High seas, family, adventures

10/5 Switzerland and back to Stresa
We did our ‘Lake Maggiore Express’ tour today, a fairly full day leaving Stresa by train at 10.30 – we had the option of going at 9.30am but it was still a bit drizzly so hedged our bets. We got talking to an NZ couple from Kati Kati on the platform, I think they were on an eight week trip just going from place to place as the fancy took them, train for most of it, booking a couple of days ahead. Kept running into them later, nice to chat. It was only half an hour to Domodossola (the train speedo in the carriage got up to 140 kph), skirting the lake at first (great view of the three small islands we’d visited) then starting up into the mountains. We passed some enormous quarries, one with big stones tumbling down, and another on a few levels where the trucks etc were dwarfed.

Domodossola – we had about an hour to wander round, the town square was a short walk away through little alleys and bigger streets, lots of nice shops if you had plenty of money to buy clothes. There was a tiny market in the square, just a few vegetable stalls and some clothes, nice and sunny with lovely old buildings and, of course, a church for me to go and look inside. A bit dark but some lovely stained glass, and very old, faded frescoes on the entrance walls.

Then it was back on the train into our assigned seats, lucky to get window seats facing each other and the aisle seats were taken by a very pleasant couple from Manchester who had lived for three years in Christchurch and Auckland, he is an insurance assessor and was sent out at the time of the earthquakes in Christchurch, they really loved their time there, children did well, in fact they left the oldest one in Auckland working.

This train trip was much slower, two hours, and it took us over 83 bridges and 31 tunnels (mostly short ones), some of the bridges were stone, old, on high arches, more like small viaducts I guess, and some were on a curve so you could look out and see the engine ahead of you. In some places the road ran parallel or down below, there were tiny villages perched up high with no visible roads going to them; you have to wonder if they’re like those ones you see on TV, houses sold for 50 Euro if someone will reno within a specified time. All seem to have a high church tower and all seem to be painted that soft browny creamy yellow colour with brown tiles.

There were a lot of tiny vineyards as we got a bit higher, not a lot of growth on them but still showing some green leaves. Lower down we saw market gardens, paddocks ploughed in wide strips with grass in-between, a few tree nurseries, and what looked to be rows of berry bushes in one place. There were azaleas showing colour, houses with huge stacks of wood beside them, and in some places just little ruins of houses miles from anywhere.

We had a great view back down to Domodossola from up high, then we were into the mountain trees, lots of high cliffs and a few waterfalls, high cloud fortunately as we’d had rain. It would be a very pretty trip in winter with snow all around.

Going over the Swiss border wasn’t obvious, in fact we saw more chalet-style houses on the Italian side. We’d had to take our passports but they weren’t checked at any time on the trip, I think you just have to take them in case you get stuck in the other country (we had to take them when we went across to Malmo as well).

It was drizzling a bit when we got to Locarno, not a great deal to see there in our 80 minute stop so we hopped on the little tourist train which was a really good idea as it took us away from the waterfront, much of the town slopes upwards, great views down to the lake. We passed through a few piazzas; the main town square we were told is turned into an ice skating rink in winter. The town apparently has only 16,000 population but it seemed bigger, lots of fairly high apartment buildings, quite big commercial buildings, a fairly big shopping area and lots of restaurants and accommodation as well as a fairly big marina on the lake and a very new-looking sports/aquatic centre.

The last leg of the trip was on a ferry, two hours 20 min down the middle of the lake (which is actually long and narrow) down to Stresa. We snagged a table by a window and sat comfortably for the trip, had a snack and drink and watched the scenery on both sides. The lake seems to be built up with towns and strung-out houses, not much empty space to be seen, such a contrast to anything you would see lakeside in New Zealand. The ferry was on three levels, made a couple of stops before Stresa and we watched a big tour group stream off at one point, that ‘cleared the decks’ for sure.

All in all it was a very enjoyable day, I’m pleased we were there at the right time to do that trip.

We had dinner again at the pizza place, easy distance and a repeat of Wednesday’s meal so definitely no complaints. Got our packing up done and we were all set to move on to Lucca on Thursday.Leggi altro

15/5 Food tour
When we were in Barcelona we did a food tour with the company Devour, it was excellent and we thought we’d try them in Venice, so pleased we did, it’s one of the best tours of any sort I’ve done. The tour leader, Jennifer, was an Aussie but had lived in Venice for 40 years. There were only four others on the tour, two from Florida and two from Bristol probably aged in their fifties, and we all got on like a house on fire: travel, sport (err, not me), food, history, all sorts. In the end the tour went for 4 ½ hours rather than the advertised 3 ½, Jennifer was hard pushed to break it up even then.

We’d got a vaporetto to St Toma station and met the others in a piazza a couple of minutes away. There was a bit of time waiting for one couple, nice to have time to look in a couple of mask and costume shop windows. We got some history and general Venice information as well as food and Venetian specialities. Looking at the masks we were told about the Plague Doctor (stolen photo) who would fill the hollow beak with herbs to mask the smell of death, and would go into houses, prod the victims to see if they were alive or dead, then carry on. On the other hand, the dresses in the windows were beautiful!

Right where we stood we learned there was a centuries-old cistern with a well on top – every big and small piazza in Venice has them, every time you cross a bridge you’re going onto another island and they all needed water. This was collected through special drains, fed through a sand-type filter system and stored, doled out in very small quantities to the population. It was rationed, two quarts each, and the system worked until the 1800’s, now water comes through a series of aqueducts from the mountains and it’s estimated that each resident and visitor uses 300 litres per day now!

The penalty for tainting the water was execution, it was so precious.

We had our first cicchetti in that piazza, small snacks on bread (one a creamy mashed fish each and then we could choose our second from ham, salami, cheese, all tasty) plus an Aperol spritz which is popular in Venice. Then off we went, and this was a part of Venice we hadn’t been around so we saw new places. Just around the corner she talked about the huge Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari church so we earmarked that to visit on Tuesday, these churches are huge, and as Jennifer had said earlier, along with a piazza and cistern/well, each little island had a church and they must have cost so much to build. Very rich and very poor people in those days, the rich buying their way to heaven.

A hundred meters away was the Scuola Grande di Sainte Rocco, another place that went on our list. I can’t recall everything we were told, but the second stop wasn’t far away and out came the prosecco with a platter of meats, cheese and bread. It was around here that we had a look at a fruit and vegetable boat tied up, no need for a shop, just bring the boat around the canals and people will line up. Very nice-looking asparagus there and peaches I noticed. The third stop was for wine and a small square cheese-stuffed ‘puff’ of dough – and just as well we continued walking. She pointed out a 15th century building that looked on its last legs but………isn’t that a Banksy? Yes, Banksy was in Venice and the theme had been a shipwrecked/migrant child in the San Pantalon area. Photos attached.

On these food tours you know not to over-eat during the day and our fourth stop was for a plate of pasta flavoured with anchovies, a bit too fishy for the Americans who didn’t eat it but I managed half – Pete was happy to help me out. And last of all we ended up on the waterfront just along from the big private yacht we’d seen from the vaporetto, sat outdoors and had delicious chocolate gelato and cream with a surprise. A friend of Jennifer’s had always wanted to make his own gin and during lockdown he did this, it’s being manufactured and beautifully presented as you can see – and it’s sold at this lovely restaurant. We were all given a shot, the trick apparently being to use some of it to wash out the last of your gelato. Pete did this, being an affogato fan, so tried it with gin and chocolate instead of the usual affogato icecream, coffee and liqueur. The American woman bought a bottle, beautifully presented in a box. Have a look at the website, it’s a great story https://gindeigin.com/

So as I’ve said, 4 ½ hours on it was after 8.30pm and the tide was rising quickly so Jennifer needed to get home to the mainland, it was predicted that St Mark’s square would be a couple of inches under water (not sure if that did happen) so we all headed away, or rolled home full of good food and wine. It was a great night; we were all extremely happy at the end.Leggi altro

16/5 Venice in the rain
We woke to rain, looked out the window to see umbrellas up, jackets and rain ponchos on the street, so didn’t rush for breakfast and didn’t rush out but had to get moving towards 11 and retraced some of our steps from last night. Had to be really careful too, the paving stones on all the alleys are really slippery if you don’t have the right footwear, which I didn’t.

First stop was Scuola Grande di San Rocco which we’d seen last night, website attached if you are interested as it gives information and many more photos than I could ever take. It’s famous for Titian, Tintoretto and other artists http://www.scuolagrandesanrocco.org/home/ There’s a fairly empty, columned room on the ground floor with very big paintings, I was looking at the babies in one painting (see attached), then saw the title ‘The Circumcision’, poor wee mites. I can’t help thinking the paintings are all dark though it would take a fortune to clean them all, must have been a sight when new.

Next we headed up a long stone staircase flanked by more big paintings, to another massive room with a colourful tiled floor and beautiful painted ceiling – they provide magnifying mirrors the size of a tray for you to walk around and stand under the paintings, Pete tried it but got a bit dizzy. The walls are covered in more paintings but also, spaced a couple of meters apart, beautifully carved wooden statues, each over a meter tall; wooden statues are my favourites. Wasn’t too keen on the bare-breasted women ranged along one side, not sure what those monks got up to back in the day, but on the other side the statues were stunning, all of people doing something. I think my favourite looked like a servant; he has a set of bellows for the fire. Another was reading a book and………number 3 favourite had and Akubra, just like Pete!

Up yet another staircase to a smaller room full of display cases, the treasury and my favourite was this little man, about 3cm tall, part of a large candlestick and really delicately made.

Next stop - see the next entry....Leggi altro