One of the Fremamorta Lakes

This protected area covers nearly 28,000 hectares including three valleys (Gesso, Stura, Vermenagna) and four towns (Aisone, Entracque, Valdieri, Vernante).
The Alpi Marittime – the southernmost section of the Alpine chain – divide the southern area of Piedmont from the French coasts of Nizza and Mentone.  On this side there is the Mercantour National Park, with its Valley of Wonders, a site with thousands of rock engravings.

There are more than 80 small lakes and streams situated in the Parco delle Alpi Marittime. The Valcuca and the Maledia are very small and isolated, while the Sella, Portette, di Valscura e della Valletta are bigger and much deeper.  Most of the lakes have glacial origins.
But the glaciers nowadays are very rare as they located in the southern part of the Alps, at only 50 km away from the French Riviera.
The Park is the ideal place for setting out excursions. You can choose one of the many “rifugi” (mountain huts or lodges) built at 2000m or along the routes you can find several bivouacs belonging to C.A.I. (Italian Alpine club), small huts that can sleep up to 9 people; they are very small inside and cannot be booked in advance.

the path leads to the bivacco (hut) Guiglia

The bright red hut in the photo is named after Jacques Guiglia and is situated at 2437m, near the Fremamorta lakes.  Even if it is not a happy name (the word “morta” in Italian means “death”) it is a lovely place,  not sad at all: 5 lakes in a row set at the back of the so named Vallone della Valletta.

The landscape is wonderful, there is a view on the French mountains from every corner of the protected area. For example from the Colle di Fenestrelle at east of Fremamorta Lakes you can enjoy a stunning view of the Argentera mountain.
The reserve is populated during the whole year by deers and wild goats that you can easily see in the spring and summer.

For details concerning itineraries and hiking routes, please visit Parcoalpimarittime.it.

The archipelago of the Borromean Islands is a group of three small islands (Isola Madre, Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori) and two islets (Isolino di San Giovanni and Scoglio di Marghera), located in the western arm of Lake Maggiore overlooking Stresa and Pallanza in front of the Borromeo gulf.

The biggest one is Isola Madre (8 hectares), famous for its Botanical Garden filled with rare plants and exotic species: Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Lilies and Camellias. Thanks to the mild climate we can also find exotic animals like the family of parrots Monaens Elic. In the middle of the garden stands the beautiful palace belonging to the Borromeo Family. Renovated in 1978 it is splendidly furnished with XVI to XIX century Italian masterpieces and paintings,  marionette theatres and a collection of French dolls.

Isola dei Pescatori is the only inhabited island in the archipelago. It is 100 meters wide and 350 m long and is still today a picturesque fishing village with the traditional fishing boats anchored along the shore.

The small islet of Isolino di San Giovanni is famous because the well known orchestra director Arturo Toscanini lived in the Mansion Borromeo from 1927 to 1952.  Both the palace and the island are privat and cannot be visited.

How to get there:

Motorway Milano-Laghi (A8) (to Castelletto Ticino connection with A26) Exit Arona follow Strada Statale 33 del Sempione in direction Stresa or A26 Genoa-Gravellona Toce exit Baveno-Stresa.

Visiting times: From March 27 to October 24.
From March to September 9.00 am 12.00 pm/1.30 pm 5.30 pm.
Ottobre: 9.00 am 12.00 pm/1.30 pm

Useful links:

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isole_Borromee

Castellaro is situated only few kilometres away from Peschiera Del Garda, near Mozambano, overlooking the river Mincio, on the borderline between Lombardy and Veneto.

Castellaro is a real jewel that reflects in a tiny romantic heart-shaped river. The village that was a modest stronghold in the 11th Century has ancient origins; in fact there have been found here traces of lake dwellings from the Iron Age .

The small village is dominated by Villa Arringhi, a transformation of the former feudal castle, and it incorporates the small church of San Giuseppe dated back to the 1700s.

This wonderful village has recently been included in the list of the “”THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN ITALY”, promoted by the association “Borghi Card”.

The village is very small and tourists are very welcome here.  Castellaro has managed to promote it self and advertise its town in best ways, thanks to its web site that has had a million and a half of visitors in less than a year.

On the website Castellarolagusello.it, you’ll find useful information about  how to reach the village and also local recipes, info about flora and fauna, excursions, weather forecasts and a list of restaurants. Among these is the Fattoria Pepe, an agriturismo where you can taste juicy wild fruit, jam, marmalade and honey.

The Ligurian Apennine offers visitors many opportunities for rewarding excursions into the natural and artistic treasures of the lakes and forests. There are only 33 natural lakes here and the deepest ones are really very small. Twenty of these lakes have glacial origins and as the expert Daniele Ferrando says in her book “Lakes of Liguria and surroundings” there are 4 of them which nobody knows how they originated.

I want to tell you about an excursion I done in the Aveto Valley, in province of Genova. We left from the Liguria mountains high route (Alta Via dei Monti Liguri), at Lago degli Abeti, at 1300 m of altitude, inside the Riserva Naturale delle Agoraie (Reserve of Agoraie). The name says it all: a lake surround by fir-woods that reflect themselves in the lake. In certain times of the day the fir-woods donate a particular water-green colour to the lake.

There have been many studies about the Lago degli Abeti, concerning the origin of some white fir-tree stumps situated at the bottom of the lake and visible from its banks. At the beginning people thought they had fossil origins, but it is more credible to think they arrived here after earthquakes or downpours. In the natural reserve are many rare floral species, while lately people say that there has been a wolf wandering around the area.

To get to Rezzoaglio, you have to go through Chiavari, a small village on the south western coast of Liguria. From here you follow for Carasco and take the road for Borzonasca, on the road SP586. You go through several small villages and gone passed Rezzoaglio, along the SP654, you get to Magnasco. The name of this village comes from the Latin words “magnus obscurus“, because the area is covered with beeches and white pine trees.

Staying in the Aveto Valley but going further down you can see several lakes called lakes of the Agoraie (laghi delle Agoraie) and the most important one is the Lago delle Lame, three kilometres away from Magnasco. The name could come from the Latin word “amnis“, meaning river of water or could come from the Italian word “lama” meaning small valley.

Here you can fish trout or you can take up knitting like people say, in fact there is a hotel-restaurant that has a riding track, open from June to September.

Like all other little villages overlooking the lake, Feriolo has its nice beaches, a lovely romantic dock and nice colourful houses.

But this village has something extra. This small town is located on the banks of the Borromeo Gulf, one of the best panoramic spots of Lake Maggiore. There are many tourists in the summer, but during the low season it reveals its quiet and romantic side.

You can reach this little town driving along the coastal road.

If you come from Baveno and it’s nice weather Feriolo will appear to you on the right like a framed picture. It shows all its charm at sunset.

It’s beautiful to walk along the streets and stop in one of the cafés on the lake front for an aperitif.

It is for this reason that it’s called the Portofino of Lake Maggiore.

If  instead you arrive in the morning I suggest you to hang around until lunch time so you can taste some lake specialities in one of the traditional restaurants like Ristorante Battello del Golfo, a boat of the Fifties, well restored, berthed to the river.

Useful links:

Feriolo – Official website of tourist information Lake Maggiore
Restaurant Battello del Golfo
Photos Lake Maggiore

For three days running this village in Piedmont is full of tourists but not only that come to see this contest.
Oranges are used like weapons by people dressed up with armours on carts trained by horses.

Today the contest is still enacted in the main squares of the town where teams in carriages (symbolising the tyrant’s guards) battle against the orange thrower teams on foot.

During the carnival regional specialities are served in the streets – particularly fagioli grassi (fat beans) and salamella (kind of salami) accompanied by vin brulé (hot red and spicy wine).

While I was staying with some friends of mine I managed to get some information about what you can do nearby.

Some years ago I had been in a certain forest that was said to be “dancing”. This “soft” forest rises upon a terrain that once was a lake basin. The roots have become a sort f elastic net hanging in space, and this makes anyone that comes along here dance. I found out that it is Lake Coniglio that no longer exists. This “wobbly terrain” is magic and I hope to come back soon!

Ivrea is surrounded by snowy mountain tops. My friend told me to come back in the summer to see long moronic hill named “Serra”; covered by forests and lakes. The Serra has 5 major lakes: San Michele, Sirio, Pistono, Nero and Cascinette.

Every year since 1977 a famous running competition is organised along the route (24km) that connects these lakes together “Corsa Podistica dei 5 laghi”. The race takes place in September and is promoted by AVIS.

Even if Ivrea boasts a rural tradition it has a post-industrial aspect. In fact in the past the firm Olivetti was here, famous Italian manufacturer of computers, printers and other business machines.

This company has left a significant sign on the territory: an architecture of quality signed by Luigi Figini e Gino Pollini that even the most distracted of tourists notices.

Ivrea is certainly worth a visit for no matter what reason, if it’s for its tradition, the architecture or for the wine,

The panorama is unique and there are very few panoramas like this one. The access to this enchanted scenery reserve is situated in the new area just passed the neighbourhood of Cislano.

These pyramids represent a real nature masterpiece and are the result of a rare erosion phenomenon in partly cemented clay-gravel deposits, including big rocks of petrified sediments.

The rainwater rapidly washed away the clay matrix of the deposits from the mountain slopes thus isolating little by little the rocks which are left to protect the material below like umbrellas.

So, the gravel deposits that form the moraine give origin to the “pyramids”, earth pinnacles surmounted by rocks.

The pathway is long 1km and along the road you will find many information boards illustrating the formation of this phenomenon.

The reserve is always open and offers the possibility of tourist guides.

Useful LInks
Hotels in Zone
Hotels in Lake Iseo

Last Sunday for a change (as I had seen all the films I was interested in) I decided to go out for the day. So I phoned a friend of mine, Chiara, to ask her if she would come with me to the bookstore Feltrinelli and perhaps afterwards stop for a hot chocolate with cream. But Chiara surprises me and says that she had already organised a day out at Comacina Island with Filippo.

Always Filippo….Is it possible that he hasn’t given up yet, I say to her. And Chiara answers back saying it’s her that has given up, and a month has already past since! This news makes me understand that this winter has been real fateful: not only had I not been out much, but I had also neglected my friends and didn’t know anything about the new love stories!!!!

Chiara asks me if I wanted to go with them, but I didn’t think if was right, I would have felt out of place. But she insists saying that there would have been other people, like Federica and Sofia, which I hadn’t heard for a while either.

Ok you have convinced me, I shall come with you to Comacina Island, I say to her… But where exactly is it…? Are you joking?…..she says. Is it possible that you have never heard of the only island of Lake Como? Eh no….I answer back.

We got there by boat leaving from the docks of Sala Comacina (see map). It is a nice sunny day and the island is a real surprise, so small and so cute. I look at the small gulf with its olive trees and I imagine how it can be in the nice season.

We took the road straight on our left called Viale del poeta. It is 2 km long. Long enough to take us to explore the island. Filippo told us that by taking the road on our right you get to the Locanda of Comacina Island, maybe we could come back here for a weekend, Filippo says to Chiara.

The place is rich in history with its architectures and remains, difficult to believe as it is such a small island. There are signs around indicating where they are situated. The island was inhabited until 1169, when the revenge of the people of Como broke out destroying everything.

There are some houses that date back to the 1930ies, when the island was supposed to become an artistic resort and three houses of study were built. The project was never carried out, but the houses remained and they are an example of formal rational architecture. Today the villas are in a bad state and is really a shame.

Filippo gave me all this information while Chiara was admiring him while speaking. And now I understand why Chiara gave up to him and I am really happy for them.

Anyway besides the architecture beauties of the island, the best thing of Comacina Island is the wonderful panoramas and the peaceful atmosphere that reigns here (besides the laughs of Federica and Sofia who were talking about shopping and pilates lessons and not noticing the beautiful landscape surrounding them).

The only other negative aspect was discovering that the Locanda is closed in the winter season (from 1st November to 1st March). It’s a shame because I was really curious. Filippo says that the cuisine here is very simple but really good. It seems that the menu is the same of the one in 1947 and that at the end of the meal, when the coffee is served, the owner comes in after the bell has rung, he burns the brandy and while telling the island story he adds the sugar and serves the brandy.

So I shall certainly come back!!