Isola Maggiore

10/10/2008
Today we took a trip to Maggiore Island which is supposed to be a favorite with St Francis. On arrival the seaside village with it's tumbling array of houses and a few shops is quaint and charming. We followed a marked route around the island which isn't very big, and came to the church of the Arc Angel Saint Michael which houses frescoes and a painting by Bartolomeo Caporali from 1460. We walked through olive groves to the castle we could see from San Feliciano but it was under restoration and not open to the public. We walked back to the village and sat at a cafe by the lakeside and enjoyed a brochetta for lunch before catching the ferry back to Passignano.
We had dinner at Di Marissimo's the restaurant at our villa. The carpark has been full each night and obviously a popular spot. A little tricky reading the menu and when we asked what the dishes were in english it was assumed that was what we were ordering. It would have been easier to order pizza. Anyway, it was quite enjoyable and cheap.