Isola San Giulio, Sacred Mount Orta, and a dinosaur

We had one morning in Orta San Giulio. We began by taking a taxi boat out to Isola San Giulio, a small island in the lake. A chapel was first constructed there in the 5th century. The island is now dominated by a Benedictine monastery, built in the 19th century, and a basilica that was updated in the 12th century.

We weren't able to enter the basilica because we were scantily clad. Forget "Just As I Am" in Italy: God likes your shoulders and knees covered when you're in his house.

We contemplated our scanty clothes as we walked "The Way of Silence," a loop path that took us around the island. We chatted with a sparrow as we waited for the next taxi boat.

Once back in Orta San Giulio, we walked up to Sacred Mount Orta, a UNESCO World Heritage site with 21 chapels, built between the 16th and 18th centuries. The chapels contain 900 frescoes and 366 statues depicting the life of St. Francis of Assisi.

The frescoes that I enjoyed the most were the cherubs and angels on the ceilings. They came in small numbers initially, but eventually grew to quite the angel hoard.

That visitors might visit the chapels and dioramas in their proper life-of-Francis order, each chapel exterior has a handy sign:

I will observe that the hands painted outside the chapels are very well clad indeed, while many of the cherubs and angels on the inside are next to naked. Just sayin'.

We hit the road after lunch, pausing to take a photograph of a dinosaur outside a kitchen design store.

Next up: Cinque Terre.