Day 3: Domodossola

We heard some heavy rain during the night, but when we woke up in Turin this morning we were happy to see that it was cloudy, but dry. We had a fairly early start as the owner of the apartment had recommended that we check out at 8am in order to catch a train at 08.54. Given that the station was only a 15-minute walk away, we ended up being there far too early but the good news was that the train was waiting on the platform over half an hour before it was due to depart, so we were able to get on while it was still empty and find a place for our luggage. There must have been about twenty carriages on the train, which was ultimately destined for Milan, so we imagined that the journey was going to be a quiet one. We were wrong - by 08.54 the train was jam-packed with people standing in the vestibules. It was obviously a very popular route!

The journey to Novara took just over an hour and passed through some of the flattest countryside I have ever seen in Italy. At first we thought it had been raining so much in the night that all the fields had flooded, but we realised after a while that it was actually a complex system of irrigation which deliberately seemed to be making some fields wet while leaving others dry. We couldn't figure out what they could be growing which would require so much water, but having Googled it this evening it seems that this part of Italy is known for growing rice!

We had a bit of a wait in Novara before boarding our second regional train, which for the bargain price of €7 was taking us to Domodossola. The catch was that it was going to take over two hours to cover the 70 miles between the two towns, and at times it sounded like it wasn't going to make it as it creaked and screeched its way into the mountains. Once we had left Novara behind us, the scenery almost instantly became a lot more interesting, as we passed through an increasingly hilly landscape and then along the edge of a beautiful lake, Lago d'Orta. The closer we got to Domodossola, the more mountainous the countryside became, with the sky alternating between being cloudy and sunny every time we emerged from a different tunnel.

We finally arrived in Domodossola shortly after 2 and set off to find the B&B we were staying it. It was supposed to be 1.8km from the main train station, which didn't look like far on the map, but it was beyond the outskirts of the town and we got slightly lost, making it feel a bit further! Once we got there it was well worth the walk though. This was the view from just outside our room.

The B&B is set in its own grounds with beautiful gardens.

As we were only staying one night in Domodossola, we checked in quickly and then headed out to explore the town while it was dry and sunny. On the hillside just about the B&B we caught sight of this very old-looking church.

The views of the mountains as we walked back into the centre of Domodossola were beautiful.

We could even see snow on some of the mountains in the distance.

The guidebook had said that Domodossola had a pretty medieval centre, so were surprised to find as we walked along what we assumed were the main streets that everything looked very modern. The buildings were obscuring the best views of the mountains so we decided to walk around the edges of the town for a better view.

As we walked out into the suburbs, we caught sight of a little church perched on a hill above the town. We decided to walk in that direction.

The road we were walking on eventually came to an end and gave way to a thick stone wall which looked like it was supposed to be a continuation of the footpath. It was wide enough not to fall off, but rather scary as there were sheer drops on either side; into a field on the left and down towards a river on the right.

The views were gorgeous.

We walked along it for about 10 minutes, until we came to a bridge over the river, from where we were able to look back towards the town.

We decided to walk back into Domodossola along the road.

Approaching the town from a different direction, we unexpectedly happened upon the historical centre which the guidebook had mentioned.

There was a colourful square...

...some buildings which looked very old indeed...

...and a big church tower.

By this time it was about 5.30 and we were absolutely starving, having missed lunch while we were on the train from Novara. The rigidity of Italian eating times means that there isn't any chance of getting food after 2pm until the restaurants open again for the evening. We were hoping that that might be at 6pm, but 6pm came and went without any sign of life in the eating establishments of Domodossola. We did circuits around the town, peering hopefully into anywhere which looked like it might serve food, until eventually at 6.45 we found a pizzeria by the train station. For a train station, the view was pretty nice and it was still warm enough to sit outside and eat pizza

We really liked Domodossola and would like to come back another time and stay longer. Tomorrow will be another adventure though, as we're off to Locarno in Switzerland.