Mottarone | Feriolo
25 July 2017
Continuing on our trend of languid travel around the northern lakes, we didn’t really get our start for the day until lunchtime.
We drove up the hill between Lago d’Orta and Lago Maggiore, which was steep but well worth it for the vistas, and after all it was the car that did all the work! Some of the distant mountains had snow on them, and maybe it should have been no surprise that there’s a “theme park” in the town of Mottarone at the top of the hill called Alpyland. There, apparently you can ride a two-man bobsled down a track for €5 per adult. It’s mostly there for you to be able to take in the scenery.
We were especially pleased that our intended lunch restaurant, Villa Pizzini, was open and not catering for a wedding on that day. Not only that, but there was a cute doggo at a neighbouring table, and they had a vegan option on the menu! I had the millefoglie and delicious hummus with olives. The bread was yummy and still warm from the oven. We ate at one of the outdoor tables, and the views over the towns and lakes were lovely. The rosé was top!
As we were so high up, it was a bit nippy but sitting in the sun was nice and warm so we shook our fists at any clouds that loomed. It was the most amazing spot for a restaurant.
Somehow we ended up on a so-called private road on the way down and were charged €8. Already salty from the fee, our moods didn’t improve after being rebuffed by many campsites that were full. Finally we found one on a very rural road, and the owner didn’t speak any English or French, and didn’t understand our attempts at Italian even though Christophe is on his way to fluency. We theorised that perhaps he only spoke a local dialect, or German. He led us on a bicycle to our designated pitch and warned us about vipers by miming.
After settling in we walked along a trail towards the nearest town, Feriolo, and found a blueberry plantation along the way but they had run out of blueberries.
Feriolo was small but pleasant. Despite all the nearby (allegedly full) campsites, there were surprisingly few tourists about. It had a quaint seasidey feel.
There were swans in the lake with their cygnets in tow. On our way back to the campsite loads of tiny chihuahuas barked at us. That night we heard people playing fiddle music.
Teh Travels 