Pepper_von_snoot

Thanks for your help.

Am in Manhattan today for work. Will do research at B/N on UWS.

I am so glad you posted restaurant recos as I was going to ask for those.

Cheers,
Thin

Magster2005

annhig -- I had to really think about the BP and AJ LOL, but I finally got it. Don't I wish! (Or at least that the DH and I looked like them!!)

Italy is a remarkable country. I especially like the north, and this area in the northwest is like the best of all worlds, a little more reserved and classy (a bit more French-like, I think -- have to admit to being a Francophile), but still with the incredible food and the friendly, laissez-faire attitude. We are already talking about a return visit someday.

Have you ever been to Sicily? That is another incredible part of Italy.

annhig

Magster - Sicily is another area that is high on my wish-list, especially the east to see the places I've drooled over while watching Commessario Montelbano.

Magster2005

annhig -- You would LOVE Sicily. Honestly, it is one of the best places I have ever visited -- the friendliness is something you just have to experience. And the food...

I can't believe you mentioned Montelbano -- that is one of my favorite book series. And I am dying to see the TV version, but I haven't found it available here in the U.S.

annhig

shame that you can't get the Montelbano TV series in the US, it's very good. apparently it's vry popular in Italy too - my italian teacher's mum loves it!

Magster2005

Romance on the Italian Lakes

We stayed in a lakeside room on the absolutely gorgeous Lago d’Orta, one of the smallest Italian Lakes. Since we loved Bellagio on Lake Como back in 2005, we were anxious to try another one of Italy’s lakes. We were not disappointed. This place is heavenly – the air is fresh and cool, the only sounds are the ducks swimming by, and our balcony gives us a view of tiny Isola d’Orta (the island of Orta) in one direction and snow-covered Alps in the other! This combination of lovely lake and impressive mountain is impossibly beautiful.

Orta San Guilio

Orta San Guilio, just south of our hotel, is a tiny village right on the shores of Lago d’Orta. When we parked our car in the large lot, we weren’t even sure where the town was! Then, we spotted a long flight of cement steps that took us down into this amazing medieval town that had been hidden from view. Our first visit was at night and the town felt deserted. We found our way to the main square, and it was pure magic. The square sits right on the waterfront with a fabulous view of the lights on Isola d’Orta which is beautifully illuminated at night. We ate dinner at an outside café facing the waterfront – a real night to remember!

We returned to Orta San Guilio during the day to visit the weekly market that sets up on the square. It was small but offered some of the best shopping of the trip. We hopped on a boat to get a good look at Isola San Guilio, the tiny island we had been admiring from a distance. Known as the island of silence, this tiny place (less than 2 football fields wide and maybe 3 long) consists mainly of a basilica and a monastery. The short walk around the tranquil island, called the Path of Silence, felt like a meditation, and thoughtful messages like “Walls are in the mind” were posted along the way promote a sense of mindfulness.

Next we drove up above Orta San Guilio to the Sacro Monte, a complex of chapels dedicated to Saint Francis of Assisi in a pretty wooded area with gorgeous views of the lake below. The real wonder of Sacro Monte is displayed inside the 21 individual chapels where painted statues from the 17th and 18th c. depict the story of the life of Saint Francis. The painted, earthenware statues merge with the mural paintings on the walls to create amazingly lifelike tableaux.

Lake Maggiore and Stresa

Although we stayed on Lake Orta, the lakeside town of Stresa and Lake Maggiore were less than an hour’s drive away. Stresa has some impressive old hotels lining the lakefront, but the best sights are out on the water. We bought an all-day ticket and spent a fun day ferry-hopping to two of the Borromean islands: Isola Superiore and Isola Bella.

First stop was Isola Superiore (aka Pescatori because of the number of fishermen who live here). This is the only inhabited island and a perfect place for lunch. We ate at Ristorante Italia on a terrace overlooking the lake. I had fish, of course, a delicious grilled lake bream and a wonderful lemon cake for dessert, super-moist but nice & tart with grated lemon zest on the top.

Then we hopped on another ferry for the 5-minute ride to Isola Bella, a 17th c. island designed as a Baroque summer palace. The palace contained sumptuous rooms and an interesting basement consisting of 6 grottos made from shells and stone pebbles. Outside, the famous garden sits on 10 terraces and has an open-air amphitheater decorated with statue-filled niches. Pure white peacocks roam the grounds adding to the glamorous atmosphere.

Lago d’Orta has definitely made our (long) list of favorite getaways. I am so glad we made the last-minute decision to stay here instead of Stresa. I only wish we had more time because there are a lot of things to do in the vicinity.

john183

Magster2005 (or should that be AJ) - LOL!!) - I'm really enjoying your trip report. Thanks for posting - it brings back a lot of good memories. We visited some of the Piemonte villages last summer during our trip to Northern Italy and I completely agree with you about the area. Like you, even though we thought the food and wine were very good, what we loved most were the incredible people. The wine museum in Barolo is kind of weird isn't it - but we enjoyed it too.

Here is a link to my trip report and near the end of it is a link to some of our pics. Any chance we will get to see some of your pictures????

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nque-terre.cfm

Magster2005

john183 -- Thanks so much for the link. What a great trip report! And what a fabulous trip you had. Isn't Bellagio a wonderful place? We stayed for 2 weeks back in 2005 and we hated to leave. Loved your pictures too -- brought back many fond memories.

The wine museum in Barolo is definitely weird -- so glad to know we aren't the only ones who thought so. But we had a great time there. My husband is an engineer so it was fun to see him struggling to find some kind of literal meaning in the displays LOL!

I am working on our blog (which will have pictures) , so I hope to have that ready soon. I'll post the link when it is ready.

julies

Magster--

This is all so intriguing since we are trying to pull together some sort of trip in this general area in a couple weeks. Now that you've been all around, perhaps you can give me some advice.

We'd like a small town or village (with access to small shops or markets for groceries) where we could rent an apartment or small house to use as a base for 5 to 7 days. We are looking more for general ambience of the area than specific tourist sites. In addition to scenery, historic sites etc. to visit, we also enjoy more active outdoor pursuits. Would this ring a bell for any of the places you stayed or visited? I appreciate any thoughts you might have.

catherinehaas

I absolutely LOVE Turin! It is such an amazing place. The first time I went, I took my son whose name just happens to be Turin. I took Turin to Turin for his 21st birthday. He was always sad when he was younger that he could never find little trinkets with his name on it like everyone else's. He hated his name, so I wanted to show him just how special he was!

We were lucky enough to get to go back and we visited Basilica di Superga. WOW! Such a beautiful place... We also stayed at the Residence Sacchi and it was perfect.

We always dine at this fabulous place called Flu. It is small and not really advertised. A "locals only" kind of place. The concierge at the Turin Palace Hotel (first trip) recommended it. TO DIE FOR!!! Best bottle of Barolo ever! It is one of those places you have to know is there because there is no signs. You have to ring the bell to get in and they only take people with reservations. Oh but SO worth it!!!

I recommend Turin to all of my friends because you don't want it overrun with tourists... Love it there!!!

Magster2005

julies -- You may want to consider Alba. I know it is probably a larger town than you had in mind, but the center is very quaint and village-like. And you have easy access to all of the wine villages in the vicinity. Of course, you might be able to stay in one of the villages, but I am not sure they would have enough services for you. Alba has a nice selection of shops and restaurants of all types.

catherine haas -- I agree totally with you about Turin. We were so pleasantly surprised and would love to return. It really is an undiscovered gem. Will definitely add Flu to my list of must-dos when we go back. Thanks!

yorkshire

I scratched the surface of this area, visiting Alba and Asti, so I am enjoying (re)visiting vicariously through you. I read a lot about Neive and only passed through, so nice to hear how lovely it was--a good choice when I (hopefully) return.

Julies -- I had terrible weather on my brief visit so did not get to bike and hike quite like I wanted to, but there are some wonderful hiking opportunities in the area--if only just walking through the vineyards. The tourist office had information on hiking trails as well as other pursuits.

john183

Our entire trip really was a lot of fun (it sounds like your trip was too) and our time in Bellagio could not have been any better - we loved it there. Looking forward to your blog and pictures.

tedgale

Bookmarking for future reference

nwtraveler

Bookmarking too!!

Magster2005

Just a couple more observations about life in Italy and the Piedmont:

The Pasta

The food in the Piedmont is almost as famous as the wine. This is the home of the Slow Food movement, a reaction to fast food that emphasizes fresh ingredients based on what is in season. The pasta is phenomenal! Especially these puffy little raviolis called “plin” that are usually stuffed with rabbit and served with either a ragu (meat sauce made with veal) or sage and butter. And a specialty called “tajarin,” a handmade, hand-cut pasta made from eggs. When tajarin is cooked perfectly al dente, it is the best pasta we have ever tasted!

The RAW Meat

One very quirky aspect of the Piemontese diet is an obsession with raw meat. Yes, RAW. At first, we thought it was a translation problem, and that they must mean rare meat, but we were wrong. We first encountered this phenomenon in a restaurant when we were served an appetizer called carne cruda. Honest to God, this was a raw hamburger patty on a dish. (We wish we had a picture, but we were so flummoxed, my husband didn’t even reach for his camera.) We figured “when in Rome” and managed to eat it. Not bad, as long as you didn’t think about what you were eating.

Later, at our Asti B & B, my husband asked about the difference between salume and salsiccia (since both seemed to be sausages). The answer was that while salume is aged, salsiccia is “bloody.” Once again, we thought this was a translation problem and were thrilled when our hosts said they would get some salsiccia for us. So imagine our reaction when they proudly presented us with a plate of uncooked sausage. Again, it didn’t taste bad – just an issue of mind over matter. But I don’t think we would go out of way to eat any raw meats ever again!

Politics and Economic Decline

We don’t usually get into political discussions in foreign places, but we became friends with Maria Luiza, the marvelous postmistress of Pettanasco, a village near Lake Orta. She told us the situation in Italy is terrible (tear EE blah, as Maria Luiza pronounced it). She said that Italy, the land of art and music, is turning into Tunisia (no offense to Tunisians). It truly is terrible to see the sad state of the economies in so much of Western Europe.

Why Italian Road Signs Almost Drove Me Mad

The Italians are masters at the art of fine living. When it comes to food, wine, fashion & design etc., their talents are legendary. But they are a bit weak when it comes to practical things. For example, their road signs are the worst we have seen anywhere. It’s not that signage is lacking. There are signs everywhere, sometimes a dozen signs stacked on one pole! The problem is with logic and consistency.

In Europe, route numbers are seldom (or poorly) displayed, so you need to navigate according to the cities and towns along your route. The only difficulty is that you need to know what larger city is in the direction that you want to go. And the whole navigational issue becomes worse when you have traffic circles because every circle requires a decision. In Italy, with traffic circles every few miles and crazy, inconsistent road signs, this European concept of navigation is taken to a whole new bizarro level.

Here is one small example:

If the road you are driving on will intersect with a highway going to Asti and Arona, your road may be identified in a traffic circle with a sign that says “Asti/Arona.” Now these two cities lie in opposite directions and may be hundreds of miles apart, but you want to head toward this highway that provides the option of going to either city. So even if you have no intention of going to either Asti or Arona, this is the road sign you need to follow to continue on your road.

As if all this isn’t bad enough, at the next traffic circle, your road sign may say only “Asti.” Now even though you don’t want to go anywhere near Asti, you have to remember that the direction you want to go is toward the highway that will give you the option of going to Asti, so this is the sign you want to follow.

Can you see how these signs can make you lose your mind? And there are lots more horrifying examples. The only good thing about an Italian traffic circle is that you can continue around it more than once until you sort out which direction you need to take! Maybe next time we’ll opt for GPS.

TDudette

Really enjoying this report, Thank you, Magster2005. The unexpected interactions with people really do make trips special. It sounds like you are wonderful travel ambassadors.

Regarding the vagaries of Italian (and in France also we found) signage: do you think it harkens back to City-State times? If you didn't know where you were going, you were a stranger and probably up to no good. Why make is easy to find things?

yorkshire

Being a vegetarian/pescetarian, I was able to opt out of the carne cruda, but not my husband (who for a bit I think wished he was vegetarian). He actually said it was not bad (perhaps that was the birra talking), but he worried about it later.

Magster2005

TDudette -- Thank you very much. I think you may be on to something regarding the road signs -- what a great way to confuse a potential enemy! I was starting to think that I needed a degree in Italian Geography in order to get around LOL

yorkshire -- Loved the "birra talking" comment! I have to confess that I was hitting the vino pretty hard to help me get down the raw stuff!

annhig

we first encountered this phenomenon in a restaurant when we were served an appetizer called carne cruda. Honest to God, this was a raw hamburger patty on a dish.>>

this sounds very much like the french dish of steak tartar - finely chopped steak served [usually] with a raw egg, lots of different seasonings like chopped onion, capers, anchovy, and pommes frites.

I've also had beef carpaccio in Italy - thinly sliced [fillet of] beef often served with shaved parmesan, rocket and olive oil. sometimes the meat has been sealed in a pan to give it a crust, other times, it's just raw.

I've never had raw sausages though!

as for road signs, i agree that they can be confusing, especially when you're not sure which big town you're supposed to be heading towards. OTOH it's no more confusing than some US cities [Miami springs to mind] when there are nothing but road numbers, which for those of us who happen not to know where Route 41 goes, is no use whatever.