Lake Como

Lago di Como

We needed a little taste of Italian sunshine before Amsterdam's grey rainy fall commenced. Off we went to spend a long weekend in Lake Como in the most northern part of Italy. We stayed in the darling town of Varenna, a sleepy little village that is perfect for seeing how slow our pulse could get.

Lake Como is famous for its elegant 19th century villas which nestle at the foot of mountains. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years and is full of charm. A visitor during that time wrote to a friend- "When you write the story of two happy lovers, let the story be set on the banks of Lake Como."

Cute promenade with a tiny harbor- there wasn't much to do here which was just fine by us.

We spent our days traveling by boat to other small towns around the lake, including Bellagio (yes-the same name as the hotel in Vegas and thankfully nothing like it!).

Bellagio

We also hiked up to a ruined castle and spent a heavenly afternoon wandering the grounds of a beautiful villa. In one of the gardens Brent had a cuppuccino and then a nap, lakeside while I had a glass of wine and read a book. It was so incredibly peaceful.

Villa Monastero

We stayed at a little hotel with sweeping views of the lake. Before it became a hotel was once an orphanage and then a convent.

The view from our hotel. There are lots of olive trees on the hills behind me. Supposedly it's the farthest north where olives grow in Europe.

One of our favorite memories was dinner at a little trattoria. The owner/chef picked us up in town and off we zoomed up the mountainside on crazy curvy roads, honking at every corner to warn cars flying down on the one lane road. Driving in a car with an Italian is a thrilling experience! We told the chef/owner "just make us happy" so he chose all the dishes for us. Silky pates, handmade ravioli, squash risotto, sage lamb chops... can you believe we were able to scarf down dessert too? It was an incredible meal and made even more special by the personalized service. When we were finished his wife drove us back to town.

The Villa at the end of 007: Casino Royal- my favorite movie!

Our time at Lago di Como was the perfect weekend antidote to stress. Poets have said "The precise location of heaven on earth has never been established but it may very well be right here." We couldn't agree more.. Ciao!