After our restful day on the farm, we decided to go explore Lago Trasimano, the nearby lake (well, sort of near...it took us about an hour to get there). We had gotten mixed reviews from another family staying at the villa about the lake (the grandmother and kids loved it; the grandfather didn't), but we decided to take our chances and enjoy a day at the 'beach.' It really did feel kind of like going to the beach, with flat, winding roads curving through bohemian style housing and the sun glaring down. On our way we could see Cortona, the sight of our ill-fated 2010 Italy trip (extreme flight delays, crowded trains, flu...shudder). When we got to the village of Castiglione del Lago, we climbed up some steep steps and into the walls of the town (castle), headed for the recommended restaurant, which had a nice view, but terrible service and surly waitstaff. After forty-five minutes of my pasta not arriving and the girls about to implode from the effort it took to behave in a civilized manner for that long, we cancelled my order and headed out for gelato.
....which was served by the grumpiest server of gelato on the face of the planet who sneered, "It's pistachio flavored!" when I asked if Evie could taste his pistachio gelato. It was too much effort to explain to him that she had never HAD pistachio flavored anything, but he had decided to indulge us by then and let her taste a sample, despite the fact that we were moronic tourists. By the way, there were TONS of Americans in Castiglione del Lago...so maybe that was the problem. Our reputation precedes us.
Finally we made our way to the highly anticipated lake, taking the scenic route through hot olive groves and all the way around the castle walls...and then down a seemingly never ending staircase. It was hot and we were ready to swim (except for me. I forgot my bathing suit) and I'm sorry to say that the Lake was neither cool nor refreshing. I think I'm not really a lake person, because I don't like slime or the feel of slimy mud between my toes. I also don't like walking on a beach that has glass all over it (which this one did). But Jim and the girls walked on in despite the slime and other unidentified stuff and seemed to really enjoy it. No one got a bacterial infection or anything...but this was no Lake Annecy!
The highlight of our visit to the lake was my purchase of a beautiful cutting board, which I got for a fraction of the price I would have paid in London. Also, in purchasing the cutting board, we got to engage with the charming, older owner of the charcuterie where we bought it and he called Evie 'bella' and gave her a piece of salami (Millie was in the car with Jim). Evie also talked me into buying some really yummy biscotti. So it was a good day after all!
No comments:
Post a Comment