We decided to take the included Leger excursion to Como and Lugano. The weather was pretty foul, constant drizzle; during the Como stop the skies opened. Fortunately, we’d just sat down for a tea/coffee break and spent 45 minutes watching a church opposite become busier than for mass on a Sunday morning. Their prayers must have worked. The rain stopped and some hazy sunshine struggled to make its presence felt.

I’m not sure if it was the weather, but Como wasn’t as good as we’d remembered. Last time we’d taken the funicular to the mountain top. Perhaps that’s why we’d thought it better on our last visit.

It took about an hour to reach Lugano. The weather had slightly (just slightly) improved. A major banking centre, it has many financial offices and is home to almost every designer brand you can think of. We had a pleasant stroll around and found (what called itself) an American Bakery. Club sandwiches, rosti and fries with drinks. Delicious.

A scenic drive back to Baveno saw us at the hotel with plenty of time to relax before dinner.