Italian Lakes & Swiss Matterhorn Escorted Group
Sue has just returned to the office after travelling with our group to the “ Italian Lakes and the Swiss Matterhorn”.
This tour was escorted by Debbie, from Riviera Travel, who was very helpful and informative. The group stayed at the Hotel Astoria, located on the lakefront in Stresa, a family-owned hotel. The manager, Franco, and the staff were very attentive, and the food was lovely, particularly the breakfasts! Who knew you could have panna cotta for breakfast? The group dined together each evening in the restaurant, overlooking the beautiful Lake Maggiore and sampled traditional Italian dishes, including pasta and local fish from the Lake.
We took a private boat ride to Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman’s Island) and then on to Isola Bella for a guided tour of the Baroque Palace, seeing a bed Napoleon had slept in when he visited! We then had free time to explore the gardens and Island, before travelling back to Stresa, with a gelato stop en route!!!
The next day we travelled to Domodossola, boarding the narrow-gauge Centovalli Railway. With breathtaking views of waterfalls and quaint villages, we crossed the border into Switzerland, visiting the beautiful town of Locarno, on the northern shore of Lake Maggiore, at the base of the Alps. After time here, we then travelled to Cannobio, a lovely town on the Lake, for another gelato, and then a private boat ride back to Stresa.
On Friday, we ventured to Lake Como, with its impressive Duomo. Some took the Funicular Railway up the hill to Brunate, and had beautiful views of the Lake, whilst others explored the town and visited the shops and art gallery. Mr Clooney was nowhere to be seen!
Saturday was a free day to explore the area and Sue visited the market in Intra, snapping up bargains, whilst others visited the Botanical Gardens on Isola Madre, and the more intrepid took the “bucket lift” cable car for stunning views over the Lake.
On Sunday, we journeyed over the Simplon Pass into the Swiss Alps to the car-free resort of Zermatt. Unfortunately, the Matterhorn was covered in cloud, but some took the cog railway up to 10,000 feet to Gornergrat for a better view!
After thunderstorms on Sunday evening, we travelled to Lake Orta in the rain, but by 11 the sun was back out and there was an opportunity to discover the small village of Orta San Giulio, and to meet Lucca, the delicatessen owner, with his wonderful food and unusual shaped pasta! Then we boarded a private boat to San Giulio Island, known as the “Island of Silence”, due to the Benedictine Abbey where the nuns have dedicated their lives to silence and prayer. We walked “The Way of Silence” and some found this harder than others to do in silence!
We had a farewell drink on our last evening in the bar before dinner, with a Bellini cocktail and a chance to say thank you to Debbie for being a great tour manager.
Overall, a wonderful trip to this beautiful area of Italy, with lovely memories and hopefully happy travellers!
Should you wish to travel to this beautiful part of the world please contact us on 01785 818202 or email info@regent-travel.co.uk
