We’re simultaneously starting to run out of the top sights and getting so tired from all the walking that we’re looking for plans that require traveling further away.
Today, that plan started by taking us briefly to Baveno, just to purchase tickets for the Lago Maggiore Express, a train-and-boat tour that we’ve scheduled for tomorrow, and then we drove off to Mount Mottarone, a 1400m tall mountain that separates Lakes Orta and Maggiore. It looks super close on the map, but the drive is in fact long and repetitive because you have to zigzag all the way up the slope.
Halfway through the climb we stopped at the Alpinia Botanical Garden, which costs 5€ per person. As the name might imply, the garden boasts mostly plants and flowers that one can find in and around the Alps. The garden is okay on its own, nothing to write home about, but it was made nicer by the cool breeze, the almost total absence of other people, and most importantly by the stunning views from its main vantage point.
From a comfortable bench, you can see up and down the entire Lago Maggiore, the islands in it, lots and lots of mountain peaks, and even the faraway Lago Varese in the distance. This morning there was just the lightest fog towards the back of the landscape, which made the view all that more magical. Between the comfort of the shady refuge, the ambient music piped in through discretely placed speakers, and the otherworldly vastness of the scenery, it was a pleasure to just sit back and let the time go by.
Eventually, and begrudgingly, we had to resume our walk. After the big attraction that is the veranda, the garden doesn’t really have anything else to offer, so we finished the route (not before mistakenly going down a long dead end) and got back in the car to reach the summit, which also took forever (we even stopped for coffee at a zipline park; we ordered toast and their concept of it was a full ham and cheese sandwich, which to be fair was yummy).
Once at the very top of the Mottarone, we could tell that it’s mostly a skiing resort, with lots of big winter-cottage-style hotels closed for the season and several chairlifts to take skiers up the slopes. Today, at the very beginning of summer, there was almost nobody there and precious little to do or see. There was a nice view from perhaps one or two corners, but not the kind of breathtaking revelation that we’d had back at the garden.
By the time we were done snooping around it was lunchtime, and the problem was on the one hand that there were maybe two places open to eat up there, total, and on the other hand, there was the travel maxim of “eat when you can, sleep when you can.” So we decided to risk it and walk into the Genziana, a ski lodge/hotel/restaurant from which music could be heard. The food was good, very different from the typical fare we find elsewhere, probably more winter-oriented (hearty, several dishes with game); mostly it was notable because we were served by the hulkiest and sweetest waiter who looked like he could crush a skull with his bare hands but instead kindly gave us a tiramisu for dessert on the house. People really are lovely here, and the preferential treatment we get really proves that Mediterranean kinship is a thing.
After lunch, it was another long drive down the mountain and south towards Meina, a town that the internet said had remarkable villas. This might be true, as is the fact that you can’t really see them by walking around the thoroughly unremarkable town, as we did. Give this one a pass!
Thankfully, the next town over, Arona, is a delight. There’s this narrow old street, called Via Cavour, with lots of upscale shops displaying sober clothes at outrageous prices, which leads out onto a rectangular square by the river.
Here, the real prize is once again the view, because right across the lake sits the impressive Rocca di Angora, a 13th-17th century fort perched atop the hill above the town of Angora. From where I was looking the fort looked shockingly well preserved, so much so that I wouldn’t bat an eye if you told me it’d been built ten years ago. My guidebook says the interior can be visited and it’s kind of like a palazzo, so that’s an option if we run out of things to do!
On the way back from the square, instead of retracing our steps back down Via Cavour, we walked down the lakeside promenade (these are called “lungolago” around here), stopping of course for ice cream. When I said that I planned to eat my own weight in gelato this trip, I thought was being hyperbolic.
All in all Arona makes for a very pleasant walk, with lots of stuff to look at, plenty of people enjoying the town, and plenty of options to eat and dine. It might not be a destination in and of itself but it’s worth a detour!
And that’s it for today! Now, to prepare for our foray into Switzerland tomorrow!
This Is A Lake 