Our blog dysfunction continues........now I post yesterday's blog (which is blank) before Thursday's ! Anyway, Thursday's is now complete and posted. We are working on Friday's......hopefully later tonight. We are in the middle of a really strong thunderstorm, but enjoying our Franciacorte (regional Italian champagne.......it is a version of prosecco, but the locals say it is much better!). Andi told them it was our anniversary (May is close to June, right?) so they sent us a bottle in an ice bucket with fresh strawberries! No complaints here.
We just got a text from Stewart and Dominique, who are driving to Venice today. Apparently they were caught on the Autostrada in a massive hail storm.......details to come! I think I will go wait out the storm on the balcony with HB and return later.
Leaving Bogliasco this morning was difficult - we took a last walk through the village, which was very quiet this morning. One last walk through the streets, along the sea and finally, the main piazza. We said goodbye to the remaining fellows, all of whom leave Saturday for home and headed north in our little car.
We didn't hit rain until north of Genoa, through the mountain tunnels. We drove by the outskirts of Milan and reached the little town of Erbusco, just south of Lake Iseo. We arrived in time for a late lunch at the hotel, which is the former home of a Brescian nobleman (1500's). It is an amazing complex of buildings covered in ivy and which have been beautifully restored and converted into L'Albereta Hotel.
We are out in the country, looking down on the lake and vineyards all around us, whichever direction you look. This is the home of Franciacorta wine - the regional variation of prosecco. Very good! We took a long walk in the afternoon through the surrounding vineyards and returned to the hotel to relax before dinner. The skies had cleared and we had a relaxing aperitivo on an amazing deck that looks out over Lago d'Iseo and beyond to the Alps......quite a landscape and view!
Dinner was fun - we were seated between an American woman living in Italy working on the upcoming Christo project on Lake Iseo opening in June and a couple from Los Angeles! The artist, Christo, who did the orange fabric gates in Central Park a few years ago, is doing a project called Floating Piers, which opens on Lake Iseo in June. People will be able to walk on floating, yellow fabric covered piers (actually floats) connecting a village along the lake with two islands in the middle of the lake. It's quite an undertaking!
More images to come, but there is a communication problem at the moment between my phone, the computer and blogger.com!......later!
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| Franciacorte on the terrace |
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| The view from the terrace to Lago d'Iseo and the Alps |
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| Andi on our balcony |
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| The vines actually work like exterior shades over the windows |
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| A very cool bed! |
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| Looking from the balcony across the suite |
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| fun view of the bathroom |
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| relaxing and planning tomorrow's outing |
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| guess what......the bathroom again |
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| the vineyards behind the hotel |
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| believe it or not, this is the front entry.......the landscape runs all over the buildings! |
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| one of the dining areas next to the entry |
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| grapes |
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| the vineyards run right up to the health and fitness center |
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| flowers are in full blook |
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| grapes are just starting to form |
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| a view across the valley during our walk |
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