Day 2…the family gathers in Orta San Giulio

But first a word about dinner last night.  We headed down the Via Gippini to town, almost to the main square – Piazza Motta – to a restaurant called Locando di Orta on the recommendation of the hotel staff.  It was amazing.  The chef used to work at a place nearby which has 2 Michelin stars (Villa Crespi) and now owns this place; a restored old three story building.  Here’s the outside as we got there and the way home as we left, full of delicious and unusual food and wine.  We needed a “passeggiatta” (the after dinner stroll so popular in Italy) to renew ourselves after the meal.  But, we liked it so much that we decided to switch our Sunday night dinner reservation to come back to Locanda di Orta with the whole gang.

href=”https://chiproach.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_3842.jpg”> Entry to Locanda di Orta[/

ref=”https://chiproach.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_3866.jpg”> Via Gippini…the main street to town.[/ca

The morning brought a transformation out of our hotel window…not only sunshine at 6AM, but some low clouds scudding by to delight the eye and make this a whole new lake view.

“https://chiproach.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_3839.jpg”> Clouds visit just before sunrise.[/captio

The chapel that we are seeing high up on the far hill is the Shrine of the Madonna del Sasso…perhaps that’s one of the church bells which chime each half hour around the lake. It is early to catch the sun as well as a shroud of white clouds.

p://chiproach.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_3846.jpg”> Shrine of Madonna del Sasso

[/caption]OK…enough about this view…the kids are coming around 10:30. Sky and Mike caught a plane from Denver and had to skirt many Midwestern storms, so they ran for it, when they got to the United terminal in Newark’s Liberty Airport; not sure that their bodies and/or their luggage would make it…texting all the way to the brother and sister on the plane. (Both bodies and luggage arrived in Milan). And, international texts – at 50 cents each – assured the elders that the offspring were safe and together.

Before we met them, we had to take an early stroll. We’ll learn the name of that later…having remembered “Passeggiatta” from Dick and Linda Plumeri, masters of the Italian stroll.
We saw a hiking sign, so headed that way…lo and behold, it turned out to be a stone walkway beside the lake and look what it’s called.

proach.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_3865.jpg”> 9-11-01…must be a memorial path.

We real

[/caption]We really enjoyed this one and were totally surprised to find some wonderful resort homes along the way with boat houses, blooming Azalea and wrought iron gates protecting all. It reminded us of the Cliff Walk in Newport, although this is a poor cousin of those mansions. Here are a couple of views.

ch.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_3876.jpg”> Houses on one side, boats on the other and Lake Orta’s clear, calm water right beside us.

[caption n="alignleft" width="198" href="http://chiproac id="attachment_706" height="300"].files.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_3877.jpg”> How about those Azaleas. We are at 45 degrees north latitude; very much like Philadelphia for seasons.

OK…the fami
[/caption]OK…the family did arrive…they are here. As I write, they are arising from naps about 5PM and eager for a stroll and some wine and then dinner at 8PM. We welcomed them with a bag full of local bread, wine, cheese and a corkscrew. They couldn’t all have their rooms, so we found a spot out by the Lake to imbibe and find sunshine. A hotel waitress was enrolled in our cast of characters, since we forgot about glasses and napkins. Since we are taking four rooms here, we seemed like a good bet for special service.
Here’s the arrival, then the “picnic”.

s.wordpress.com/2013/05/dsc_3932.jpg”> Schuyler is lying on the wall over there.

[/caption]

OK…there’s pressure building for another walk or wine or both. So, the journal will pick up another chapter, when there’s a break in this hectic pace. Ciao.