Anyone who knows me, especially my husband, can tell you that I’m not a romantic person. At all. This is a true tragedy as I married into the most romantic culture on the planet. So, unfortunately a lot of his romantic gestures are totally lost on me. Therefore, if I’m swooning over something, it’s something. And Lago Maggiore is something.
This year was our second year staying on the lake, last year we stayed in Brissago-same lake, different country. This year, we stayed on the Italian side in Verbania on the same shore side as Brissago. This lake is on the border of Switzerland and Italy and who doesn’t love that? Two of the most beautiful countries greet each other on these gorgeous shores. And the whole place is stepping back into time when things were just a bit, well, fancier. And even though I’m as unfancy as I am unromantic -this place lets me pretend for a day that I’m both.
And bonus, we happen to arrive on the hubs’ birthday. Though we almost got a divorce over my driving, and parking attempt (yes, again), a few minutes strolling the streets of this little gem, and how could we be mad at each other? Now I get why Italians can have such fights with their lovers but forgive each other so quickly. It’s too nice out to stay angry.
Also, there were spritzes and gelato and you REALLY can’t be mad when you have spritzes and gelato, I’ve tried, it’s impossible.
Sculpture gardens, and villas, and war monuments with flowers and food everywhere. My kinda place. We sat in the square and just soaked it all in. The spritzes helped. There, I captured one of the purest examples of Italian life I’ve ever seen. This photo sums up Italy…old men holding court, having a drink and a smoke, and of course there’s a duck involved.
We seem to have traveled a bit back in time, to a place of a simpler and less hectic way of life, and I found my anxiety slipping away with the sunset over this ridiculous place.
Our hotel-grandhotelmajestic.it, which was so very grand 50’s era style and was hotter than 17 hells in the room because the AC hadn’t been cut on for the season, but after some Lambrusco one hardly notices with the windows open and the breeze coming off the lake-was lovely! And that view tho. On our stroll back to the hotel, we ate at the cutest place with patio dining and the freshest melon I’ve even eaten. 3 courses and wine under 100 bucks. Wouldn’t happen in Charleston, that meal would have been twice as much here. Happy birthday JJ indeed-I even picked the check-even after he mansplained parking to me earlier.
Verbania had all the swoony boxes checked.
Villas. Check.
Sculpture gardens. Check.
And the best of all, delicious food and vino.
The next day we headed south. The hubs driving, as contingent on us remaining married was that I wasn’t going to be doing anymore of the driving…marriage is about compromise and all. And we are going along and my mouth is agape at the beauty of this place and he’s all casual like, oh hey, there’s a colossus over there.
Now, I don’t know how many colossuses you’ve seen in your life. Personally, I’ve seen one, this one. And wouldn’t you know it, they live up to their name. This guy is big. Colossal even.
Now, I know you may be popular and well loved in your community, but you ain’t someone built a giant copper statue of you perched on a hilltop overlooking your church popular, like our buddy San Carlo here. The veins on his hands were bigger (and better defined for that matter) than my legs…and I’m not what you’d call a petite gal.
And the chapel was just as impressive.
What a view and what a cool surprise to find on Lago Maggiore. But isn’t that just like a romantic gesture…just when you think all the romance is over, you’re kept on your toes by surprises around every corner. The rest of of day was filled with tiny roads, even smaller bridges, road side prostitutes and a night in a grain silo. But more on that later.
Ciao y’all.
Ciao Y’all 