Friday June 28, Macugnaga

When it gets too hot, you just
need to keep hydrated!

It was an early start for us, on the road by eight as keen to get down the very windy road to town before the buses started arriving. No problems and we were parked at Lidl in town by 8.30 and did our grocery shop. By now the temperatures were already over 30. Called into a large hardware store, Obi, just down the road, had a good nose around and picked up a few bits and pieces.

Destination today was up another valley and into the mountains to another place recommended by Mike and Marla. Hopefully to escape this incessant heat wave. Took the Autostrada route and very happy to be cruising with the aircon on as temperatures outside were reaching 35 degrees. Stopped for a coffee break, and left the van running and the aircon going, otherwise it would have cooked. Saw beautiful Lake Maggiore below us but it will have to keep for another time!

Our Michelin map book shows the roads in different colours, red is main routes other than Autostrada, yellow for slightly lesser roads and white for smaller roads. The one we were on to Oropa was a white road but it was okay, so when we saw that the road to Macugnaga was a yellow road we anticipated an even better drive, but no, we were wrong. It was 20kms of narrow, windy roads with blind corners and passing through little villages with extremely narrow roads that would require backing up if you met someone. A small consolation was seeing a bus ahead of us and thankfully we were lucky that when we did meet a larger vehicle it was in an area where there was room to pullover. The drive was just beautiful following the glacial river as it tumbled down over boulders, and ahead of us, the high snow-capped mountains. We are extremely close to the Swiss border and the houses are all traditional swiss style with geraniums cascading out of window boxes and shuttered windows. Just so picturesque, but hardly took any photos as I had my feet on the brakes most of the way!

With relief we arrived at the campsite, not that pretty as it is on the concrete ice skating rink with no shade, but the river is next to us and the mountains are all around. It was even over 30 degrees here, and as the afternoon wore on, it got hotter. Nothing else for it but to stay in the shade and read a book. By late afternoon we could feel the air getting a little cooler so wandered into the town and found a shady spot that happened to be a bar, and had a very long, cool Aperol Spritzer, so perfect. The sun had gone behind the mountains when we walked home and the air immediately felt so much cooler. I didn’t take my camera with me so will leave photos of town until tomorrow. Planning to spend the weekend here. A camper pulled in next to us this evening and he was from Milan, where he said the temperatures hit 43, so they headed for the mountains. Hearing similar stories of unbelievably high temps all through France as well, but according to my weather app we are in for a little bit cooler weather. We shall see.

Glimpses of the Alps on our drive up.

Very narrow roads through towns.

Looking up the valley from the bridge near camp.