Beautiful Lake Lugano as seen from the Italian village of Oria, just across the border from Switzerland. Lake Lugano sits in both countries and served as the backdrop for a weekend reunion with Tim, Chuck, Judy, and Brian. Brian and I stayed at the Hotel Principe Leopoldo while Tim and his parents stayed elsewhere in Lugano. Lugano city is actually part of Switzerland and is about an hour north of Milan Malpensa airport, an easy 1 hour 15 minutes flight from Brussels.
Lugano is a posh town with high end shops, amazing hotels, and good restaurant choices. Nearby Gandria is a town that can only be reached by hiking or boating - definitely worth a visit and a lunch overlooking the lake. Tim and his buddy Paul rented a boat in Lugano and picked up Brian and I in Oria...just as the only rain of the weekend started to pour. Gypsy (Tim's dog) was NOT loving the boat ride!
One of the best moments of the trip was dinner at this small family run restaurant (Osteria Nostranello) in the village of Neggio. Delicious food accompanied by music from the owner and his mates.
Catching up with the guys and hiking along these beautiful trails made for a perfect weekend away.
In expected Swiss fashion, great signage to guide your every step along the trail. Onward to the top of Monti Bre...
 |
| These are edibile... |
 |
| ...but definitely not these |
Don't eat the red mushrooms but very cool to find these excellent specimens along the trail. We met a lady on the trail who had a backpack full of mushrooms. She showed us some of her prizes of the day.
In the clouds above the town of Bre a breathtaking view of Lake Lugano.
And a post hike lunch at an osteria in Bre.
No comments:
Post a Comment