why we had booked a place in a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Verbania instead of within the hustle and bustle of the resort towns along the lake. It turned out to be a good decision.

While the place lacks the charm of the Orta cottage, it has all the amenities we need for what we anticipate will be a sightseeing-heavy five-night stay. The hosts even left us a “welcome kit” of snacks and breakfast ingredients to get us started. That we won’t have to deal with the busy coastal roads to get everywhere is a bonus, as is the far-more wallet friendly nightly rate.

After settling in, we drove to a nearby supermarket to top up on groceries and returned to have a light lunch on the balcony. Browsing a coffee table book that our hosts had left for us, we also came up with a sightseeing plan for the next several days.

The blue-sky summer day temp was still a bit too hot for sightseeing, so Mui decided to take a nap before we ventured out. I used the time while he rested to do a bit of bookkeeping and a few chores … a productive use of our downtime.Читать далее