Every now and then we like to do a trip on the spur of the moment, especially in the fall when the weather can be iffy. We choose a few places in different parts of Europe, and then as we get close to the time to leave, we go with the one where the weather looks best. This year the Lakes District of Northern Italy won out. So we loaded up the car with paddle boards and put our bikes on the bike rack, and hit the road.
The Italian Lakes District is comprised of five major lakes and a series of smaller ones, situated in the northern part of Italy, near the Swiss border and just above Milan. Of the five primary lakes, Lake Como is the most famous. And if you just have time to visit one, this is the one. The lake is shaped like an upside-down “Y”, with the towns of Como and Lecco at the bottom, and the famous towns of Bellagio, Varenna, Tremezina and Menaggio congregated where the three arms of the lake meet. A number of ferries joins these towns and shorelines together, as driving to them would adds hours to travel time. If you are to visit anywhere on Lake Como, it is in the central area where you can quickly visit four of the regions most popular and most beautiful towns.
We left from Nice, entered Italy, taking the coastal freeway through Savona, then up to Mondavi, and then took the SP12 (a favorite highway) to Albi. The color of the leaves were turning and the day was just beautiful with clear blue skies. We took our time, enjoying the scenery of rolling hills of yellow, orange and red, as the vineyard leaves to turn to vibrant colors.
In years past when we’ve gone to Northern Italy in the autumn, it is usually to take in the Truffle Festival in Albi. But, as we got out of Nice late, we just drove through Piemonte, enjoying the colors and pastoral landscape along the way.
We drove up from Nice, through Sospel and then passed by Saorge (an amazing hillside town), Tende, Cuneo and then into the Piemonte (mountain foothills) valley. The above photo was taken along the drive after just leaving Sospel, and where we began the climb over (and through) the mountain range that borders Italy. To the right is an image of our GPS, showing just how windy the road can be, and how many hairpin turns there are.
We previously had 
The Doria castle dates back to 1177 when it was the residence of the counts of Ventimiglia. It was purchased some time later by the Marquis Roberto Doria, who at the time was expanding his rule along the Nervia river valley.
To celebrate the end of such a uncivil cruelty, the village women created a sweet they named “Michetta” (They are suppose to resemble female genitals, but that’s a bit of a stretch). From that day, every year on the 16 of August the village celebrates the “Micheta” by dancing, singing, baking sweets and drinking the local wine. Since then the word “michetta” is continued to be used to define virginity and the female womb.
