Around Monte Mottarone

First ride of this trip! We headed north, passing Feriolo before turning west.

We split into three groups today, and I would stick with the middle group. We would not climb Monte Mottarone, but circle it in the (easier) counterclockwise direction. When we reached Lago d'Orta, we traced the eastern shore.

We wondered what this Moorish-style building was—a luxury hotel, as it turns out. (That was not one of our guesses.)

When we reached the town of Gignese, we stopped for a snack. There was some grilling going on, though it wasn't clear whether they were cooking for customers or having a Sunday afternoon barbecue.

When the head honcho headed straight for me with a frown on his face, I guessed (correctly) at the source of his disdain. I removed my sunglasses and turned them around, so he could see that the rectangle mounted on the frame was nothing more than a rear-view mirror. (Not, as many suspect, a camera.) With a smile as broad as his face, he showed the brilliant invention to his compatriots. A boombox materialized, and they treated us to the Rolling Stones and Van Morrison.

 

It takes a pretty special view to stop me on a descent ... here, it was Stresa (and, of course, Lago di Maggiore).

After 32 miles and 2,041 feet of climbing, we had enough time and energy to stroll through town before dinner. Gray clouds were looming; there is a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast, all week.