Up, up and away!!

37 comments

Not in a beautiful balloon, no, but this!!

Back to Lake Maggiore, in Italy…….the main tourist town on the lake is Stresa. From here, you can take the cable car up to Mottarone, where there are winter sports later in the year.

The reason we (and plenty of other people) went up was not just for the view over Monte Rosa, right across to the Po Valley on a clear day, and a view of seven lakes, beautiful though that undoubtedly is…

No, I wanted to visit the ‘Giardino Botanico Alpinia’ – the Alpine Botanic Gardens. To do this, you get out at the half-way stop, and walk along a road for a while. September is not the best time to see the 1,000 different alpine plants, all growing at 800m above sea level – I think that spring would certainly be glorious up there. Many of the plants had finished flowering, but I took photos of some familiar ones, some that I have in my garden, as well as others that I hadn’t seen before!

unfamiliar flower

Sempervivum

Eryngium

Bupthalmum salicifolia

Dryopteris

unfamilar flower

Erodium manescavii

unfamilar flower

unfamiliar flower

Colchicum

Scutellaria

Phyteuma scheuchzeri

Then back onto the cable car and up to the top, where we decided to walk ever upwards…This was partly due to the cable car not running during the long Italian lunch break! We needed something to do during this period…and thought some exercise would be good for us! Puff, puff… lol.

Imagine my pleasure at finding several clumps of Gentians growing happily at the side of the track!

Gentians

And these pretty yellow flowers were everywhere, too. I have no idea what they could be.

We reached the huge cross at the summit of Mottarone, which is higher than Ben Nevis, as it’s 1490 m above sea level. It was a bit blowy up there, so we scrambled back down to the convenient cafe-bar by the Cable Car Station to wait for the first car down to Stresa, with a cappucino and a piece of home-made cake.

Here it comes! Don’t all rush at once! If you’ve been to Italy, you’ll know that queuing is NOT one of the things they do – it’s elbows and shoves to get in first for the best view! ‘Permesso?’…meaning ‘Excuse me’...

Now if I’d had a notebook and pen with me, I could have made a note of all the latin labels – every plant was clearly labelled – or I could have taken photos of the different species, but oh dear – my battery was running low – so I hope you’ll forgive the un – named plants!

Maybe someone will be able to name them perhaps?

23 Sep, 2009
14 likes

Comments

Andrewr

Well done spritz - got your priorities right. S*d the view, where are the plants? :-)

23 Sep, 2009

Aster

What a breathtaking trip,I wonder how many people missed those delightful plants ! I know they are what made the trek so worthwhile for you Spritzhenry :))

23 Sep, 2009

Dottydaisy2

Loved the blog, Italy looks wonderful, might get there one day!!

23 Sep, 2009

Sanbaz

looked breath taking , i went up in a cable car in madeira with some german people who wouldnt stop bobbing about taking pics, i was terrified lol, but was worth it when we got to the tropical gardens at the top :o), glad you enjoyed your adventure barbara

23 Sep, 2009

Louise1

That was lovely :)
I especially liked unfamiliar flower No.2 and No.4.
I fancy one of those blue Scutellaria and that Phyteuma too.

The views look nice too ;)

23 Sep, 2009

Lincslass

Absolutely lovely Spritz,thankyou for sharing your photo`s...

23 Sep, 2009

Toto

Great pics Spritz. Glad it all went well.

23 Sep, 2009

Milky

Thanks Spritz.....Some lovely flowers there......

23 Sep, 2009

Sandra

great views and great plants ....perfect..;-))

23 Sep, 2009

Oddbillie

Looks lovely Spritz and your plant pics are brilliant.

Lucky you I say!!

23 Sep, 2009

Morgana

Lovely blog thank you for showing different plants which I would not get to see other wise and the beautiful views

23 Sep, 2009

Ian_digs_v2

Loved the tour but I'm knac .... errrr very tired now. If I'd known how far it was I would have volunteered to keep a space for you at that view point. Lol ;~)))))

23 Sep, 2009

Toto

Like your new avatar Ian Much better looking than the old one.

24 Sep, 2009

Ian_digs_v2

Wha .... how ... but ..... Hmmmmmmm. ;~))

24 Sep, 2009

Wagger

I've just had a look at the 'Giardino Botanico Alpinia’ website - there's a lovely photo gallery on it but there are more photos of views than plants, lol.
I'll second that, Toto!

24 Sep, 2009

Spritzhenry

Oh wow! Thanks Wagger - I didn't know they had a website! I shall take a look so we can plan our next visit...

Thanks all for the nice comments. :-))

I thought Ian's head had shrunk! LOL.

24 Sep, 2009

Madperth

Lovely pics, but I'd need to be knocked out before you'd get me on that swingy thingy! Shuddering just at the thought of it!

24 Sep, 2009

Spritzhenry

It didn't swing, Marie - honest! And the view at the top was stunning....we did sit and look at it for ages, whatever Andrew says!

24 Sep, 2009

Madperth

It goes up high, thats enough for me!! :~O

24 Sep, 2009

Spritzhenry

Oh well - not everybody likes heights, after all. It was lovely up there, though!

24 Sep, 2009

Madperth

I'm glad you enjoyed it, its the only way I'd see it, through your eyes!

24 Sep, 2009

Spritzhenry

Well, how do you feel about boats? I shall be writing a blog about a garden on an island at some point!

24 Sep, 2009

Madperth

I LOVE boats! Can I go? I'm going on a barge trip on Sunday! I used to renovate boats with my dad, & was brought up on fishing holidays & boat trips!

24 Sep, 2009

Spritzhenry

Oooh! Sounds like fun! You'd like where we stayed, then. The boat station was right outside the hotel. Boats go up and down the lake, and across as well.

24 Sep, 2009

Madperth

Sounds fantastic! And I dont have a problem with flying either, strangely!

24 Sep, 2009

Spritzhenry

Unless you look down??

24 Sep, 2009

Madperth

Nope! Doesnt bother me!
I fell down Arthur's Seat when I was a teenager (I was pushed, a joke that went badly wrong) & have been scared of heights ever since! Before that, no problem!

24 Sep, 2009

Spritzhenry

That explains it. :-((

25 Sep, 2009

Madperth

LOL! Yes it was very frightening! Now if I go up hills, I cant have anyone too close, & I have to be barefoot, so I can feel the ground! Nuts!!

25 Sep, 2009

Spritzhenry

No - just 'traumatised' by your nasty experience! :-((

25 Sep, 2009

Madperth

I suppose so, but you'd think I'd be over it by now!