Orta Revisited

Being camped so close to the town of Orta we have walked in many time since our arrival. The walk to the town entails 10 minutes on the main road path, never the most ambient of places to stroll, and then 20 minutes of charming pathway most of which follows the lake shore.

The town itself is a series of narrow cobbled streets with a few shops, opening onto a square every now and then with more shops. The discoloured plaster adds to the charm. Hold on! Is that Padre Pio I can see peering out of the mottled brown wall facing us?

Today there’s a market in the main square and just off the square, in a courtyard, is a blacksmith who is making wrought iron goods. He’s in the process of fashioning a key ring to order in the shape of a leaf. It’s great spectator entertainment and safe enough even with the forge going full blast. I wonder if the blacksmith did a Risk Assessment?

We noticed a young couple immaculately dressed in evening clothes of yesteryear, romantically embracing on a jetty. Newly weds, maybe, or going to a ball on the island? It turned out to be a photo-shoot and unfortunately we didn’t find out for which publication.

The island referred to above is the island of St Giulio, half a kilometre from Orta. We went by water taxi for a visit. The church was magnificent, old and ornate, but no photos. The tomb of St Guilio is in the church. He came to the island in the 4th century and rid it of dragons & snakes: a 4th century Rentokil job. A cobbled road runs around the perimeter of the island, but on the inside of the buildings so there are few perspectives of the lake or the island. Actually, the prettiest view of the island is from the main square in Orta town, where the quays are.