Trips

Mon., 5/8/23 - Varenna and Tirano

Today our group transferred from Malgrate to Tirana with a stop in Varenna for sightseeing. Varenna is north of Lecco on the eastern shore of Lake Como.

Lake Como
Varenna lake front	On arrival in Varenna, the bus driver dropped us off at the north end of town and we walked along the “Path of Love” near the shoreline and into the center of the village with a stop at a gelateria where the owner makes his own gelato. He doesn’t scrimp on the flavors he adds to his base of milk, cream, sugar, and salt. Marge’s whiskey cream had real whiskey and my pistachio was full of nuts and flavor. Really good!
Terrific gelato place
Cones or cups	Great selection
Since town is built on the steep mountain side, we walked up a lot of steps to the “main street” and the church and piazza of St. Giorgio. Town is full of flower beds containing all colors of beautiful pansies.	Lots of stairs
The town tour included entrance to the Villa Cipressi which is now a botanical garden. The villa was built between 1400 to 1800. Several noble families lived there over the years but was bought by a group of volunteers from Varenna in 1980 who now run the gardens and buildings for various events and aim to host international botanical conferences in the future. We wandered in our free time along numerous paths with view points of the lake, a meditation area, a cactus garden, and many labeled plants and trees. Eventually, we wandered back into town, stopped at the Church of San Giorgio, and then went down to the waterfront with its many cafes and a few boutique shops. It didn’t rain like the forecasts predicted, so it was a pleasant morning.	Public water source
	One of the many plants in the garden
Sun dial
Church of San Giorgio	Bell tower of the Church of San Giorgio
Interior - Church of San Giorgio	Pipe organ - Church of San Giorgio
Marble at the altar rail - Church of San Giorgio	Lunch was at a sports club/event place and included a baked potato ball with Zuccini strips on top for an appetizer, cannoli filled with creamed spinach, and a cup of cut up (almost minced) fresh fruit for dessert. It was all good. We also had Italian bread with olive oil. After lunch, our bus ride continued through the mountains to Tirano. Along the way we saw many vineyards clinging to the mountainsides, and small towns and churches and castles. Quite a lovely ride.
On the way to Tirano	Vineyards
Vineyards	Vineyards
Church on the hillside	Tirano train station
Tues., 5/9/23 - Tirano - Day in the Life… This was one of the better OAT “Day in the Life…” experiences. It was supposed to have been at an apple orchard but was at a goat farm instead. Our “hands on experience” was actually making our own individual cheese/yogurt dessert. The farm is called Castello delle Acqua in the Valtellina Valley. The father and son tend 60 female goats, two males, and they have 10 kids who were born just a week ago. They produce organic cheese and do cheese tastings. They sell to festivals, fairs, a few high end restaurants, and some individuals. The goats are milked at 5 AM and 5 PM. They have a milking machine that milks 12 goats at a time. It takes one hour to collect the 80 liters produced at each milking time. After the morning milking, the goats are taken to a section of a pasture to graze for the day. An electric fence keeps them from wandering off. The grazing area is changed each day. A dog is used to herd them out in the morning but they know where the milk barn is for the 5 PM milking and head there without help. They are full of milk and know they get a treat after the milking.
Village cemetery
Goats at the Castello delle Acqua farm
Goat milking machine	Is there a "pecking order"?
Battery for the electrified fence	A busy bee
After the farm tour, we went to the tasting shed where we made our cheese/yogurt dessert and were served lunch. To make the dessert, the raw milk is heated to 94°. Then salt, rennet, and enzyme are added. Our sample rested for 20-minutes. Then we spooned the stiffened curd into a small plastic mesh cup so the whey could be drained off. After lunch of salad, honey/olive oil dressing, several cheeses, polenta, and sautéed zucchini, our dessert was solid enough to put honey on it and eat it. It was okay to eat, but the process was very interesting.	Making our cheese/yogurt dessert
Lunch	Local manhole cover

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