Getting to Verbania - half the fun?

Considering the real fun ahead, getting there was way down the percentage scale, but fun nonetheless.

It took two days via 5 trains to travel from Montpellier, France to Verbania, Italy on Lago Maggiore. We traveled along the beautiful, but OMG too crowded Riviera, stopping for the night just inside Italy's border at Ventimiglia for a swim in the Mediterranean, renting those cute beach loungers with umbrella,

then cleaning up for our first Italian meal. Danice thought she was in heaven with a Pizza de Melanzanie Parmigiane, and Paul had the best Seafood Linguini ever with Clams & Langostini all artfully piled on Squid Ink.

(The remains of the meal)

Then as the evening cooled, Paul convinced me to climb a grande hill to the very oldest part of town. There at 11:00PM families were gathered in several ancient church piazzas conversing with their neighbors, watching their kids play, sharing some wine. It was Tuesday night and they behaved as though enjoying life were the only thing....

Parts of the old town felt like they were right out of an old Italian movie.

We've said it before and we can't avoid saying it again...

What joy to be in Italy!!!!!!!!!

(also, thanks be to whomever invented Italian, they pronounce words the way they spell them here.)

Next morning, to stock up on fruits for the train to Milan, we went to the newer part of Ventimiglia where they had a delightful food and flower market.

Love those porcinis and truffles - upper right hand corner

Unfortunately our 5 hour train trip to Milan lasted 5 1/2 hoours; thus we missed the preferred 3:30 connection to Verbania. Time in fact does move much more slowly in a stifling hot Stazione; but we survived to board the 5:30 train, and soon after we left Milan we welcomed the rain and cool breezes gracing our open windows. We arrived Verbania barely in time to shower before dinner with most of our hiking group, all 6 of us coming from within Italy. But, our trusty organizers, Laura and Jim, awoke that same morning in Sausalito to find their Air France flight cancelled; but intrepid travelers they hopped a KLM via Amsterdam and joined us 90 minutes later. The pastas, grilled veggies, tomatoes, mozzarella, aqua frizzante* and wines flowed freely as we celebrated all finding our way to this beautiful place on a beautiful lake - anticipating the Alps, the sites, and the food.

(*Note: To his dismay, I remind Paul of the carbon footprint of importing Italian bottled water to San Francisco, but here in Italy he is a free man, who joyfully drinks down the San Pelligrino whenever/wherever a toilet in his future is certain.)

June 30th, stroll Verbania and first hike after lunch

That had been the plan, but our leaders Mario and Vittorio were driving all over northern Italy to retrieve the misplaced rental van, as we did the stroll of Verbania in the morning

Then, standing in for our hiking leaders, Laura and Jim led us to a boat tour of LagoMaggiore and it's beautiful islands. We hopped on and off the ferry, enjoying the mellow weather, Italian cafe and gelato, scenic vistas, towns along the shore, Palaces and beautiful gardens.

It was a great start to getting to know Tom and Millie of Sausalito and David and Frannie of Anchorage and to get the details of Jim and Laura's complicated arrival from SFO.

Our fellow hikers, not including Paul, Mario or Vittorio.

A beautiful island, Isola Bella, if memory serves.

One of the many beautiful towns along Lago Maggiore.

(No pictures allowed at this island palace, but Paul was able to sneak this picture of a Chandelier)

Mario and Vittorio showed up in time for the first night dinner to our great happiness. The next morning we headed north in the van up the Toce River in the Formazza Valley as the scenery grew so picturesque we thought we were in a fairy tale.

High points of the hikes, picnics, waterfalls, valleys and mountains will be covered in the next posting.