Leg 2 - Lugano
Click on the small pictures to view the large ones
Back in April 1969 I had taken myself off to Gandria, a small, carless village on Lago di Lugano, in the Italian part of Switzerland - very close to the Italian border and Milan, to mend a broken heart - mine. I stayed at the Ristorante Antico, owned by the Bartolini family - Luciano, his wife Marta and their 6-year old son, Sandro. 38 years later I went back - and what did I find? Be patient!
If you're on Lake Lugano and you look from left to right you have Paradiso
- where the boats come in, then Lugano town centre, then the Lido, then Lanchetta
(local shops), Casarate (for the funiculare to Monte Bré), and then
San Domenica (the usual stop for the hotel), and Castagnola. This is the route
of the very useful No 1 bus.
|
Sat 21 July 2007 In the afternoon I took the train to Lugano where I was to spend a week at the Hotel Carlton Villa Moritz in Lugano-Castagnola and where I had hoped to learn more Italian. No such luck. The owners turned out to be Swiss-German, and nearly all the guests were too and while they didn't speak Italian, I improved my French no end! Astonished to discover that the Swiss-Germans also practise nabbing the sun beds, but the Luxembourgers and their dog (pictured) were delightful I had the full four-course dinner at the hotel - all this eating is exhausting as well as the walking! |
|
|
Sun 22 July 2007 Remember my wish to find the Bartolini family? I had been told by the man at the Hotel Moosman in Gandria that, although his parents had since died, Sandro was still around and working 'on the boats'. I headed for the quay (on the excellent No 1 bus service - Lugano ripped out its trams some time ago!) only to be told that Sandro was off for two days so I went back to Castarate and picked up the funiculare up to Monte Bré. I wandered around for a while, had a cold drink and a chat with a lovely Dutch woman, and then took the funiculare back down. The meadow where I photographed the shepherds is now apartments, sadly. Having just missed a bus I had a senile moment and thought that I could walk back to the hotel and then onto Gandria for lunch. Hmmnn. I'm no longer 21 and it was July (and 32 degrees), not April - I nearly killed myself doing it! The Ristorante Antico is still there in Gandria, but more modern, and the lovely old furniture in the bedrooms is long gone. The chef got very excited because he thought he knew me, but as he didn't arrive until 1972 he couldn't have, but I did meet an old friend - Hilda Carolina - who is now in her eighties and still has her shop in the village. |
|
|
Mon 23 July 2007 I took the bus into town and bought Mummy's body lotion from the department store Manor and picked up some lunch to eat along the quayside. Via Nassa is crammed with the most wonderful stores - but way out of my price range! Took the bus back to the hotel and lounged by the pool until dinner. |
|
|
Tue 24 July 2007 Woke with vile sinus headache so walked down to Lanchetta to the pharmacy for some medication, and got some salad, fish and fruit for my lunch and breakfast. The hotel breakfast comprises a wide variety of breads, meats, cheeses, cereals - all things that I can't or won't eat ;-( Had lunch in my room and spent the rest of the day in the shade by the pool. |
|
|
Wed 25 Jul 2007 Went to the dock to see if Sandro was there but found that his boat was out and he wouldn't be back until 12.30 so I had a wander, bought some books (my major holiday expenditure!), and had a drink and a pastry on the quayside while I waited. What a fine man he has grown up to be! We had lunch at the Coop with Tomaso along to interpret and he invited me to his house for dinner the following night. Decided not to continue with the half-board but to go à la carte and have only a main dish and a salad (and the occasional dessert!) |
|
|
Thu 26 Jul 2007 Went to the cemetary at Pregassona on the bus (No 3) to lay some flowers at the Bartolini family grave and came back via town to buy some flowers for Sandro's wife and some more fruit. Spent the afternoon in my customary position, and that evening Sandro picked me up and took me to his home where I met his wife Daniella, his son David and his daughter Martina (named for her grand-mother), his brother Massimo (Max - born since I was last in Lugano) and his Croatian wife Zory, and their children Sara and Aaron. It was a really wonderful evening and they made me feel so welcome! |
 |
|
Fri 27 July 2007 Took the boat from Lugano Giardino over to Gandria - no way was I walking that again! Had lunch at the Ristorante Antico - the flambed prawns with Pernod Sauce that I had seen them cooking on Sunday. It was delicious! I saw Hilda Carolina again and she mugged me for all my cash in exchange for a dress and jacket. She is amazing! I caught the boat back to the Grotto Elvezia hoping to re-create the 1969 photograph but they had built a hotel over it, so I walked the rest of the way back along the lakeside path and collapsed in a heap once I got back to the hotel. Sandro came up for a drink before dinner and it was lovely to see him again. We have promised return visits and emails! I had to go to the bank so after dinner I jumped on the No 1 bus to Lanchetta and caught a beer on the way back - missing two buses! Finally got one, along with the Swiss-German sun-lounger-hoggers (actually the French speaking lady was really nice and we had long chats in the pool!) and they showed me a very pretty way back to the hotel by getting off at the Castagnola Posta stop and walking through the village and gardens. |
|
|
Sat 28 July 2007 Took some last minute photos, paid my bill and one of the hotel porters drove me to the station for Leg 3 - Saas Balen, via Milano and a quick change onto the train for Brig. |
 |
