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 Dwight
Peck's personal Web site
Winter
2004-2005
as
life's hectic non-stop party threatens to get out of control and really exhausting
Kristin's
April 2005 visit to Switzerland (and Italy)
You
may not find this tangibly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a
good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught
up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.
Verbania
and the Borromeo Islands Like
all young Americans even today, the narrator in his youth was besotted with Hemingway's
A Farewell to Arms, and many times over the past three decades he has hurtled
through Stresa on the western short of Lago Maggiore and promised himself that,
one day, he would treat himself to a visit to the Isole Borromee. Especially having
been forced to study the careers and "thoughts" of numerous cardinals
and theologians of the Borromeo family, he was determined finally to go out there
and see what all the fuss was about. And here's our chance at last. 
The lakeboat
from Cannobio's on strike for the morning and takes 3 hours anyway, so we've dashed
by auto down to Verbania, a much better jumping-off place for the Isole in any
case. Now we're just strolling around Verbania, looking for a hot-dog stand, till
the strike's over and the boat's ready to go. 
Even
Verbania has a lovely old part of town. 
We're
idling about here, just waiting for Kristin, who's found another pharmacy to browse
in for a while. The
strike should be over now, it's time to leave Verbania and catch the boat for
the Borromeo Isles. 
That's
Pallanza, just around the bend from Verbania, and now we're heading out to the
Isola Madre. 
That's
the very nice house the Borromeos built on Isola Madre (Milano -- think Visconti,
Sforza, Borromeo! That's how bigtime the Borromeos were in their prime, i.e.,
from the 16th century until they turned this house over to the national trust
for taxes.) Theologically, this was a no-show, which is fine! Gardening-wise,
nice job, you Borromeos you. 
That's
the front door of it, a lovely house, with many many unlabeled portraits of semi-ugly
people and lots of excellent period furniture. (No photos allowed inside, alas.) 
That's
the palace chapel on Isola Madre, a little like a Caribbean casino except for
the cross on top of it, but really quite a restful place. The island is a big
exotic garden, with flowers from all over, probably reaching full bloom just about
when the high-season tourists cascade down upon the place in full cry. We had
fewer blooms but fewer tourists too. 
Great
gardening, fresh sushi in the pond. The main house has got a great marionette
museum as well, created by the family in the 19th century with the help of La
Scala set designers in their off hours, and some 19th century Countess' doll collection,
which is a bit scary if you've seen those horror movies about grinning killer
dolls. 
Kristin,
having tired of pheasants and peacocks in the gardens (and a parrot collection),
prepares to island-hop when the next boat arrives. 
Here's
the middle Borromeo island, the Isola dei Pescatori or Fishermen's Island, a compact
community built around the 16th century San Vittore church. 
At mid-summer
this must be a madhouse, but for the moment we've got it more or less to ourselves
and it's easy to imagine what life might have been like for the inhabitants here
some 400 years ago. 
From
the park at the end of the tiny Isola dei Pescatori 
In
a pleasant afternoon on Fishermen's Island, many boats but no fishing boats were
seen. 
Near
the boat dock, getting ready for the summer hordes 
Isola
Bella, the other one, an 18th century palace and gardens -- we avoided this one
because we both hate rococo. 
We're
leaving the Isola dei Pescatori now, and going back to Cannobio for an enormous
dinner. Tip: the pizza in that ristorante on the right is really crappy, and the
beer comes in a plastic cup. 
Senior
citizen tour boats from Stresa 
That's
the Isola Madre again as we head for the old feedbag in Cannobio. 
Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative,  .
All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 5 May 2005, revised 2 July 2008.
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