Monday, April 15: A ferry ride across the lake delivered us to Santa Caterina, an ancient church and hermitage built on a cliff side more than 800 years ago, and still in use today! It is now cared for by Franciscan Monks. The church contains many colourful frescoes and the 800 year old body of the founder, Alberto Besozzi, on view in a glass-sided coffin. A short walk to the village of Reno provided an opportunity to stretch our legs. A bar keeper there told us that bus tickets could be purchased on board and he walked out to the street to show us where the stop was. When the bus came, we got on and tried to use our phone for tap payment. The driver waved us to take a seat and told us to download a payment app from a QR code posted inside the bus. Our Canadian phones or our French eSIMs would not allow the app to download. For ten minutes we tried unsuccessfully to get the app and pay. Finally the bus arrived at the end of the line and, not knowing what to do, we tried to act nonchalant and filed off the bus like guilty lemmings following the other passengers.
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| Santa Caterina hugging the cliff side, as seen from the ferry. |
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| The ferry approaching Santa Caterina (the dock is visible). |
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| Standing by the hermitage, looking at the church entrance (far building). |
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| View of the lake from church entrance at Santa Caterina. |
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| An ancient wooden olive press on display at S. Caterina. |
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| A 14th century fresco, showing soldiers in armor, in one of the buildings. |
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| Interior of the church; almost all surfaces were painted. |
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| The founder of the church at Santa Caterina. |
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| Waiting at the bus stop in Reno. |
Love reading your posts John D.
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