Bagni Vecchi, Bormio - Friday 27 May

Food of the day: Medallions of deer. This was the primo patti of the traditional menu at the Bagni Vecchi (old baths) hotel in Bormio. The courses were 1) medallions of cured deer and beef 2) noodles made with dark flour 3) rolled up sausage with polenta 4) semifreddo with sliced apple and sauce. Everything delicious, with strong flavours. The deer was quite tender and delicate.

Word of the day: Pioggia - rain. Lots of it today!

After a morning walk around Bellagio, we caught the car ferry to the eastern side of the lake under low skies. We then drove for 3 hours or so in the rain until we reached Bormio, in the Valtellina. Bormio is a ski and alpine recreation centre. Lots of Italians seem fond of it, as they light up when it's mentioned.

The real attraction of Bormio for me was that it offered a starting point for the legendary Stelvio Pass, the highest alpine pass In Italy, and a focus of legend in the cycling world. The plan was to ride it (and Anne to provide vehicle back-up) on the following day, then continue on via Bolzano.

We had an unexpected highlight at the end of the day. Anna had told us about the old Roman baths, where you could take the soothing waters looking down over the valley and towards the encircling mountains. We hadn't figured out how to fit that in to the itinerary, but when we found all but the most unattractive accommodation unavailable, we decided to stay at the baths hotel. It's beautiful - think Hydro Majestic if very well-presented, with views of an Alpine valley and the most incredible set of baths.

The baths are both indoor and outdoor, and consist of numerous linked chambers, caves, steam rooms, showers, pools and so on. There must be over 30 different individual locations within the complex. We spent an hour or so just sampling this, with the last 20 minutes in the open air pool, with dusk setting in and light rain falling. Magic.

Dinner was a highlight today too. The restaurant is first class and offers a traditional menu as well as another one (non-traditional maybe?). See food of the day notes above. All in all, the hotel was a special treat and a lovely way to end a pretty long and tiring day.