Wedged between the Alps and the Po valley, the glacial lakes of Lombardy were formed at the end of the last ice age and have been a popular holiday spot since Roman times. At the region’s heart is Milan (where I didn’t go). A balmy microclimate exists around Lakes Orta, Maggiore, Como, Garda and Iseo. The lakes are surrounded by steep forested mountains.
LAGO d’ISEO. In a deep glacial valley surrounded by soaring mountains, it is just NW of Brescia and Unesco listed. I came here to see the prehistoric rock carvings in the Camonica Valley that extends north of the lake.
I slept in a parking area on the side of the lake in Pisogne. The road north passed through some spectacular snow-covered peaks.
PREHISTORIC ROCK CARVINGS OF VALLE CAMONICA. In Incisioni Rupestri NP, this is a 30-hectare open-air museum that is Unesco listed. The road access is bizarre – the last kilometre is along the narrowest cobble lane. These are quite uninspiring as they are very superficial petroglyphs on glacial-scoured hard rock. Many are jumbled geometric designs but there are also several deer with Christmas tree-like antlers and men brandishing spears on horseback. It was not worth the long drive and 6€ entrance fee.
COMO (pop 85,000). Lago di Como is the most spectacular of the region’s three main lakes – shaped like an inverted Y, its shoreline is dotted with ancient villages and exquisite villas. Como sits where the southern and western shores converge. Como is an elegant and prosperous town built on the wealth of the silk industry. By the 18th and 19th centuries, Como was the world’s third-largest producer of silk (after China and Japan) and silk was Italy’s single most important export comprising a third of all export goods. Today Como remains Europe’s major producer of silk but the raw silk is imported from China. Industriale di Setificio, founded in 1869, continues to turn out world-class designers, printers and chemical-dyeing experts.
Just past the bars and sidewalk cafes, the promenade along the shore is lined with parks, mansions and a 1931 WWI memorial to Italy’s dead.
The Como-Brunate cable car, built in 1894, takes seven minutes to climb the steep mountain to the hilltop village of Brunate at 750m for a panorama of mountains and lakes.
MONTE SAN GEORGIO. Not sure of where and what this was, I set my navigation assistant and went for a drive. Surprisingly, I crossed the Swiss border, went past the Swiss city of Laguna and climbed steadily past villages and then farms (very Swiss, even the fields looked like they had been cut by a lawnmower). Eventually, I arrived high above Lago Maggiore via a narrow paved road. The Serpiano Hotel has astounding views across the lake. Just above is the Restaurant Funiva sitting on the edge of the mountain. Then the road became dirt crossed with metal water bars and sections of mud. I passed an active logging operation and after 2.7 km arrived at the Alpe di Brunisi, a small lodge at 674m (closed for the season). The views down to the long, narrow lake and across to the snow-capped mountains were the best yet. A big city (Locarno) sits at the north end of the lake and villages including Verbania dot the shore. I got out my binoculars and scanned the mountaintops and a big rocky outcrop rising vertically from the side of the lake. Snow only covered the tops – it must have been a poor skiing season. The area had a multitude of hiking trails and was on the national Swiss trail. The trail to Monte San Georgio was an hour and ten-minute walk. There wasn’t a soul around. This would have been a wonderful place to stay for a few days and hike.
I was wondering why this is Unesco listed in the Italian Nomad Mania site. When I looked at the map, the road had crossed back into Italy and the south three-quarters of Lago Maggiore is in Italy.
I googled this and could find nothing on Alpe Brunisi and all the pictures of the Lake from Monte San Georgia did not look like what I saw! But I’m pretty sure from the map that it was Lake Maggiore.
TURIN (pop 312,000)
Turin is in Piedmont, Italy’s second-largest region and arguably its most elegant with a heavy French influence.
The drive here was one of the prettiest yet in Italy. The area is flat but the snow-covered Alps are on the north side all the way. I was pointed at the Eiger for a significant part of the journey.
History. The ancient city was destroyed by Hannibal in 218BC, the Romans arrived 200 years later and it was invaded successively by the Goths, Lombards and Franks. In 1563, the Savoys abandoned their old capital of Chambéry (now in France) to set up court in Turin. They annexed Sardinia in 1720 but Napoleon ended their power in 1798. It was then controlled by Austria and Russia before Vittorio Emanuele I restored the House of Savoy and re-entered Turin in 1816. When Italy unified in 1861, Turin became the first capital, but only for 3 years.
It became an industrial center in the early 20th century with giants like Fiat luring thousands of impoverished southern Italians to Turin Fiat’s owners, the Agnelli family (who also own the Juventus football club and several newspapers, and one of Italy’s most powerful forces.
The highly successful 2006 Winter Olympics were a turning point for Turin ushering in a building boom including a new metro system and a vibrant economy.
It might take a week to see all the sights in Turin. I had an afternoon.
Nomad Mania lists 9 sites to see in Turin – I saw only the most important 2. I luckily found a parking spot very close to everything in a share-car spot and didn’t get towed.
Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum). Opened in 1824, this museum houses the most important collection of Egyptian treasures outside of Cairo. The early Italian archaeologists raped the country – they have 10 of everything. The museum is impressive but expensive at 16€ and they have some very irritating things. All bags must be checked for 1€ and you have to leave a document, the free audio guide is confusing as hell to navigate and the descriptions are so long, it would take a lifetime to listen to it all, and the written descriptions beside each item are wordy often describing more about the Italian archaeology than anything else.
Palazzo Reale. Unesco listed, this palace of the Savoy dynasty is as over the top as Versailles with lavish decorations and art. The separate personal art gallery of the Savoys has hundreds of paintings amassed over 400 years.
The ballroom
Duomo di San Giovanni. Turin’s cathedral (1491-1498) was built on the site of three 14th-century basilicas and before that a Roman theatre. Plain interior aside, it is home to the Shroud of Turin (alleged to be the burial cloth in which Jesus’s body was wrapped) and only a replica is on view. This has been shown to date from the 11th century.
The Shroud of Turin – how fake can this be?
On my way to Monaco, the road goes up through the Maritime Alps over a high mountain pass that crests on the French border where there was a long wait to enter a one-way tunnel. It was raining below and eventually snowing heavily and cars were passing covered with 6” of snow. The banks on the side of the road were a metre deep. My vehicle has what Germans call snow tires but we call all seasons. All things went well and the road eventually went through a wonderful gorge passing pretty little villages festooned with severe speed bumps.
I had one of the most frustrating tolls where I entered and 200m later had to pay 4€ and no amount of bitching affected the craziness. I crossed back into Italy and then into France again. Crossing into France, there is only a brief police check where they scan your vehicle for illegal immigrants. I passed as they profiled people and didn’t have to show a passport.