With melatonin and cold and flu capsules in my system, I slept well for the first time in days.
Smorgasbord breakfast of fresh fruit, yoghurts, meats, cheese eggs, breads, cakes and coffee. Fuelled up for the day we took the ferry ride to Pella and then Isola di San Giulio.
Pella would probably be very active with tourists- boating and sitting in cafes- at the height of,summer, but today a quiet and sleepy village where half an hour was adequate to wander around before being picked up again. Our own private ferry at this,point with no one else on board.
The isola small (275 m long and 140 m wide) and built to the edges with the monastery and houses of the past supporting activities. E.g. The tuner for instruments as this was famous for its music and the annual festival of ancient music still continues.
The use of the island dates back to the Neolithic age, then the Romans and Julius came with his brother in the 4th century to defeat the dragons and snakes (evil pagonistic spirits), and it has been a religious and strategic centre ever since.
Most interesting about its current inhabitants is the 80 Benedictine nuns who live there and work on restoring ancient vestments, paint reproduction icons, and prepare the 'bread of San Julius', the communion wafers.
The 'path of silence and meditation' is the walk around the perimeter through the houses with intermittent messages re silence and mediation and it's place in helping us all. the basilica.
Being now fully choked up with a cold and sinusitis (which I have been fighting since before i left australia) I took myself to bed in the afternoon for which I am now writing this, with the most amazing view across the lake.
When I decided I would try to get out and was up and about again, the heavens opened and the rain started. Still mild weather but getting very damp.
With such a delicious meal last night, we thought we could do no better so returned to Locanda di Orta for dinner. About 20 metres from our hotel at Via Olina 18 and it deserves a review on Tripadvisor which we all plan to.