Across the Lake and onto the Roman Road

Today we crossed the waters again to the town of Menaggio, which is a just a short ferry ride across the lake. The town itself isn’t know for much exceptional. It was conquered by the Romans in 196 BC. Perhaps the most notable characteristic of Menaggio is its role as a hub for hikes that start from the town. We chose to hike the Antica Strada Regina, which is essentially the old Roman road built not long after those empire builders moved into the neighborhood.

Before starting our trek, we examined the items for sale at the Sunday outdoor market – everything from to underwear to cheese. The stalls lined the waterfront, and a crowd of people flowed by the merchandise and the vendors.

 Despite some tempting deals on purses, cheese, and linens, we bought nothing, but made our way to the path leading to the Antica Strada Regina. Precisely following directions from the information center, we found the cobbled ancient road, which began its upward ascent from the small town of Nobiallo.

We do mean upward ascent. The climb was steep, but the path was well maintained. It passed through thick woods on the mountainside, only briefly passing through openings that allowed hikers to glimpse the broad expanse of lake that opened hundreds of meters below.

In the town of Nobiallo, we passed by the leaning 13^th-century bell tower of the parish church SS Bartholomeo and Nicolao. OK, it was a lot smaller than the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but it was still kind of neat. The interior of the church is completely modern and very well used.