The Italian Lakes

Last Thursday we left Interlaken and arrived at Lake Orta in Italy, near the town of Orta. Never heard of it? We hadn’t, either: it’s one of the beautiful smaller lakes near Lake Maggiore. We have a pitch right on the lakeside with a lovely view. The only downside is that the caravan portaloo nearly rolled itself into the lake, just about where Jane is sitting. Fortunately I grabbed it. Imagine having to hire a fisherman to trawl it out from the depths, assuming you could explain in Italian the equivalent of…”yes, that’s right, mate, it’s me bog. It’s down there somewhere…”

The town of Orta is a gem. It’s right on the lake and is full of old buildings, so inevitably attracts the tourists but it’s not gone tacky. Notice a few big coats, as the weather was changeable.

While we were in the square at Orta, a wedding party appeared and boarded the tourist transport back to one of the posh hotels on the edge of town. Puts a totally new meaning on: “did you see the bride’s train?”

We also came across a small courtyard dedicated to Padre Pio. He was sanctified by the Vatican in 2003, having led an austere life and had miracles attributed to him. He wasn’t a local lad, and the reason for the courtyard being full of Padre Pio tribute items was that a miracle was claimed to have occurred in the very house attached to the courtyard. An image of Padre Pio revealed itself in the peeling paintwork of a blank upper floor recess, with a photo as evidence. Below is my photo of the same peeling paintwork. You need to be focused on the area on the right of the window, and then decide where he is, like one of those puzzle pictures you did as a child.