13-Jun-2018:: Lake Maggiore exploring again

The rain had not stopped all night, and once again we awoke to drizzly light rain. During breakfast we discussed our options with our host. He suggested a visit to Lake Orta, in particular to the old town of Orta San Giulio and to an island in the lake which has the same name.

So taking on board his suggestions we headed off in the car to the town of Orta San Giulio, some 20kms away, all on local country roads, through lots of small towns and villages. The vegetation up here is so lush and green, because of the high rainfall.

We arrived at the town at around 10:00am, but the old part of the town was only accessible by foot. Light rain was still falling, but the walk was not too arduous, albeit slightly slippery.

The old town itself did not disappoint, with so many narrow streets, small shops, domestic residences, churches and chapels, cafes and restaurants, all within a stones throw of the lakes shore. It was obviously somewhat early in this town as quite a number of the shops and restaurants were either just opening, or had just opened. There were not too many tourists about as yet either, so it was relatively easy to move around. The local market was also in the process of setting up, with lots of stalls selling local produce and local arts and crafts.

We then determined to take a motor boat across to the island. It was only a short distance so it was comparatively inexpensive. The rain had just stopped by now and there was even a hint of sunshine. The island has one main point of interest – the 10th century and a monastery attached. We were able to visit the church and even the crypt containing the remains of San Giulio, but unfortunately we could only view the monastery from the outside, as it is still a functioning monastery with clergy inside. We circled the small island completely in a matter of 30 minutes checking out the quaint and the antique and then headed back to Orta San Giulio in time for lunch.
The rain was still holding off, so we had a pleasant lunch in a small but lovely local restaurant, which specialises in home style dishes.

Our host had also advised us about some shopping outlet place about 40kms away, so we spent some of the afternoon there, browsing and checking out the locals shopping habits.

A quick stop back at the B&B and them out for some dinner back in Stresa town. By this stage, the weather had fined.up to a balmy sunny evening, ideal for a dinner outdoor, followed by a passegiata along the lake promenade – very pleasant way to finish off an evening.