In a chat with an Italian guy from Torino with his two little kids and wife on the flight to Milan, he said "You are only visiting for ten days? In Italy, we have 8 weeks of vacation. We have been in the US for a month, two weeks in New York."
In a chat with a Brit on a ferry on Lake Como: "When you travel with a wife, you see villas and gardens. That's just what you do." They were on a one month trip around Italy.
When do these folks ever work? We talked with plenty of friendly people on our trip, including a Swiss gal who had come down from Bern to the lakes with her dog (travel in Europe is very dog-friendly) for a long weekend.
Some more Italy photos - a cafe in a pleasant piazza in Stresa with a bottle of our staple - the local Barbera:
Another shot of the Isola Bella gardens:
A view from the funicular which connects Stresa with the ski village of Motterone. In the "Borromean Gulf," the left island of the triangle is Isola Pescatore, the far one is Isola Madre, and the one on the lower right is Isola Bella:
More photos on continuation page -
A hill hamlet above Stresa, from the funicular:
The Bar at the top of the funicular, in Motterone. "Bar" has a somewhat different meaning in Italy. A place for snacks, but maybe drinks too.
