This morning we checked out of our amazing agriturismo hotel and took the car ferry from Bellagio to Varenna. 

A quick drive up the coast has brought us to the town of Bellano for a nature walk.

The Orrido di Bellano is a natural gorge created 15 million years ago from erosion by the river Pioverna which originates on the Adda glacier. 

The cliffside walkway passed by gigantic potholes, dark ravines and eerie caves. 

The tiny chapel at the entrance to the gorge is called Ca del Diavol, or the house of the Devil. 

The oddly-shaped 3-story house has a pentagonal plan and is painted with frescoes in which the devil and other mythological figures can be seen. 

Legends have arisen that indicate the chapel as the site of numerous satanic rites, parties and orgiastic meetings!! 

More likely the house was used as a point of access to numerous tunnels running under the town in which the Bellanesi people hid to avoid patrols during curfew when the city was under Austrian occupation.

It was too early for our planned lunch in Bellano, so we drove toward our next destination for a while and stopped when we got hungry.

We ended up in Brescia, at an outdoor terrace on one of the main squares. We had a great view of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunte and the Duomo Vecchio.

Another few hours brought us to the east shore of Lago di Garda to the tiny town of Spiazzi.  A few minutes before we arrived, we drove into rainclouds and some thunder and lightning.

During a brief respite from the rain, we walked down the skinny and steep Scala Santa, a replica of the stairs to Pilate’s palace that Jesus ascended before he was condemned to be crucified.

At the end of the Scala Santa is The Santuario Madonna della Corona (sanctuary of the lady of the crown). The church is built under a rock promontory at 2000 feet elevation on Mount Baldo.  

The first church was built in 1530, the current church dates from 1625.  Prior to the building of the church, the mountain shelf was home to a hermitage where holy men came for silent reflection, completely removed from the rest of the world. 

The restaurant that Kris had chosen for dinner decided to be closed tonight, so we had a slightly uninspired meal at the hotel.