sightseeing Archives - Page 2 of 2

Alagna to Rifugio Pastore

An easy hour-long hike through the Parco Naturale Alta Valsesia in the shadow of the Monte Rosa in Piemonte. Monte rosa is Italy’s second highest mountain, after Monte Bianco, in the Italian Alps. Here you criss-cross rivers and creeks on wooden bridges until you reach at 1575 metres in altitude the refuge. www.rifugimonterosa.it

The hike stars in Wold, one kilometre passed the town of Alagna. You will continue for three kilometre or so on a paved road till Acqua Bianca. At this point you enter trail number 6 and head to the rifugio. There are two ways to get there, both start in Wold and both take the same amount of time. This one just happened to be my favorite.

The rifugio, is a rock and shale hut built in 1973 to commemorate an avid mountaineer Francesco Pastore who had past away in an automobile accident. It’s purpose is to protect and give refuge to hikers and trekkers during storms, and rest for those continuing on. It’s also a restaurant and shelter for overnight guests.

Stay for lunch, or a merenda ( snack ). But whatever you decide, you must have their homemade cake (torta del rifugio) and a hot chocolate, Italian style. Well deserved treat for accomplishing the climb.

Pella to Santuario di Madonna del Sasso

Hike above the breathtaking Lago d’Orta. One and a half hours of easy strolling and hiking but once there, the view is magnificent. Visit the sanctuary before enjoying lunch at the Hotel Ristorante Panoramico. If you do, try the Strangozzi al Ragoût di Cinghiale (wild boar sauce). If the hike is too long, drive most of the way and maybe just walk the last 30 minutes from Artó. It certainly would give you a reason to work off the pasta.

Later, drive back down to Orta, stroll the town and take the boat to l’Isola di San Giulio. Stroll the short pathway around the Benedictine monastery, pick up a souvenir and then have a cioccolata calda in Piazza Motta back in Orta.

Piazza Motta in Orta with the Island of San Giulio in the bachground and the Sanctuary above and behind

An UNESCO Site

If you have the time, the Sacro Monte di Orta is a UNESCO site worth visiting. It’s only 5 minutes by car from any parking lot in Orta. A unique sanctuary with 20 Franciscan chapels and 375 terracotta statues, depicting religious stories.

One of the 20 chapels with terracotta statues.

The construction started back in the late 1500’s and were terminated in 1788. The art work is remarkable and its also free. The whole site sits on top of the mountain with a gorgeous view of the lake. At the very least, if you running short of time you must try to make it back an other day. or do quick visit, it’s certainly worth strolling through. I have spent many of my visits to Italy discovering this beautiful small lake rich of secrets. I don’t know why, but I just love this lake in particular when it’s raining…call me crazy.

A hike on Lake Como

This is a longer hike but the terrain is plenty easy and the sights are amazing. You’ll need about three hours, but wow! it is certainly the most scenic of the lake of Como. Start the trek at the train station in Dervio. Why the train station? Simply because when you arrive in Bellano‘s train station you can catch any of the local trains back to your point of origin.

Leave Dervio station and head to the church of San Quirico e Giulitta facing the lake. Here is where the actual trail starts and although sometimes it’s paved, you are actually on ancient roads that were used to connect Como and Switzerland. Throughout the hike you will see ruins, mulattiere (mule trails) that date back centuries, and lots of farmland and farm houses, in particular the Cascine dei Ronchi, where you’ll have a marvellous view of the lake.

You’ll walk through the Valle dei Mulini, cross over stone bridges and visit the Santuario di Lezzeno and the church of San Bernardino or the one of San Rocco.

This trail is a wonderful testament to history and earlier civilizations. You will reach the Orrodo gorge, an amazing natural wonder with suggestive waterfalls and gollies. Soon after that you’ll see the church of the Saints Nazaro e Celso before heading to Bellano where the trail actually ends at the train station.

Easy Train Ride Home

Relax a bit, have a cappuccino or lunch pending what time you get there and afterwards take the easy way back to Dervio. Since the train ride is only 6 minutes, yes 6 minutes, and costs about €1,50, you can spend some time just visiting that town.

If you don’t want to hike the total distance, and since the two towns are only six minutes by train, you could hike a few kilometres in each place. You will get a good feeling about the area and still see some great panoramas, and at the same time you have given yourself a good pat on the back for having done at least somewhat of a good nature walk. Any amount of time amongst nature is time well spent. Good for the body, the spirit… and the appetite.

“Till then…Buon viaggio

Are you travelling to Italy and are interested in my assistance, or would like to comment on my post? Just drop a line below or contact me privately at info@italiabound.com.

I thought I would start a blog about travel. Not so much because I do a lot of travelling but because I’m constantly asked by clients, friends and acquaintances questions about traveling in Italy. I figured, if all these people are constantly asking for help and advice, there must be many more out there that could use the same.

Italy Should not be Cookie Cutter Holiday

There are a lot of travel agents out there and many more websites, and travel bloggers that do a great job telling you what to do, where to go. Often they target the masses, and if everyone does the same thing, well, you hardly will do anything unique or different. Fortunately for me…and for you I bring a different angle that focus on the topic but comes from an insider’s point of view. I lived in Italy, travel often there, speak several of its dialects and am passionate about my homeland.

Unique Personal Experience

I like to think of myself as more of an insider with valuable information rather than a travel savvy person or agent. The people that I’ve helped over the years always seem to be looking for the same information. Yet have different interests and tastes. They want to know where to find the things they need and what to do that is out of the ordinary. I realize that helping my clients not only saves them money but more importantly saves them time. This allows them to enjoy new things that were not in their original plans. It also puts them at ease about where they are going and the uncertainties are alleviated if not completely eliminated.

Diversify Your Visit in Italy

Although I’ve traveled alone as well as with my family all over Europe, Canada, US and Japan, I give my advice only about my homeland, Italy, because I know it well. I no longer live there, but did grow up in Novara in the Piemonte region and traveled intensely throughout it as well into Friuli where my grandmother lived until she was 99 years old. I would never miss visiting that beautiful region and its hidden treasures.

We also skied in Val D’Aosta and sunbathed in Liguria and Tuscany, so all of Northern Italy in particular is like my own backyard. I lived it and loved it as a child, teen and young adult and enjoy bringing my family there as well. All three of my children and my wife (who doesn’t have an Italian background) have been there many times.

Holiday Like Italians Live

What makes these regions so wonderful is the simplicity of how people live and enjoy life to the fullest. It’s how in Novara at ten o’clock at night, we meet friends in the piazza for a gelato or drive 60 kilometres to Monferrato to have a fabulous lunch that takes three or four hours to consume. And, while we eat the children play outside in the gardens. You can’t go more then 10 kilometres without experiencing a new site, whether it’s monasteries, churches, castles, villages on the many picturesque lakes such as Orta, or ferrying off to an island on the Lago Maggiore.

You can travel from Novara to Udine, for instance, and experience completely different sceneries. Here the dialect, which I know, is a mix of Slav, Italian and Austrian. The piazza has the same architectural designs as Venice, although there is no water to be found. Udine was once part of the Serenissima, The Venetian Republic. Do you want great wine. Great food. Friendly people. Breathtaking panoramas, mountains or white sandy beaches,? Then it’s all in one package in Friuli region.

All these regions offer everything a traveler would want for a complete Italian experience. Different from many other touristy areas, in Friuli you will experience and live more like the Italian way. Foreign tourists are scarce and few. I like to promote more areas such as these because in many ways they reflect more of the true Italian lifestyle. Often these areas are overlooked and not incorporated in travel plans.

Expand Your Horizons and Explore Italy Landscapes

Individuals that spend their money traveling often want to go where they know they won’t be disappointed. In doing so, they often miss great opportunities to experience new sites. Not everyone is a Lonely Planet type of traveller. Sometimes if an individual only travels once a year for three weeks, they want the best bang for their buck. And who can blame them. Traveling these days can be expensive and time consuming. Why then waste time figuring out what to do once you have already landed. Planning is essential, but at the same time one must leave something for the unexpected.

So, join me in the blogs to come as I explore Italy and give some insights about places, people, food and culture, and I’ll help you discover places that you should visit but often wouldn’t have otherwise considered or better, never even knew existed.

“Till then… Buon viaggio.