The weather was still a little unsettled, as we could see when we opened the curtains in the morning:
After breakfast, it already looked better, but we were still unsure about going on a longer tour. We did not want to find ourselves in the middle of heavy rainfall and/or a thunderstorm while hiking up and down a mountain, now that we knew what the paths were like!
The top of Monte Giove, where we'd been on Tuesday, was shrouded in clouds, and so were many of the other mountains:
We decided to take a walk we'd found on a leaflet at the hotel instead, taking us directly from the hotel to the Orrido di Sant'Anna, a deep and narrow river gorge with a church built on top of the rock.
Our hotel from the back and a view across Cannobio to the lake:
I seriously thought about buying this property. ("Si vende" means "for sale".) The real estate agency's advert would probably read like this: "Property with plenty of rustic charm with lake views, close to town center. You will love the airy space inside and the original features such as doors and windows!"
Walking on, past several small waterfalls and across becks swollen from yesterday's rain, the view across Cannobio changed:
This is the (locked) entrance to a spring where mineral water used to be bottled and sold in the last and next-to-last centuries:
Arriving at the gorge:
The church of Sant'Anna was locked, so we could only walk around and admire it from outside.
View from the church:
And from below:
The water of the river Cannobino is crystal clear here:
We leisurely walked back to town on the other side of the river, not the same path we had taken to get there. It was pleasant, neither too hot nor too chilly, with the sound of the water next to us all the time.
More of the last part of our walk in one of my next posts.
How beautiful. Too bad about the church being lockef. Is it ever open to visitors?
ReplyDeleteOops..."locked" of course.
DeleteI am not sure, Jennifer, but I think they do open for service/mass regularly and probably upon request for groups.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Is that a person on the shoreline there in the 15th photo, in the view from the church? Wish that could be me!
ReplyDeleteThe sound of the rushing water is like nothing else, is it?
Once again, I am amazed at the lack of people in the photos!
Yes, Kay, there are people on the shoreline in the photo with the view from the church. Clicking on the pictures enlarges them, and you'll be able to see better that there are actually some people about :-)
DeleteWe did not meet many other people while we were on the paths, but down there at the river and near the church there were some.
What fun to have so many new, and beautiful, places to explore...All those ruins must have sparked your imagination. That bridge makes me feel a bit nervous, though. Was it really as empty of people as your pictures make it seem? I hope so.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, it was as empty of people as it seems. And when there were many others around, I simply did not take pictures. We were lucky in that we had our holiday there before the main season really begins.
DeleteI can recall a time when churches were never locked and they were respected too. I love churches (even though I no longer have any faith) and the peace and quiet that they often offer. Sant'Anna and the bridge are certainly very attractive (and photogenic).
ReplyDeleteThe locked churches we came across nearly everywhere were a little disappointing, but I understand it is necessary. People can be so stupid - it does not have to be vandalism as such, just tourists thinking "I'll take a little souvenir", but if thousands of tourists frequent the place, there will be nothing left after a few weeks.
Delete