The lakes of Italy by bicycle: day 7

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| Photo 1: Maggiore lake. Borromee islands by night |

Photo 2: The path

Seventh stage of my tour, from Omegna to Stresa. I wake up early at 6 because breakfast is at 7 and I would like to take a tour of Omegna to see what the town is like. I raise the blinds and it rains. Therefore at 7 I have breakfast and I prepare the cyclist’s clothing for the rain, but fortunately at 8 it no longer rains.

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| Photo 3: Omegna at 6 a.m., it rains!

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| Photo 4: Omegna |

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| Photo 5: Omegna, Sant’Ambrogio church, 960 a.C.

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| Photo 6: Omegna |

I take this opportunity to go around Omegna and take some photos. It is a typical Piedmontese town, you can clearly see the pre-mountain architecture, some slate roofs, old rusty wrought iron balconies. You can see the abandoned houses but you can clearly see that the older buildings are being restored and that, in my opinion, are more interesting than the modern ones. I return to the hotel and prepare for departure. Both a jacket and windproof are needed, it’s not really that hot.I calculated the most convenient route, the one that should make me do less climb. In any case, I know that I will have to pass from the 300 meters of Lake Orta, to the brow of the 500 meters which is the lowest point to pass on the side of Lake Maggiore.

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| Photo 7: Orta lake

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| Photo 8: Orta lake near Orta |

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| Photo 9: Orta, villa Crespi |

It no longer rains, the day is gray and I take some usual photos but clearly when there are no colors and when there is no sun, everything seems flatter. I arrive in Orta and an Arabian-style castle welcomes me but it is nothing more than a hotel, therefore not open to visitors. I head towards the town of Orta and the point where I can photograph the island of San Giulio. Here the chaos is indescribable, unfortunately today is a day of celebration and as soon as a small glimmer of sun appeared, everyone went here to the lake I understand.

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| Photo 10: Orta lake, St. Giulio island |

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| Photo 11: Orta lake near Orta |

The Island of San Giulio was already inhabited in Neolithic and Iron Age times. It has always been an important point in history. Already in the fifth century a church was erected there and it has always been considered in a strategic position to counter any invasions by troops from the Simplon. Finally, it entered the possessions of various bishops and monastic orders, who transformed it as it can now be admired with various interventions over the centuries. I resume the march and deviate from the main road to follow the track proposed by Cycle travel.

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| Photo 12: Legro |

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| Photo 13: Legro |

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| Photo 14: Goodbye Orta |

First of all, he takes me through the town of Legro, a painted town, especially with images that recall the various films from the past in the history of Italian cinema. Arguments very different from those we found in Satriano, more concerning fairy tales or local episodes. The track follows the railway, however, at a certain point, it sends me down a country lane and at a crossroads you do not interpret it well. You think it must be impossible that he can send me for a very hard trail trace and I decide that surely that is not to be taken. Therefore I continue and the track becomes increasingly narrow, in the midst of high vegetation, until I finally see a level crossing, and beyond it I find myself in the middle of an oak forest. I look closely at the navigator I see that I am in the middle of a forest completely lost. I walk through the forest in the direction of a road and after about ten minutes I find myself practically where I was before. I decide to redo the track and at the junction of the trail trace I take it badly. The plotter of that map must have heard me even though I’m had not spoken English in that moment. The more I went on, the more I slipped on the wet leaves from the rain of the night, big stones made my bicycle slip and jump this way and my luggage bounced. I finally arrive on a road and I decide to completely abandon the track of the navigator. I look where the normal road is and try to reach it. From here everything becomes easier even if the climb I still have to do it practically.

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| Photo 15: Maggiore lake |

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| Photo 16: Maggiore lake |

I reach Nebbiuno and eat here and there are still only 15 km to reach Stresa. I get an email that worries me with a communication from the hotel that I have chosen to spend the night. It is not available as it is still closed, but they give me a replacement for the night in another structure of theirs, which is by the lake and of a higher category and what more do I want? I arrive in Stresa with a nice descent and heck, this is a suit and tie hotel! Apparently they don’t care as much as they used to. Shower and I go to take the boat to go to the Fishermen’s island.

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| Photo 17: Maggiore lake, Isola Bella |

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| Photo 18: Maggiore lake, Superior island or Fishermen’s island |

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| Photo 19: Maggiore lake, Fishermen’s island

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| Photo 20: Maggiore lake, Fishermen’s island, the nets |

I get on the boat as a light drizzle begins again. We first pass through Isola Bella and then arrive at the fishermen’s island or higher. Even if it is now a bedlam of small craft shops, let’s say local, and a set of restaurants and bars or other types of public places, the island fully retains its aspect of a place inhabited by fishermen, even if by now it has inhabitants. just under twenty. It is interesting to observe the large cauldron used by fishermen to heat the water in which they then dyed the nets. By doing so they gave the net greater resistance and a longer life.

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| Photo 21: Maggiore lake, Fisherman’s island
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Photo 22: Maggiore lake, Fisherman’s island, the church

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| Photo 23: Maggiore lake, Fisherman’s island, the church


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I go around looking for angles that can satisfy my photographic curiosity. The parish church is also interesting, where on the altar appear the golden half busts of four bishops including Sant’Ambrogio and San Carlo Borromeo, obviously some connection with the Borromeo family must have been called the Borromean islands. Other interesting frescoes on the walls of the chapels.

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| Photo 24: Maggiore lake, liberty stile hotels in Stresa |

From the island it can be seen that the entire lakefront of Stresa is occupied by various hotels, most of them in Art Nouveau style, to remember that it was one of the favorite destinations of wealthy vacationers and exponents of the Italian Risorgimento between the second half of the 19th early 20th century. Return that a pale sun peeps through the clouds. See you tomorrow.

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| Photo 25: Fisherman’s island |

And here the video of the dayhttps://youtu.be/8SiDZKS1wAY

9 Likes

@plavarda какое прекрасное путешествие у вас)

1 Like

Grazie @MarishkaPeskova , sono stato molto fortunato anche con il meteo, anche se ho avuto due giorni un po’ nuvolosi, gli altri 8 sono stati tutti pieni di sole!!

Un grosso abbraccio

Paolo