A Quiet Sunday and a Walk Down the Sacro Monte di Varese

Sunday, 19 January, 2020

Before I forget again, I must mention that Saturday evening after our three Skorpions practices, I joined Giorgio and Santa Barbara for dinner at . . .

. . . the BEST panini shop in Varese

Sorry Golden Egg, you are really good too but, for my taste, Dorigo's is simply a cut above you.

The Liverpool (roast beef) panini was as outstanding as I remembered it.

I will continue to dine at both of these panini shops in the coming months as solely a quality control issue.

Sunday was Laundry Day

Will these domestic chores ever end?

In the afternoon, I decided to get some exercise by taking the C Line bus to the Sacro Monte Funicular stop. In a matter of just a couple of minutes the funicular whisked me to the top of the mountain behind the Villa Skorpion II.

The exercise would consist of my walking down the mountain back to our home.

As a bonus, I brought along the Canon camera that Andy and Jenn gave me recently. It would be my first photo shoot with my newest toy, I was looking forward to it!

The old luxury hotel across from

the Sacro Monte di Varese

It has been closed for years and now serves mostly as a communications relay tower atop an extremely tall mountain.

Sometimes I forget that people

live I these remote access mountains

To review from previous visits over the last two years, the Sacro Monte di Varese, with its Rosary Path up the mountain consisting of 14 chapels and a hilltop Sanctuary, dates from the 17th-century.

The idea for the Sacro Monte di Varese actually dates back to some 15th-century Franciscan monks who viewed it as an alternative for those who could not undertake an arduous pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Christmas dies hard on the

Sacro Monte di Varese

The hotel looming over

the Al Borducan restaurant

Laurie and I enjoyed a fabulous meal here with several of the Skorpions leadership group two years ago.

Close quarters are a given for those

who live atop the Sacro Monte di Varese

Cool sign

Fading Madonna and Child mural

Much more interesting than

our chimney in Camarillo

Chapel walk this-a-way

Snow on the nearby Alps

This first week of my stay in Lombardia has been met by sunny, blue skies with chilly temperatures.

I'm OK with that.

Religious Coat-of-Arms mural

A nice crown inside the

Santuario Santa Maria del Monte

Kids at play high above Varese

The statue of Pope Paul VI,

the former Cardinal of Milano

Sooner or later . . .

The start of my walk down the

Sacro Monte di Varese

A village church down in the valley

Moses

Large and in Charge

GREAT BEARD!

Two bolts of light out of Moses' forehead?

These bolts of light are the signs of a holy person who lived during the times of the Old Testament.

New Testament holy persons or saints are depicted with halos in the world of religious art.

A warm fire to cozy up to on a

chilly Sunday sounds GREAT!

Lake Varese in the distance

Lots of crosses on Sacro Monte

di Varese structures

How old are these roofing tiles?

A look back up to the top of the

Sacro Monte di Varese

I'm only about a third of the way down the mountain at this point.

Another mysterious, fading mural

on one of the 14 chapels

I've always liked the look of this

particular chapel

It translates from Latin as

"You are wise to be walking down

this Sacred Mountain instead of up it."

I could not agree more.

A Pieta

A lion guarding a water fountain

Why are Cherubs always on the

heavy side of things?

Another chapel that strikes

me as extraordinary on this walk

I liked the contrast against

the dormant trees

Going artsy in black and white

Madonna, Child and Cherub

An Albergo or Inn at the end of

the Sacro Monte di Varese walk

One final archway on my way

back to the Villa Skorpion II

The new Canon camera was AWESOME, thank you Andy and Jenn!

In the evening, I got a surprise call from Giorgio and Santa Barbara asking if I wanted to join them on a run to our local Esselunga Supermarket.

I was getting low on supplies so, of course, I joined them.

Esselunga Star Wars giveaway

You get one for every 25 Euros you spend unless, like tonight, the checker gives you twice as many as you deserve.

The grandkids will thank me someday.

I bought the Stat Wars

collection holder tonight

Thirty-two different Star Wars figures in the collection?

I've only got six individual figures so far plus two duplicates.

I've got a lot of shopping to do in order to complete the set!

On the way home from the Esselunga, we opted for a Sunday evening spritz to complete another good weekend.

The Pasticceria Marabelli

was the perfect venue!

So far, all has been good in Varese with the usual cast of positive Skorpions players, coaches and friends.

Life in Lombardia continues to be amazing.