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19 August 1884 — Baveno | |
Tuesday. 19th [August 1884]. Called at 5.30. Breakfast at 6 and at 6.30 we bid good bye to Gigia & went off with our night bags in a carriage to [illegible word] wh we reached at ¼ to 8. After we went to bed last night there had been a slight thunderstorm & this morning we had cloudy weather & it was rather chilly. At [illegible word] we got on board the steamer wh now runs on the Lago d’Orta. As I was cold I went down into the little cabin & changed my cotton dress for my woollen one. We got to Pella abt 4 & there we found donkey ready to take us on. After a squabble abt the price we were to pay we agreed to pay 6 francs a beast & mounted having a third for our bags. The weather wh had looked lowering cleared a bit & we had a lovely ride across the pass—& it was all the better for not being too sunny altho’ we lost thereby the view of Monte Rosa. We got down to Civiasco on the other side of the pass abt 1 o’cl, paid our donkeys off & found a little carriage waiting to take us down to Varallo wh we reached abt 1. We found our room ordered & ready & got some lunch for we were very hungry. Then I painted a rock cistus I had gathered on the way & at 3 Henry & I set off to walk up the Sacro Monte wh we found a tremendous pull—but by dint of resting at intervals we got up in ¾ hour. We stopped at the caffé & refreshed ourselves with lemonade & then went through all the little chapels. Some of them painted in fresco & even the figures in terra cotta by Gaudenzio Ferrari are fine but in general the effect is grotesque of these figures lifesize in attitude—representing the Life of Our Saviour & the idea is somewhat revolting. We went into the church up there where vespers were going on & a fine organ was being played– Returned to the café to rest & Henry got some Vermouth & then we set off back to Varallo hastening to escape rain wh threatened but wh happily did not come on. We got back to the Hotel d’Italie at 5 quite tired out. I read aloud Lecky to Henry a little while after dinner. We dined at 7 & went early to bed. | |
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