Lake Maggiore is a further Italian lake, near the alps, that has a history dating to Roman times as a desirable and prestigious location with exceptional scenic beauty. As a result some of the treasures of Italy are found here in the form of venerable buildings often on one of the lake islands, which are accessed by a ferry system which circulates the lake of a full time basis. We were on our way for three nights there, with the days to be spent ferrying the lake to some of its many attractions.
On the day off travel, not being a very long drive, we diverted for a few hours to the wine growing district of Barbaresco, in Piedmonte. These being wines we buy and know to a degree, this was greatly anticipated. Piedmonte ('foot off the alps') is hill country backed by the alps, moderately steeply valleyed but not rocky, covered in very groomed vineyards. Dwellings consist of extremely picturesque buildings usually clustered on high ground, which greatly add to the scenic beauty and usually involve a church or other older and larger building or two. We visited a wine estate and tried their wines, quite a few in fact. The owner bustled out the back and came in with another bottle, quite a lot off times! The NZ palette is not very familiar with the wine styles and so there is a bit of resistance to these drier, more tannic and less fruity wines., They can be a bit harder to taste separately but come to life with food, particularly the local cuisine alongside which they have evolved. So we moved on with a good supply of wine to a local restaurant and experienced one of the standout dining experiences to date. In a small village at the cap of a hill, otherwise in a sea of vineyard slopes. Outside of course, on a burning hot day, but in a stone walled courtyard under a spacious canvas awning. The food was very unexpected in style and mostly served by waiting staff from large platters. First up they spooned out a generous amount of what appeared to be raw ground beef, but turned out to be beef tartare with olive oil, lemon, herbs and seasoning and it was awesome. Even those freaked out by the sight (and amount) of it said OMG. Before it was finished a spoon or two of dish two was served, basically a potato salad with herbs, greens and a bright yellow egg yolk mayo. Again it was incredible. Dish three was lightly baked garden greens, tipped neatly from a ramekin and smothered in bearnaise sause. Dish four did some damage to the appetite: a mound of the most finely cut pasta with crumbs of veal and a rich veal sauce. Its getting blurry about now, but my photos confirm that next came roast guinea fowl then a desert of dabs of chocolate ganashe. Throughout this the waiting staff bustled about and the owner passed through several times, beaming and welcoming everybody. I wandered around after the meal to check I was still able to walk and found the office of Produttori del Barbaresco, the wine from this district that we most often encounter at home. I wandered in and told the lass that, but she was indifferent probably because it mean no sale. Or maybe she didn't understand a word I said.
We commented to the vineyard owner that we saw no netting on the heavy crop of grapes, and he said 'we have no birds.' We had noticed this in the forests of lake Como: zero birds. The odd lake bird but no land birds. Nothing. The answer on both occasions was that the netting and shooting of small birds, any species, is standard. They net 'em, pluck 'em, roast 'em, eat 'em. There is also the factor that bird migration is common across Europe, with most species moving to some degree to accommodate hotter summers and colder winters. Down south on the poorer fringes of the mediterranean, especially the north African coastline, the netting of migrating birds is rife. Im glad we didn't sign up for a natural history trip as we would have been disappointed; in the places we have been to date there is little to no room for anything outside of human modification.
Anyway on to Maggiore, through North Italy countryside although it is fairly congested every inch seemingly under human use. Animal farming for example is done indoors, with feed being bought in. Our guide offered 5 euros for any sighting of a cow, they are simply invisible. We enjoyed the mosaic of olive groves, vineyards, fruit trees, industrial precincts and towns, as we passed through. One particularly long section of roadway passed through a rice growing district, stretching as far as the eye could see on either side. Divided by water races and water gates to flood the field at planting time. I didn't think of Italy as a rice grower but of course they eat it on a grand scale and in many forms, which they do grow. The races are full of frogs we heard, and there were some white herons and egrets about and on account of their presence some larger raptors wheeling about. Maybe the herons taste too fishy for the locals?
Then over the hill and and new lake - Maggiore! Versus lake Como this is a large and broad lake, but again surrounded by gorgeous mountains. Dammit I thought we had the best mountains and Europes were rubbish. (No.) The next three days were a whirlwind of ferrying on midsized diesel powered passenger boats, and exploring place after place usually exceedingly grand in scale often housing art collections, historical items and sweeping gardens. My brain is a bit fuzzy on the details for example their names and history (which we will sort out when assembling some photos which as you know we can be relied upon to do immediately after any trip.) But the general impression is a heavenly collection of great classic structures and gardens atop islands and promontories, reflecting centuries of wealth and privilege, a deep Roman to Medieval to present history, a devotion to art sculpture and stonework and a stunning lake setting in a mountainous district. One place I remember, seeing I better describe at least one, was a bedroom in which Napoleon slept. A large ie huge second floor (or more) room with no windows but pillared arches forward of the bed. Everything in marble. Each arch framing a magnificent view of the lake and mountains. Crystal chandelier like the final explosion of a fireworks display, colourful tiled floors. Simplicity and magnificence.
It is inconceivable that any of these places could be built today the element of centuries of time, effort, craftmanship and wealth seems to be the only way there. However now they are there for all to visit and are revered and rightly so as historical treasures. Bigger is a definite theme as a rule the buildings are enormous.
Many are controlled so that you enter one door and can only pass out one other, but requiring you to walk through every room in the house. Holy MOG its a long walk. It was so hot and visitor numbers is an issue, everything was packed with people and at the end of this leg of the trip much as we were impressed and awed with the place it was great to go. We did also enjoy some quieter times having a cold drink at a table by lakeside, admiring the mountains which were to be a feature of our next place of visit.
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