Arona, beautiful and just a few tourists (1 hour from Milan)
As I don't even notice the cathedral anymore while passing by, I more and more start to see Milan as just a city I happen to live in. A city, where you know where to find tourists and where to avoid them. Of course I bought myself several tourist guides when arriving in Milan myself. They all mention the same tourist attractions and the same "out of the city" countryside villages that are definitely worth visiting.
Although the guides describe a lot of places as heaven on earth, I sometimes want to get away from Milan and everything mentioned in the guides. A place where I will not find myself in tourist traffic jams or surrounded by souvenirs I never wished for. A place where menus are not written in 4 languages and where you just hear Italian on the street.
Yesterday, my girlfriend and I went to Arona. A lovely city with a railway station where the EuroCity stops as well. It was just the place I was looking for. Hardly any tourists, a beautiful boulevard at the Lake of Maggiore and very nice and small city centre between nice green hills and the lake. With a population of less than 15.000, it will be hard to get lost.
Prices are not to compare with Milan. Glass of wine EURO 1,50, mountain bike rental for one day (EURO 10,00) and we got three different maps at the tourist office just for free. The small number of tourist attractions makes it just perfect to visit in one day. One attraction can be skipped. As Napoleon did a wonderful job when destroying the castle (Rocca Borromeo), it is not worth climbing the mountain for anymore. The statue of Saint Charles, on another hill known as Sancarlone and completed in 1698, is very nice to visit. If you are just a little afraid of heights, don't buy the ticket that gives you entrance to the top. The stairs are horrible once you go inside of the statue.
Anyway, to conclude we had a wonderful day there. We took the train back at 20.44 but that was not the last one. Arona is definitely a place worth to visit if you want to escape from being a tourist and just like to enjoy the beautiful hills of Italy.
