The new photos were taken with my camera. I’ve also included the photos already loaded (taken and sent from my Nokia N95 phone).

As you can probably tell, I absolutely loved Orta, and the area around it!

The photos are here:

• Orta photos (one option from there is to click on the View as Slideshow option at the top right of the photos)
• Or, by clicking on More Photos in the right column of this page

We decided to come to Milan earlier than planned to be sure we could find the station in time for our 6:43am departure to Paris.  We are very glad we did that!  Getting to the station was not straightforward, despite having a good map.  It was better to do that without a deadline, and during day hours so we could ask people where to go.

Orta and surrounds was unbelievably beautiful.   Words cannot adequately explain what a picturesque place it is.

Here are some of the things which will remain in my mind about the past week:

• The sound of the bells from the numerous churches surrounding Lago d’Orta ding-donging.  The bells from the Benedictine monastery on Isola de San Giulio rang out at 6:30am and 7:15am every morning.  Such a rich sound.
• The sound of the multitudes of swallows and sparrows and other birds in the trees.  They sang all day, and in the morning and evening flew around and around in circles overhead.
• Being  there in spring was a good time of year  to visit, so the leaves on the trees were full and bright green.  Flower boxes overflowed, mostly with geraniums.  Gardens were full of roses and star jasmine and honeysuckle.  The fragrance from all of these wafted by as you walked by.
• The feeling of the gentle breezes blowing across the lake, and listening to the sound of the water lapping the shore.
• Starting the day with superb coffee and croissants in a little piazza.
• Then having panini with meat and cheese so full of flavour.
• And at night having the tastiest of fresh pasta with sauces bursting with flavour.
• Watching nuns in full habit board a small boat, just below where we stayed, to head over to the island, with their veil blowing in the breeze.
• Walking through the narrow cobble-stoned streets, with beautiful sights around every corner and down every laneway.
• Watching the trucks squeeze through the lanes with inches to spare, even with mirrors folded in.
• Looking out across the lake at the little villages dotted around the lake, each with their own church.
• Sitting in the piazza in the evening after dinner, feeling the cooler evening air, watching the reflection of the lights across the water, people watching.
• Also at the piazza watching the boats come and go across to the island and other parts of the lake.
• Watching some very new ducklings / cygnets bob in the water and chatter to each other.  One was yellow and the others mottled black and yellow.
• Talking with Elio at Cerri and other shop owners.  Friendly, helpful people!
• The history of the place, with San Giuliano arriving something like 379AD.  Many of the buildings date from the middle ages.  They require constant maintenance, and those which have been maintained are splendid. The textures of the building walls and colours and decoration (flower-boxes, shutters, painted finishes, windows, doors, gates) were all so picturesque.

Spending a week at Orta San Giulio allowed time to soak it up and relax and enjoy it.  We could easily stay much longer.

All around the lake was beautiful, such as at Pella, but the atmosphere at Orta was the best of all.

Now it’s on to the Loire tomorrow, going by TGV to Paris then to Tours.  And another set of adventures.

On the Milan-Paris-St Pierre des Corps day we will be going 1st class, and the other trip will be 2nd class.  That will be interesting to compare the two.

The trains travel up to 320 km/hr in commercial use, although in test use they have been clocked at 574.8 km/hr.

If you’d like to read more about the TGV, here are some good links:

• Wikipedia on TGV
• The official TGV site
• Rail Europe – online booking of TGV and other Europe rail tickets for people in Australia

Lago d’Orta is one of the smallest of the lakes in the Lakes District in the north of Italy, in the Piedmont region. Other Lakes there are more well known, such as Maggiore (just to the east) and Como. Milan is about an hour’s drive to the south.

The Lake is picturesque, surrounded by a mixture of natural landscape and towns. On the east side of the lake is the town of Orta San Giulio. You can catch a water taxi from Orta, and head out towards the small island of San Giulio in the middle of the Lake.

Here are some links to sites with more information about Lago d’Orta:

• Wikipedia entry on Lago d’Orta
• Lake Orta Hotels
• Pictures around Lake Orta: here , at Wikimedia, here and at Webshots
• Virtualtourist.com comments