Friday May 26, 2023
Two days ago when I was looking up things for todays travel, I discovered that the Ferry we had planned on taking from Iseo to Lovere may not be running. The schedule was a bit confusing. I wrote to the ferry company and they responded that yes indeed there was no ferry from Iseo to Lovere on Friday, only on the weekends right now. Well that changed everything. I discovered that there was ferry to Lovere from Pisogne but only two a day and we could get a train to Pisogne from Brescia but then there would be about a 2 hour wait for the ferry. I could not find a better way so this morning, that is what we are doing. The train ride goes well and we find the small ferry terminal about a half mile from the train station.
Carol is not feeling real well so she waits at the ferry terminal and I go off to check out the small town. I look for a small church called Santa Maria Della Neve. It was built in the 15th century and inside has a series of frescoes depicting the Passion of Christ. It was done by artist Girolamo Romani, known as Romanino between 1532 and 1534. The church was often referred to as the Sistine Chapel of the poor. I am not sure I would go that far, although the Crucifixion painting on the back wall is quite amazing. When I leave the church, I spot another one up higher so I figure I have time and walk the road to it. It is maybe a third of a mile and unfortunately is not open when I get there.
I follow the road back down and then take a small side road past some gardens towards what I think is the main church in this small town. I saw it when I started pretty much straight up from the ferry dock. It is not a detour because of this, rather the end of a circuitous route from the dock. It turns out to be the main church called Santa Maria Assunta. It was built in the 18th century. The inside is beautiful. It has an interesting altar and nave. The cross is under a small pillared dome. There is also four silver bishops busts, possibly reliquaries, but I do not know for sure. The ceiling is completely frescoed and it has nice stained glass windows. A side chapel has a glass tomb relic with a sign that says S. Costanzo Martire (martyr). It says the martyr was a Roman soldier under Emporer Valerian with a date of 260 A.D. I am glad I took the time to poke around and see these two churches. On the way down to the dock, I pass the civic tower and then rejoin Carol.
There were some kids sitting there when I left and when I return they are still there but leave shortly thereafter. Carol says they were smoking pot. Who knows? The ferry is still about a half hour away and we look at the signs to see if there is any indication of where to buy a ticket. There is not so I take a short walk to a nearby Tobacco shop as they often sell bus tickets so maybe they sell ferry tickets here. We will never know as it is closed. It is a beautiful day and the lake front with the mountains and hills behind it is very relaxing to admire. We can see the town of Lovere across the way. The ferry arrives right on time and we make the short 10 minute crossing to the other side of the lake. We have a short walk from the ferry to our room and when we get there we sit on the steps until the owner arrives. It is actually the owners son who shows up and gets us settled. The room is small but very clean and nice. The place is a small BNB with 3 total rooms and a common breakfast area. There is water and juice in the fridge, coffee and tea, and some packaged croissants and breads with jam and butter. We have an assigned table that we can use any time so that is nice. Our original plan was to climb up a hill or mountain behind the town, but since Carol is a little under the weather, she takes a np and I write a bit.
A couple of hours later, we decide to forego any climbing and walk along the gorgeous lake front instead. It is hard not to totally relax when you are surrounded by a beautiful lake and mountains. In the distance, we can see the alps with a bit of snow on them. It wont be too much longer before we will reach them. We come across an old steamship called La Capitanio which is being restored. I was able to find a little information online. The Capitanio was built in 1926 and put to service in Lovere in 1927. It was originally equipped with a 90 HP engine with a single propeller. In the 1930s, it was retrofitted with a 120 HP diesel engine when it was sold to the Sabina navigation company. History says it was damaged in 1945 during an air raid. After the war, it disappeared from the radar until it was found in a state of abandonment in 2004. The name of the ship refers to Bartolomea Capitanio, a Lovere saint ( we will learn more about her later). It is privately owned but negotiations are under way to make it an historic heritage as it is approaching its 100 year anniversary. At any rate, it is a cool ship to look at.
We continue our walk for a while and then turn around. On the way back, we stop at a place we observed on our walk. It is a cafe that serves Aperitivos. It is on the lake front, kind of, as the road goes between it and the lake. The have a nice outdoor patio with large umbrellas for shade. We order two spritz’s, I get an Aperol Spritz and Carol gets a Hugo Spritz. They bring us a bowl of potato chips. A few minutes later, they bring us a platter with olives, finger sandwiches, and foccacia bread with tomatoes. It is the Italian way for Aperitivos. Pay for the drink and get some bites to eat. This just adds to the ambience. As we sit, I notice an old olive tree, which has been preserved by giving it its own concrete growing area on the lake. I love the gnarled look with a mountain background across the lake. The drinks are good so when we finish, we order two more. This brings another platter, this time with olives (Italian olives are oh so good), finger sandwiches, bruschetta, foccacia pizza, and sun dried tomatoes. Our drinks are only 5 euros each and sitting in this small Italian town with the lakefront view is priceless. Afraid that we could spend hours here, we stop at two drinks and head back to our room. Along the way, we make reservations at a pasta place that is highly rated and looks good. Back at our room, we can relax a little and freshen up before dinner.
We go back out to stroll some more as we slowly head to the restaurant. We are eating at a place called Flour and they have a prime outdoor seat waiting for us. We are sitting on the main town square with a fountain and a view of the lake and mountains. The best of all worlds in Italy. We order and sit with our glass of wine while watching the local Italian life go by us. This is not a big tourist destination for foreigners and we are early in the age season, so it truly is a nice slice of Italian life. Our appetizer comes which is a platter of prosciutto with grilled zucchini and eggplant and Burrata cheese. Amazing. My main dish is Paccheri pasta with pistachio, pancetta, and Burrata, Carol has pasta with smoked salmon and Burrata. Everything is really good and we thoroughly enjoy our meal and the ambience.
When we finish, it is a wonderful evening, which means we must do an evening passiegetta along the waterfront. Today is the start of a different type of experience in our trip. That means less museums and history, and more nature, lakes, and mountains. Those who know us, know that this is our happy place, natures beauty. Experiencing it in Italy should make it our Very Happy Place. The gelato that we stop for does not hurt the experience either. As we walk, we spot some loons, diving for fish. We sit and watch them disappear under the water and then pop up somewhere else nearby. The evening light reflects the sky with pastel colors on the water. At this moment, we feel very lucky and blessed to be able to do this kind of journey. Thats all I can say for today.
Expenses Train from Brescia to Pisogne 10E Ferry Pisogne to Lovere 4.80E Aperitivos at Il D.O.C. Pancaffe 20E Dinner at Flour 43E Gelato 5.60E ML Rooms 66.51E Walked 8.6 Miles
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