No traffic to speak of and mostly beautiful weather, Kris and I left San Gimignano this morning by 8:30am and got to Stresa, on Lago Maggiore (just south of Switzerland, on a lake, and near Malpensa airport for an early Sat morning flight). Stresa is one of those historic places in Italy — and Hemingway turned the place into a spot when he wrote about his recuperation here.
At San Gimignano last night we sat under a clear sky in the central piazza and listened to a travelling violinist play nearly the whole of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Glorious, peaceful, and a brilliant way to end off our time in Tuscany.
At breakfast we saw again a couple from Germany who grew up in Eastern Germany. Our question: What was the biggest difference? Her answer, blurted out: Liberty. Made me aware again of the significance of the Wall for ordinary German folks yet today.
I’m deeply enjoying the Pope’s book on Jesus. Much better than the Dante book by Barbara Reynolds. Why say so? She turned a study of Dante into a commentary on The Divine Comedy, of which surely there is a need but it was not what I was led to think the book was about. When I read the Comedy again I’ll surely keep my eye on her book.
Again, we can’t post pictures from our hotel in Stresa. We are right behind a lovely church and 50 yards from the lake — so we’ll have more than our share of pictures to share when we get home.
We have decided to post a 7-10 excursion in Tuscany — where we recommend going, etc..