Monday, August 1, 2022

A Short Post of Riffs on Italy

Rick Steves is the patron saint of American travels to Europe.  His TV show is great, his travel guides are easy to use and full of good info.  However, his guide dissed Stresa.  

However we enjoyed the times we went into town.  Even if the streets were not pedestrian only (some were), there were few cars, so I could walk right in the middle of the street.  There were five gelato shops (we stayed loyal to one).  There were fine little shops, many restaurants of varying quality, and, of course, the lakefront affords timeless views of a spectacular nature.

Traffic circles are the best way to keep traffic moving, and not just in cities.  Instead of four-way stops, or traffic lights out in rural areas, traffic circles keep traffic moving safely.  You have to slow down as you come to a traffic circle, but you don’t have to stop (unless a car is coming through the circle, obviously).

The Italian leg of our trip was fantastic, except for the heat, of course.  The food, culture, wine, and more of the country make it, without question, the second best in Europe (a ways behind Spain, and a smidge ahead of France).  Readers are allowed to disagree.  (Editor: Wow Glen, you are soooo open-minded as to allow people to have differing opinions.  Blogger: Thanks, I know.)

We covered a lot of miles in Italy, driving from the airport into Milan, driving from Milan to Stresa, up Mount Mottarone, down and around the other side of the Lake for the cliffside church and the Rocca di Angera, out to the winery, and then to Lago d’Orta.  Other than our adventures in Milan and the switchbacks going up the mountain, driving was pretty easy.

 

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