Friday 20 April 2012. Somewhat grounded today due to a national public workers strike meaning no trains, ferries or buses, we explored the promenade in Baveno, learning about the rose granite that has been quarried from the surrounding mountains for centuries and about the stonecutters who carve it. This wall painting in town was painted in 1979 by Gilberto Carpo, helped by students, depicting the complexity of the stonecutters trade:

We walked from Baveno to the neighbouring fishing village of Feriolo and climbed from there high up along a mule track to a tower which is the only remains of an ancient roman settlement.

Saturday 21 April 2012. We took a 5 minute bus ride to nearby Carciano di Stresa from where a cable car starts a journey to the top of Mottarone, a point 1,491 meters above sea level from where 360º views stretching from the Po Valley to the Alps can be seen and below the surrounding lakes. We decided to walk to the cable car half way point, some 800 meters above sea level and aided with a very vague map, set off. We zig-zagged up and up and up, finally arriving at our destination after about 3½ hours in a very foot sore and weary state. We caught the cable car and then a chair lift to a lookout point where sure enough we saw all 5 lakes and the Alps in the distance. A friendly chap took this picture of us and then on the way down on the chair lift I took one of Paul.

Down at lake level in Stresa, we caught a ferry back to Baveno that stopped off at 2 islands on the way, Isola Bella and Isola Pescatori. I don’t think we will be walking very far tomorrow.