{Ed. Note: This is the third in a series of travel articles by Books and Vines contributor dlphcoracl. The first of the series, ‘Biking Across Belgium‘ can be seen here (part I) and here (part II), while the second of the series, ‘Biking Across Switzerland‘ can be seen here (part I) and here (part II).}

Although I have visited and cycled in Italy numerous times, I was a newcomer to the lake region of Northern Italy and was eagerly anticipating this trip.  The trip was taken during the first week in July which is much earlier than I typically do my cycling trips.  Because I live in a four-season climate and do not cycle outdoors from November through March it leaves little time for proper training, especially if the trip involves significant uphill climbing.  Unfortunately, much of April proved to be a washout, varying between bone-chilling temperatures and rain.  I had to scramble to get the necessary road work on my bicycle in prior to the trip.  Nevertheless, I was able to log nearly one thousand mile in May and June.  Subsequent events would prove that I needed all of these training miles.

The trip began with a flight from Chicago O’Hare to Milan Malpensa Airport. Strangely, there were no direct flights to Milan and I had to choose where to make a connecting flight.  Many flights had the connection in London Heathrow while most of the remaining flights connected in Hamburg, Germany.  I know from experience these are two of the largest, most chaotic airports in Europe and I would rather have my toenails pulled out than risk making a connection in either airport.  Fortunately, there was one viable option, a flight on Swiss Airlines connecting via Zurich.  Although this cost several hundred dollars more I did not hesitate to make this reservation.  Zurich is a much smaller, state-of-the-art airport, organized and efficient, one of Europe’s most travel-friendly airports.  It is false economy to fly on the cheapest ticket only to subsequently miss a flight connection or have one’s luggage mishandled and lost, jeopardizing the entire cycling trip. Once in Milan’s Malpensa Airport, I took the Malpensa Express (basically, a subway) to the cavernous Stazione Centrale,  Mussolini’s “gift” to the Italian people, and took regional trains to my starting destination of Orta San Giulio.

Day 1: Orta San Giulio Loop to Vacciago (15 miles):

Orta San Giulio is a small jewel sitting on (appropriately enough) Lake Orta, not nearly as well known as the larger lakes of Como and Maggiore.  The lake and small village have an other-worldly sense of calm and beauty which remains unspoiled by large tourist crowds.  It has a central square which is lined with small restaurants and shops.

The narrow streets are lined with ochre houses with pleasant faded charm, some of which have painted frescoes.

Our cycling group of 18 met in the hotel lobby the following day to get acquainted and fitted to our bicycles. My bike was a Bianchi carbon fiber frame and I gave the Italian tour guides my clipless cycling pedals and precise measurements regarding seat height and fore-and-aft distance from the handlebars.  Unlike most of the other riders, I did not bring my bicycle seat from home.  From prior experience I have discovered that I have a generic arse that seems to fit comfortably on nearly all narrow-styled bicycle racing seats and I can save one pound of extra weight in packing.  After the bicycle fittings and a light lunch we spent the afternoon on a “quick hitter”, a fifteen mile ride that was straight uphill to the Sanctuary Madonna della Bocciola in Vacciago with an additional climb up to Sacro Monte.

In the evening we took a private boat to Isola (island) San Giulio in the middle of Lake Orta for a visit to its cathedral and dinner in the only active restaurant on this small island.

An interesting feature of our walk from the cathedral to the restaurant to our dinner was the circular interior path that leads around the vast Benedictine monastery.  It is lined with a series of suspended oblong signs with thoughts and personal suggestions written in four languages.  In one direction, the signs exhort the visitor to follow  “the way of silence” , with the various benefits of silence explained.

In the other direction, the signs combined to form “the way of meditation” offering thoughts for personal self improvement.

Our multi-course dinner was simple and simply wonderful. Our return boat ride back to our hotel on Orta San Giulio provided a beautiful evening view of Isola San Giulio illuminated against a crystal clear evening sky.

Day 2: Orta San Giulio to Cannobio (34 miles):

Today our cycling begins in earnest.  As would prove to be the case in all of our cycling days we immediately started climbing from our sea level hotel,  quickly providing us with stunning views of the town and lake, eventually reaching the town of Gignese at the top of the climb.

Our descent took us to the town of Stresa.  The group then locked up our bikes together by the lake, ditched our helmets (all under the watchful eye of one of the two tour guides working the support van) and took a boat to visit the majestic Villa Borromeo and its hanging gardens, located on Isola Bella island on Lake Maggiore.

The Borromeo family dates back to 1416 and the Borromeo Islands have been in their possession since the late-15th century.  Our cycling group was given a room-by-room guided tour of the extraordinary palace.  One of the focal points is the Grand Hall, the room used exclusively for welcoming guests and the largest and most beautiful room in the palace.   The Borromeo family’s motto, which was HUMILITAS, i.e., ‘Humility before God‘, is clearly visible at the top of the dome.

This theme (“Humilitas”) is repeated throughout the palace (embroidered into several pieces of furniture) and in the gardens.  A notable feature is that nearly every room is adorned with an extraordinary crystal chandelier, several from Murano.

After touring the rooms on the main floor of the palace we descended a staircase to the lower level containing the six grottos.

The grottos “were conceived by the same architects who designed the palace, as cool and restful refuges during the hottest summer days.”  “The theme of the figurations [in the grotto rooms] evokes the depths of the sea, shells, aquatic animals and vegetation, varying from grotto to grotto.” Before entering the first of the grotto rooms we encountered several glass cases with marionettes and the palace’s Puppet Theater.

Notable features of the six grotto rooms included the statue of Divinita Dormiente (Sleeping Divinity) by Gaetano Monti (1776-1847) in the 3rd grotto,  a model of a Venetian “Bucintoro”, the galley used by the Doge of Venice in the ceremony “The Marriage of Venice and the Sea” with a statue of Flora by Monti in the background – 4th grotto, the magnificent detail of the largest (5th) grotto, and the antique horse’s harnesses dating back to the time of Cardinal Federico Borromeo (1564-1631) in the 6th grotto.  A strange gremlin-like figure in the center of the rear wall adds a special touch.

The tour concluded with a walk through the Tapestry Gallery, designed in 1677 by Andrea Biffi.  The six Flemish tapestries were woven around 1565 in Brussels in Pieter Coecke van Aalst’s workshop, added to the Borromeo collection as donations in the late 1700s and installed in the Isola Bella palace in 1848.  The tapestries are notable for the absence of any human figures, only animals, which symbolize man’s virtues and vices.  Quotations from the Bible are woven into the tapestry borders.

The  commentary sign posted on the wall notes:

The general theme is theological: evil and sin can be overcome by redemption.  Evil takes on the appearance of wild or mythical animals, in accordance with a symbolic pagan and Christian tradition.  In the tapestries we can observe scenes of animals attacking or threatening to attack other animals, or scenes in which the animals attend to their young or look after their eggs.  And scenes of animals that are enemies in nature, but here live together peacefully.  The various inscriptions placed in scrolls – drawn from the Old and New Testaments – partly help us to unravel the complex meanings behind these scenes.  In a nutshell, the message behind the tapestries is the following: the brutal force of evil defies grace and reason, but the Lord gives man the force to stand up against evil and supports the righteous in their fight against sin.

As noted in the illustrated guide book ‘Isola Bella’ published by Edizione Reggiori, the two most interesting of the tapestries are number three – ‘The Unicorn Attacked by Lions and Tigers‘ – notable for the most powerful example of the struggle between good and evil and the unusually heightened receding perspective of the conifer forest behind the animals, and number five – ‘The Ford of the Lioness‘ – in which the river seems to flow from whatever angle one looks at it, again due to creative use of receding perspective.

Leaving the Tapestry Room we headed outside to visit the magnificent gardens of Isola Bella.  The gardens are known world-wide for the extraordinary range of plant and flower species, a labor of love of Scottish Captain McEachern in 1931 after he bought the estate with the dream of erecting and assembling magnificent gardens.  The gardens contain thousands of exotic plant species from around the world.  We are greeted by the Courtyard of Diana named for the statue of the goddess placed in the central niche of the stone facade that marks the garden entrance.

An unusual feature of the gardens is the family of snow-white peacocks that wander about the premises.

The multi-tiered gardens can be both formal and relatively informal, but they can always be counted on to provide sweeping panoramic views of Lake Maggiore.

After the gardens, we boarded the boat for another ride across the lake and then cycled along the lakeshore to our next hotel, the Hotel Cannobio in Cannobio.

Day 3: Cannobio Loop to Locarno (42 miles):

This ride was a long wide loop beginning from our hotel in Cannobio, heading inland (west) climbing along the Valle Cannobina through the towns of Falmenta and Finero, then looping back  in a northeasterly direction across the Swiss border into Ascona, Switzerland, where we had lunch along Lake Maggiore.  After lunch we completed the loop heading south along the lakeshore back down to Cannobio.  As was true of nearly all of the days, we began climbing right out of the gate after breakfast.  Just before reaching Finero we passed one of Italy’s memorials to their resistance fighters during World War II, the Monumenti Caduti Partigiani.

After riding through a series of lit tunnels, something I consistently found unnerving, we encountered a striking church with several large silver domes, the Santuario (Sanctuary) della Madonna di Re.  Re is the most easterly town in the Valle Vigezzo located only 7 kilometers from the Swiss border.

The sanctuary is also know as the Madonna del Sangue (“Madonna of the Blood”), owing its name and importance to a miracle that occurred in 1494. Tradition states that in 1494 a young man named Giovanni Zucono was playing a game called piodella with others outside the church. The game is similar to baseball with a short stick of wood used to hit an object, in this case a metal disc such as a coin.  The goal is to hit the coin or disc as close to possible to a target.  Giovanni lost the game and his temper and he flung his coin in the face of the Madonna on the wall, resulting in an outpouring of blood that did not stop for the next twenty days.  The blood was collected and stored and in 1894, the 400th anniversary of the miracle, the Sanctuary was built to house the “Madonna del Sangue” with the holy reliquaries kept in a tabernacle in the back of the altar.  The small village of Re became a destination of many pilgrims.  Work began on the present byzantine-like structure in 1922 and in 1958 Pope Pius XII designated the sanctuary as a Basilica Minore.

We reached Ascona in the early afternoon.  Ascona has the warmest climate in Switzerland due to its location along the northern shore of Lake Maggiore.  It is a small wealthy town and it is graced with palm and lemon trees, giving it a tropical charm unusual for Switzerland.

While strolling the main drag along the lakefront looking for lunch spots we were serenaded by an elderly accordion player performing regional Swiss folk tunes and entertained by a ghostly mime.

After returning to Cannobio, our group had a casual dinner of gourmet pizza and beer or wine.  Even Ty Bear needed a bit of refueling after our day’s ride and numerous climbs.

Day 4: Cannobio to Menaggio (44 miles):

After a spectacular breakfast at Hotel Cannobio (the best breakfasts of our trip, by far), we departed and loaded our bikes on a small boat which took us across Lake Maggiore to our starting point, the town of Luino.

Our ride would take us through the town of Morcote to Lugano, Switzerland and the glacial Lake Lugano, nestled between Lake Maggiore and Lake Como.  Upon reaching Menaggio/Griante, Lombardy in the late afternoon we checked into our hotel, the 4-star Grand Hotel Victoria located on a small tree-shaded boulevard directly facing Lake Como.  Dinner was at the hotel on their outdoor terrace.

Day 5: Off Day – Hiking !!

After three days of cycling with a steady diet of uphill climbs, today is a rest day of sorts.  We ditch the bikes, board a ferry to Orrido di Bellano and enjoy a stunning hike above Lake Como, stopping to visit the ruins of Vezio Castle.  This will test a very different set of muscles.  Whereas cycling places a premium on the muscles along the back of one’s legs, e.g., buttocks, hamstrings, and calves,  hiking is a test of the quadriceps muscles.  Doubt me??  Go to your local health club and spend thirty minutes on the StairMaster.

We began with a crystal clear morning as we boarded the boat to Orrido.

Upon docking and unloading we were greeted by a beautiful old church with alternating rows of black and white stone along the facade.

We purchased our tickets and began hiking into the Bellano Gorge of “Orrido”.  Quoting from the site’s small brochure:

Orrido is a natural gorge formed in over 15 million years by the flowing waters of the Stream Pioverna that, by erosion, has carved out a deep gorge between Taceno in Valsassina and Bellano.The peculiarity of this place comes out from the possibility to travel a short distance into the gorge, walking along a steel walkway fixed into the stone.  The foamy waters, the waterfalls, the smooth rocks, the vegetation and the caves carved into the rock all constitute a spectacle of great beauty.

We then quickly retraced our steps along the steel catwalk and began our formal hike into the woods up toward Vezio Castle.  The ruins of Vezio Castle were guarded by a formidable array of characters.  Our first encounter is with “Artu”, a giant great horned owl.  If you have any doubts with regard to the formidable nature of this predator this photo will help to dispel them.

Walking along the gravel path we encountered several “ghosts”, ingenious sculptures made by artist Sergio Pagliai who recruits willing tourists who offer to be put into various positions, covered with gauze and white chalk, then wait frozen in position for twenty minutes until the chalk has dried.

Our final gauntlet before climbing into Vezio Castle consisted of a group of falcons guarding the entrance.

Our group willingly endured these challenges because the views from Vezio Castle were stunning, with panoramic views of Lake Como and Bellagio as it divides the lake into two parts.

Following our visit, we took a ferry to our next destination, the town of Bellagio.

Day 6:  Bellagio Loop (36 miles):

What this day’s cycling lacked in distance it more than made up for in difficulty of the uphill climbs. Immediately after breakfast, we mounted out bicycles and begin a steep ascent within 100 meters of our hotel.  By now, I knew the routine and I had modified my breakfast intake accordingly, eschewing the rich, calorific flourless chocolate cake, fruit tarts, croissants, etc., and fueling up on yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, and a cappuccino. Bad enough we were starting the morning with a steady, steep 10 kilometer climb but I saw little need to have thousands of calories sloshing about in my stomach while doing so.  Our destination? The Madonna del Ghisallo shrine and cycling museum in Magreglio!!   This stop is a regular feature of several famous Italian cycling events. The Madonna del Ghisallo is the patron saint of cycling.  The spectacular views as we continued our ascent provided motivation during the long steep climb.

The small brown “Ghisallo” sign at the top of the final climb was a sight for sore eyes and calves.

From my tour company’s route notes:

Legend has it that in medieval times a local count was being attacked by bandits when he saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary.  Running towards the vision saved him.  In 1949, the small chapel became a shrine to Italian cycling legends and provides a memorial to those who have fallen.

And, from the small brochure of the Museo del Ciclismo/Madonna del Ghisallo:

This famous hill, with its spectacular views, is an iconic location for cyclists of all ages and categories, both competitive and non-competitive. Its climb has been the decisive or conclusive stage of some of the most renowned races in the history of cycling, from the Giro d’Italia to the Giro di Lombardia, to the Coppa Agostini and the Giornata della Bicicletta.  For this reason, thousands of cycling enthusiasts come up to Ghisallo each year – also to visit its 17th century shrine containing a painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as the Madonna del Ghisallo.

I locked my bike outside the church entrance amidst a wondrous display of high-end bicycles belonging to cyclists from around the world who were making the cyclist’s pilgrimage to Ghisallo.

The monuments paying tribute to several of Italy’s legendary cyclists were located in front and left of the entrance to the small church.

Upon entering the church, it is divided into two distinct and separate halves divided by an ornate black wrought iron gate with the front half devoted to cycling memorabilia and the rear half comprising the church and shrine.

The Museo del Ciclismo (cycling museum) was small but thoughtfully done, going beyond the usual tributes and photographs of Italian cycling champions and their bicycles.  Rather, it carefully chronicled the history of cycling over the past one hundred years, with numerous bicycles on display highlighting a dizzying variety of technical innovations, both successful and unsuccessful, demonstrating how the modern racing bicycle has evolved.  There were, of course, vintage photographs from the major Italian cycling events highlighting prior champions and the bicycles they rode during their winning rides, many donated by the riders themselves.

After buying  souvenir cycling jerseys at the museum cycling shop, everyone relaxed and fueled up on the small lawn outside of the church and museum, meeting and talking with other cyclists from around the world.

There were the usual suspects – riders from all over Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain,  and the United States.  However, to my surprise there was a strong Aussie contingent of a half dozen cyclists, immediately recognizable by their distinctive accents.  Their presence was testament to their dedication and cycling enthusiasm as this is not a casual trip from Down Under.  The flight distance spans nearly half the globe, over 16,000 km. or 10,000 miles.  Good on them!!

Upon leaving the Ghisallo shrine and cycling museum, I was quickly brought back to reality because my morning of uphill climbing was about to be “doubled down”.  For the next 16 km. I was fed a steady diet of climbs with grades varying from  7% to 14%  as our group continued south and then west to the town of Colma.  Our eventual reward was a gourmet outdoor lunch at the Agriturismo Binda.

Well……….what goes up must come down and after lunch the afternoon started with a steep downhill descent, replete with numerous tight hairpin turns.  My technical skills on a bicycle are somewhat limited and when my speed exceeds 50 km/hr (30 miles per hour) I reflexively apply the Vulcan Death Grip to my brakes.  Additionally, when approaching the hairpin turns I slow down to a crawl because the traffic coming uphill against me often restricts the arc and path I would like to take through these turns.  My motto: stay upright on the bike and “live to play another day”.  Upon returning to the hotel and taking a quick shower, the day and week concluded with dinner on the hotel’s outdoor terrace, with splendid views of the lake and mountains.