FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX: Butt Buster Bikes

It appeared that adventure holidays may not quite suit me. The aging body continued to get a battering with the buttocks taking a turn today. We had organised an e-bike tour with Susanna to explore the area as the towns were mostly quiet/closed being the off season.

As we arrived quite late the previous night, we wandered down the hill to buy some breakfast from the local supermarket before Susanna picked us up for our tour. The plan had to be modified somewhat because of the snow from 3-4 days ago. She drove us up to the village of Armeno we cycled up through the village of Coiromonte and onto Tre Montagnette for a bird's eye view of Lake Maggiore. On a clear day, you could see all the way to Switzerland. Cycling through snow and ice was HARD! I almost fell off the mountain...Let's just say it was a relief to get back onto bitumen!

We cycled down the way we came and continued down towards Orta San Giulio. We wandered around the main piazza as well as visiting the Sacro Monte, a collection of 20 devotional chapels atop a hill with spectacular views of Lake Orta. Thankfully from here, Susanna drove us back to Stresa. The butt could take no more. She was kind enough to take us to a supermarket for us to buy provisions as our rental was in the "Beverly Hills" of Stresa but required mountain goat skills to get to anywhere. If you are interested in active endeavours in the area or anywhere in Italy really, contact Susanna. She was warm, helpful and great with the children. Her English was good enough with some lost in translation along the way but she made up for it with high enthusiasm!