Omenga was quiet; all the action was taking place in Orta San Giulio, a town further down Lake Orta, and on a small island a short distance off shore there, Isola San Giulio, whence we took a boat ride. The island buildings consist of a Romanesque Basillica and a big Benedictine monastry, and there’s a circular path dotted with small sign posts which have homilies or sayings on them. It was really busy, and the church, which is opulent and crammed with artwork, sculptures and a gruesome saint on show in a sacophagus, gave me the creeps.

The pathway on the island…

… and a nice circular window.

A ceramic tile that was a cut above the other homilies, outside a door.

Onshore in Orta San Giulio there are lovely old faded buildings and lots of gelati shops. This church, Chiesa dell’Assunta was founded in the 15th century, and stands up the hill a little way.

I love this photo of Tim taking a photo in the town.

Window boxes.

The main square and foreshore as we left by boat in the late afternoon.

Looking back at the island in the late afternoon.

One of the smaller towns we passed on the way home, with the side wash of the boat in the foreground.