As some of you know, I recently returned from three weeks in Italy. I was invited by a few friends to spend some time at a villa in the hills of Umbria, not far from the border with Tuscany, and I agreed (of course).
Well, the week in Umbria had come to a close, but I still had another eleven days in Italy. I had decided to split it up rather evenly between the Franciacorta region and Lago d’Iseo, Alba in the middle of Piedmont, and Stresa on the banks of Lago Maggiore; all three spots in the northern part of the country, the first two known for wine production and the third a town I had visited a couple of decades ago.
On Lago d’Iseo, I stayed in Lovere, a town at the northern end of the lake. The hotel was fine, chosen mostly for the view (this was from my balcony).
Having arrived a bit late into town, I had dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was pretty good (despite the horrible lighting), with a great view.
I had my bike with me, and the idea was to get in some riding (obviously). The next day, I set out to circumnavigate the lake, which I achieved eventually.
The ride was truly spectacular, perhaps the most stunning of the trip, with tiny towns nestled up to the lake….
…and majestic cliffs seemingly rising up out of the water.
Just a fantastic ride.
That night, I wandered into town, determined to find a nice spot for dinner.
I like doors.
With my first choice full, I settled on Casa Bohtep, a bit off the beaten path, and it was marvelous. I had to sit inside, however, since I had not made a reservation, which was a bit of a drag since the view was amazing.
The following day, I had planned to stop in at a couple of Franciacorta producers. Unfortunately, it was a national holiday in Italy, and almost all were closed. Barone Pizini was open, however, and I had a lovely tasting of four of their sparkling wines.
That afternoon, my ride was a bit shorter, but more challenging as it had a bit of climbing. I swear I used to be decent in the hills, but now I am an old, fat, flatlander, sadly.
I stopped for a coke in the tiny town of Pianico, about halfway through the ride.
The climbing was worth it as there were nice views of another lake that I circumnavigated, Lago di Endine.
I ventured into town once again for dinner and ate at a place on the main square, across from the marina. It was just OK. I had hoped to return to the previous night’s spot, but it was closed, of course.
I found consolation with a bottle of still wine from Baron Pizzini on my balcony that night, my last on Lago d’Iseo.
I was heading off to Alba, but I was able to squeeze in two more appointments in Franciacorta. The first was Ferghettina, which had beautiful wines and while the square bottles were cool, they are quite expensive and quite a bit heavier than the standard round.
I also made it to the tiny producer Corte Fusia, which was fantastic. More on all the visits, soon!
the drunken cyclist 