This little guy was moving slowly across the steps leading up to a church.

Nobody was home and the doors were locked.

There was a small grated opening on the left side that did allow a peak at the interior along with a bid for donations for the restoration of the church.

Why there is a ‘street address’ way the heck up here on this path is beyond me.

It was a little damp due to the recent rains but surprisingly good footing. You did have to watch for the occasional thorny hanging vine and errant spider web.

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We are a long way above the water. The path goes above that rock face and we are looking back in the direction from which we came.  The view to the south over the lake was well worth the effort.

Beyond the wonderful scenery there is also some great geology to view from up here. The extension of the shoreline toward the upper left of the photo is the result of a delta that was deposited.  Erosion removed some of the mountain along the ridge on the right hand side of the photo and rivers transported that material to the lake shore.  The town is built on the delta since the land is flatter, easier to build on, and crops can be grown in small gardens that do not need to be terraced as dramatically as on the mountain slopes.  OK.  Geology class is over.

This is a Google Earth image related to the above photo. That photo was taken from the yellow “Location” pushpin and looking down the coast to the “Delta” pushpin where the town of Menaggio is built. Now class is over. I promise.

The fact that the sign advertises the telegraph service might give some idea as to its age.

The older parts of the towns are identifiable by their very narrow passages and rougher building materials.

My bet is it hasn’t been opened in at least 50 years!

Pruning the orange berried pyracantha bushes is tough enough duty because of their sharp thorns. Mixing it with a cacti is absolutely masochistic!!

Honest! Really! We found these panties right where they are photographed. Some folks had a interesting “hike”.  Their blog may be more interesting than mine?

We initially thought “Wow, look where this sunflower grew!” Then we saw another dozen flowers growing out of small niches fashioned into the wall. Still, pretty serious gardening by the owner.

Because of the steep nature of the ladscape and the lack of deep soils, cemetaries are sometimes quite remote but are always snug accomodations. We are drawn to them because they are also so interesting. Often times the plots will be dominated by only a few family names.  It is obvious that many times marriages did not stretch far on a geographic scale.

Very occaisionally the funerary art is beautiful.

This is a reminder of just how difficult life often was 150 years ago. This grave is a testament the the grief this family went through. Six children within 22 years. Cesare; 6mo. Paolo; 4yrs,11mo. Cesarina; 4 yrs, 9mo. Adele; 4yrs. 10mo. Maria; 6yrs, 7mo. Scipione; 14yrs, 5mo.

The views down into town.

This is an amazingly old arched arcade at the upper limit of one of the villages. I am definitely going back to this location.

The potted gardens are always a surprise in the nooks and crannies of the houses.

A pair of water taxis leave the dock with their passengers.

Just as we returned to the begining of the walk a small group of folks were starting their outing. The panties were still at the gate and I just waited for the people to walk up the path until they found them so I could see the reaction. I am certain there were some interesting conversations among the group.