San Carlo Hotel & Restaurant Pannini with a view
We sauntered in the direction of the lake, past bakeries that were closed, hairdressers, fish shops and estate agents. The people seemed happy and animated. The spray from a large fountain cooled us down. I then saw a group of Muslim women and men praying in the shade of a tree towards the lake. Surrounding the worshippers were dog walkers ambling, Italian tourists lazing on benches, couples taking selfies and kids playing and laughing. It felt like everyone was happily doing their own thing but as part of a community.
The walk to San Carlo, Lake Maggiore from Arona
San Carlo Statue ‘Big Chuck’, Arona, Lake maggiore Italy
We kept walking up along the waterfront past bars, restaurants and cafes. Eventually we happened upon steps leading upwards and decided to climb them. It was part of the literary walk. Seeing a sign for San Carlo we ambled on. I looked up to see a giant iron statue of Statua di San Carlo Borromeo with a viewing balcony as his collar. Locals say the statue of San Carlo or “Big Chuck” as he is locally known as is the second largest statue in the world next to the Statue of Liberty. However, I’m not sure how true this is? Maybe it’s true of statues built over 100 years ago perhaps?
Locals say the statue of San Carlo or “Big Chuck” as he is locally known as is the second largest statue in the world next to the Statue of Liberty – Source
The View of Lake Maggiore from San Carlo
Getting thirsty from the walk up the hill in the full sun I spotted a bar and restaurant San Carlo. It was perfect. The view of Lake Maggiore was spectacular. We sat at a corner table looking out over the panorama of blue hues dotted with white boats and fluffy clouds which clung to the mountain tops. It was mesmerising and we sat there in silence absorbing it. However, there was no sign of the waitress. I still hadn’t acclimatised to Italian slow paced life yet. Two big local beers and panini’s later my heart leaped for joy.
HAVE YOU BEEN TO LAKE MAGGIORE? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW….