Finally! Melbourne for Dogs is finished and off with my fabulous editor at Woodslane who will work her magic. Did you know it takes up to 5 months for a guidebook to go through the editorial/design/cartography/printing process once it leaves the author’s hands and before it hits the shelves? It’s somewhat akin to having a baby, though at least you get to sleep through the nights. Anyway, to celebrate, I have hauled off to Italy for some summer sunshine and a week of walking around Lake Como. The weather is perfect for walking just now: in the 20’s and cloudless skies. I only have a short time in between other commitments, so I have headed off on the 34km, 2 day ‘Dorsale’ walk, which goes along the spine of the mountains edging Lake Como, from Como in the south of the lake through to the tiny town of Bellagio, which is poised in the centre tip of the upside down Y of the lake.
It’s a great solo walk: with a reasonable map and guide notes from the local alpine club, and the extensive (if somewhat confusing at times) array of signs, you basically keep the lake on your left and head north. The walk starts with a welcome leg up the first 900m of ascent, courtesy of a vertiginous funicular railway from Como up to the tiny alpine town of Brunate. From there there’s another 700 metres of ascent for the day, but it’s not all in one go, and the huge views give you plenty off excuse to stop and gape when you need to catch your breath. The walk takes you past mountain refuggios, tiny roadside chapels, grand old Italian villas, through beech forests and eventually up above the treeline into glorious mountain pastures, absolutely heaving with wildflowers, bumblebees, grasshoppers and butterflies. I expected Julie Andrews to appear, twirling around and singing ‘the Hills are alive…..’!
I passed only 8 other walkers the whole day which is remarkable when the lakeside towns are just heaving with people at this time of year. However, when I descended into the 1100m Pian del Tivano valley at the end of the first day to stay at the Alpetto del Torno mountain Refugio (for the best gnocchi I have eaten eaten in my whole life, thanks to Ugo the super chef/host), the valley was also heaving – not with people, but with dairy cows with bells around their neck, making music as they ambled around the pastures. Perhaps I’m not in a sound of music ad after all, but one for luxury milk chocolate! It is very close to the border with Switlzerland after all! More tomorrow in Day 2.
Hi there where can one buy your book? all good bookshops? Dana Tymms
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Hi Dana. The Melbourne guidebook is available in most Melbourne bookshops, RACV shops and any online bookshop, as well as from Woodslane direct through their Travel and Outdoor online bookstore. The Geelong one is in bookshops and most newsagent in the region, as well as online. Melbourne for Dogs will be available widely in Melbourne when it is published just before Christmas. Best wishes, Julie.
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Hi Julie, congratulations on the book 🙂
Funnily enough I’m heading to Como for 2 days before heading on to France…I’ll be there today, in fact! So ill be very keen to follow this walk 🙂
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That’s crazy, Ali. I am sitting at a cafe in Mennagio, just across the lake from you in Como as I write! I wasn’t taken by Como itself, bit too bustly for me, but if you have time to spare definitely hop on the boat to beautiful Bellagio or over here to Mennagio which is my favourite town on the lake so far. Otherwise, you could walk around the harbour at Como to the funicular and take the spectacular ride up to Brunate and go for the 30 min walk to see Volta’s light tower for incredible views over the lake (volta was the guy who invented the battery apparently). The start of the walk i did takes you past there. I am heading over to Varenna this afternoon, back on the far shore of the lake, after walking some of the ancient roman road north from Mennagio. Hope to do some kayaking before I have to leave tomorrow. Good luck with the research on your novel … Will look forward to reading more about it on your blog … If you can get connected!! Go well. J.
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[…] I owe you this second day of my walk in the Italian Alps from about a year ago! Here’s the link to Day 1 if you want to do something daft and read it […]
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