From Liguria into the Piedmont was another amazing transition - you dive into a tunnel, leaving craggy mountain edges and terraced gardening and emerge into a green and golden land of rolling wheat fields. One of my favourite archaeologists, Francis Pryor, hypothesises that the land defines the people, and their boundaries - Italy would seem to be living proof of this.
Milan itself is muggy and grey and dull, so I headed on out past Bergamo to Lake Iseo where Brach and Kjaria joined me on my travels. Iseo has to be one of Italy's best kept secrets - surrounded on all sides by steep mountains, it's a glorious aqua-green lake with traditional italian villages nestling along the coastline. The campsite is right on the edge of the lake, so much so that you can step out of the van and dive in for a morning wakeup. The first day was spent just chilling, chatting and discovering the joys of swimming in a lake again. Dinner was a glorious spaghetti ala vongole - my most favourite ever Italian dish..........and then the rest of the evening was spent sitting on the lakeside, sipping iced drinks and watching the beautiful people walk by - and for a short while, the town band!
Day 2 I hired a boat and headed off to explore the area, and the number of small islands in the middle of the lake. Brach opted to be Captain and to drive the boat.....whilst Paolo and I attempted to fend off bits of land whenever we stopped -mainly to send Paolo off foraging for Sorbetto - the most gloriously refreshing drink out in the middle of the lake in baking sunshine!
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