Italy 2009 - some of the Italian Lakes

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A tour around some of the Italian lakes
It isn't a good idea to arrive at Lake Maggiore on a sunny weekend as everywhere was crowded and the roads jammed. However once we had driven up a very steep concrete road to the top terrace at the La Sierra campsite we lazed around for the rest of the afternoon. We tried to walk by the lake but there was no footpath on the busy road so gave up and spent the evening looking across at the view. On the Sunday morning we drove back to Verbania quite early and found a paying car park by the ferry terminal. After a stroll along the promenade and through the old town centre we drove around to Pallanza where we found we were able to park free by the lake on the roadside, just past the swimming pool and coach parking bays. This part of the town was more relaxed and interesting with the large Villa Giulia holding a flower sculpture festival and plenty of Italians in their Sunday best to watch.
old square in Verbania Traditional Italian bar posters Villa Guilia at Pallanza
After staying another night at the campsite we continued along the lake calling in at the small resort of Cannero Riviera with pleasant gardens including a large boulder imaginatively painted as a cat, and then on the very winding lakeside road to Locarno, back in Switzerland. We parked on the road near the marina, free as it was a public holiday and walked along the promenade to the old port at the opposite end of the town and the ancient church of San Quirico with frescos and a separate bell tower. After returning through the town we decided to drive up from the lakeside road to the Val Verzasca and the famous water worn rocks and bridge at Lavertezzo - along with several hundred other visitors. We remembered it being virtually deserted when we had visited many years ago! The village had an old church but we were concerned about the steps up to it with no railings and quite a drop to the narrow road. From there we drove along the flat valley through market gardens to an ACSI campsite at Gudo where we were given a scruffy pitch under the trees and eventually they provided the hookup we had paid for using multiple electric extension leads from a rather suspect set of sockets. Apparently the site was full as it was half term week for some regions of Germany. The next morning as we left we noticed that the entrance track crossed a narrow concrete bridge with no parapet and an arriving caravanner had cut the corner too sharply dropping a wheel off the edge. A crowd was gathering to manhandle it back onto the road but we didn't linger! Locarno on Lake Maggiore Traditional skiff at Locarno San Quirico - old Locarno Church at Lavertezzo young children no railings!	a pretty corner in Pallanza cat boulder Cannero Riviera Roman Bridge at Lavertezzo - Val Verzasca - a very popular day out
After driving to Bellinzona we took the main road south up the long climb to Mount Ceneri then a good road to Lugano passing many factories. As we approached the centre the traffic got worse and we crawled along with very poor signposting but eventually reached the lakeside road and wished we had taken the motorway bypass. Monte Bre overlooks the town and lake so we followed the signs and headed up an ever narrowing road to the village luckily meeting a bus at one of the few passing places. The old village had many modern artworks and we walked up the footpath with many steps to the top of the hill where there was virtually no view of the lake due to the trees, unless you paid to enter the restaurant terrace. Perhaps we should have taken the funicular railway to the top. We decided we had seen enough of Lugano so carefully drove back down to the main road and headed for Menaggio on Lake Como. We noticed large signs on this road banning travel for lorries, coaches and motorhomes for a few hours in the mornings and evenings. The almost good view from Monte Bre	Monte Bre village Monte Bre artwork
We really liked Menaggio because of its location and good ferry connections and it had a more workaday feel then the more touristy places on the lake. There is a pleasant promenade and piazza with many restaurants. Although Camping Europa where we stayed was a bit "tired" it was well positioned on the lakeside, about fifteen minutes walk from the town centre and the embarcation point for the car and passenger ferries across the lake to Varenna and Bellagio. We bought one day zone 3 passes for €11 each and enjoyed an excellent sunny day zig-zagging across the lake although it's best to get a printed timetable in advance to work out the routes and timings. Varenna has many colourful old houses and narrow lanes and Bellagio is smarter with large hotels, lots to watch on the lake and super gelateria. We discovered that we had a slow puncture when we returned to the van but the campsite owner told us luckily there was a tyre fitters in the town centre so our first port of call was there the next morning. As the front tyres were fairly worn we decided to replace both of them and headed back to Switzerland an hour later than planned and €240 lighter (no choice of brands - Pirellis or nothing!)
Views of Menaggio on Lake Como Varenna Bellagio
Pinocchio gets everywhere in Italy	Old steps in Bellagio
Driving back to Lugano we stopped at a supermarket in Porlezza still just in Italy for a low cost food top up and couldn't resist a massive Italian La Colomba Easter cake being sold off for a bargain 1€ (which lasted for the next fortnight!), then took the Swiss motorway north towards the San Gottard pass, a more pleasant drive than through the tunnel, but a long slow climb on a good clear road with snow at the sides as we approached the summit. We pulled in to the refuge and cafes at the top where the snow was still rather deep. After a quick stroll and photostop admiring but not envying the many cyclists and a vintage charabanc, we headed north across the Alps to the rather drab town of Andermatt surrounded by bare rocks (probably different in the skiing season), and continued north to Lake Luzern or Vierwald-stätter See as its marked on the map. Italian Easter cake	The road up to the San Gottard Pass much stickered San Gottard sign
Vintage coach at the summit	Deep snow but clear roads
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