Day 6 - Wednesday, 25 September -
One of the most special highlights of our tour, crossing the Alps with one of Europe's most spectacular train rides, beginning in St. Moritz and traveling across lofty Bernina Pass via the Swiss Poschiavo area to Tirano in the Italian Valtellina. (note: hope you know that if you click on the pictures below, you will be able to see them more fully, in a slide show way.)
In Tirano, we enjoyed a delightful lunch at
Pizzeria Ristorante "La Botte" Piazza Basilica, 20, 23037 Tirano, Italy. We had been advised by our guide to be sure to try the Pizzoccheri - a house specialty. Larry ordered that fabulous dish, but realizing it would be quite rich, I ordered the fresh tomato and mozzarella salad - we shared.
Sign pretty much covers it!
After lunch, we passed on foot through customs back to Switzerland via an underground tunnel. There, we boarded our bus once again and journied to Lake Como and then Lugano, where we were to stay the night.
Just look at these roadways! Our bus driver got us a couple of blocks from our hotel, and then, if you can imagine it, he had to make a painstaking U-turn so that he was able to BACK UP the couple of blocks almost vertically - up to the roof of the hotel! Once we had disembarked, he was then able to depart. After getting our bags and freshening up, we were then to meet for a cruise at sun set on Lake Lugano, and a romantic nighttime meal at water side.
Our hotel, Acquarello, featured a cable car that ran right up through the hotel center - just outside our window. Might I also note, we had no curtains on our windows, just gossamer weight sheers. And it was pretty necessary to have the windows open as there was no A/C. And the smoking area was just below our window. All in all, not terrible, but I would judge it our worst accommodation of the trip.
