Vernante, The Murals

As we walked the town, it became apparent that this was a town of murals...more than 150 of them...all depicting scenes from Italy's favorite children's book, Pinocchio. The original illustrator of the book, Attilio Mussino, lived the last years of his life in Vernante, and two locals, Bruno Carlet and Meo Cavallera, have adorned the town with murals depicting scenes from the books. We're not huge Pinocchio fans, but illustrators rarely get such attention, and it was fun to track them down and get a few pix. There is also a Pinocchio museum and several sculptures around town.

Outside the TI, which was closed, as was everything else, for May Day

"Funtana"

On the elementary school building

Vernante, The Town

I can never get enough of Italy. But then I can never get enough of France. (Or Spain, or Portugal...). There was still much more of Italy to see, but then we have an engagement, a rendezvous, in France, and needed to move on. We drove up near the top of Lago Maggiore and then crossed over and dropped down by Lago Orta and drove its length, south, stopping for May Day parades in a couple towns. Some years ago we did a couple days and a hike in the Maritime Alps and had learned of an easy, if obscure pass that takes you from the Italian Maritimes down to France, then back into Italy and the beginning of its Riviera, but eventually to Menton and the Cote d'Azur. So after Orta we drove across the great plain, the white Alps always in view on our right, past Torino, past Cuneo, and up toward the Col de Tende and the way to France. After a day of driving, a large parcheggio  in Vernante, right on the river, beckoned, and we stopped there, in the company of some other campers, with enough daylight left to explore the little town.

Nice setting; the Alps still way too cold and snowy for us to consider; quel dommage

Walking en route to a sporting goods outlet at
the far end of town...a green man  reminiscent of
ours...

Pelerin showing leg

And back the main old street, past a bar displaying the old
practice of keeping your prized liquor  under lock and key

Old fortress ruins above, Tourusela, 13th century, guarding the pass

Interesting town church

With a really nice model

Great grandma playing kick ball with great grand-daughter

Street scene

Next morning we were off to the pass, stopping for a junque/collectible store
we had remembered from the previous crossing; it was much nicer then (see
http://roadeveron.blogspot.com/2013/10/across-mountains-and-back-again.html)

Sadly, now, it was just junk

The Col de Tende pass nowadays is a 3km tunnel, one of two in this part of the
world, that is, connecting Italy and France; this one is one-way, with a
circulation alternee', and not so nicely furnished as the Mont Blanc tunnel; but
it works, and there is little traffic

Isola Bella, Seconda

Continuing our visit to the Borromeo Islands, Lago Maggiore, Isola Bella

The whole downstairs is done in this grotto thing

Model of a Venetian ceremonial galley

Two or three rooms of this would have been OK, but it just went on and on....

Helpful model of another Borromeo property that we didn't visit

Ancient tower staircase connecting the floors

More nice stuff

In the Hall of Mirrors...wait, no....

"I can't give you anything but love, Baby..."

Big tree, a camphor; now in the formal garden

More Chinese white peacocks

More azaleas and everything else in bloom

I think this is what is meant by Italianate

Still, the plants are nice

Us, there

Very Italianate

"Jeez such a headache"

Other bit of the garden

Parthian shot as our vessel plies its way back to Stresa