Autumn has started in Monza since early september and there will always be at least 1 day/ week which is wet. Today is particularly wet as the rain started to pour since morning.
I found myself getting lazier by the day, trying to drag my body out of the bed. Not that the bed is comfy, i think the idea of going to work is becoming a routine which i dread.
However, everytime when i think of lunch, i would immediately get myself washed up=D. Did i mention that lunch is the top reason why i love going to work everyday! I am even thinking of just going to work for lunch on the day i fly off to singapore.
Today, i shall do on a review on the places which i visited last week.
Lake Maggiore,is one of the 3 big lakes in italy besides lake como & lake garda.These 3 lakes are different( scenery, style, structure) due to its location.
There are 3 Borromean islands in Lake Maggiore, namely, isola bella, isola pescatoria e isola madre. These 3 islands have different themes.
For this trip, i have decided to visit only 2/3 islands as my travel partner usually gets up late in the morning which leaves us to only 4-5 hours to visit the place.Isola bella and isola pescatoria were chosen as they were the nearest to the Stressa town and also because, they are of interest to me.Link to the great town:http://www.visitstresa.com/Isola_Bella.htm
Isola bella- it has a beautiful garden and palace which is well maintained (Hence, a ticket of 13 euro per person is required).
This place is wonderful, especially at the section where one of the mansion was built with pebble stones from the floor to the wall including the ceiling. They are so well done with intricate designs.There are a mini zoo in the palace, a mini garden with a mini maze.They housed the bookshop and the coffee shop in the 2 small towers in the building.In the garden, they have herbs/ plants introduced.I actually got to see the osmanthus plant which i drink occasionally in singapore. It smelt really good.
Isola Pescatoria-also known as the fisherman village, is actually just a small island where all the restaurants are gathered. It is just a 5 min ferry trip from isola bella.There is a wide variety of restuarants available.Do remember to try the Risotto as it is a signature dish in Lake Maggiore.We spent around 3-4 hours in both islands and decided to skip Baverno town which was supposed to be our last stop before we head back to Stressa where we boarded the ferry.Reason being, first Baverno town needs a few hours to explore and i would like to visit the potato festival at oreno where my colleagues will be there.
Oreno- this is the first time i heard of this potato festival ( never heard of it in 2005). It is actually famous as potato was a staple food in Oreno town. There were local folks dressed up in costumes and paraded across the streets. Lots of stalls were lined up on both sides of the streets (similar to flea markets).
My colleague,Marco was so kind that he even treated us dinner at his "supposedly" restaurant. We did not know that at first, else we would not have order so much of food. Yes, by nature, both of us eat alot & i mean a lot! We ordered a main dish each, 2 side dishes and also a dessert each. In addition, we also ordered 2 cups of italian beer. I felt so awkward when Marco said"no need to pay, it is a gift!!" My jaw dropped....
Why you would ask?
1st, there was a long queue to the restaurant (when i mean long, there were like 50 + ppl queuing) & yes, we skipped the queue!
2nd,since it was a festival, both my travel partner and i decided to try as much of the food as possible and we were busy calculating how much to pay for the bill.
3rd,Marco recognized me from afar at Oreno even though i have not met him before. He said he saw 2 lost sheep, that's why he thought it must be me! He guided us around oreno place ,showing us the whole area before bringing us to his restaurant.
I have not seen such kindness for a long long time and it came from a stranger. It must have been a sign from the Almighty that things are going to be great from that day onwards.
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