Buongiorno Italy - Lake Como
Italy was where we spent our honeymoon, thirteen years ago, and it has a very special place in our hearts. While we plan to visit some familiar places again, we also want to visit and explore different areas. But there was just such a gentle peace arriving in Italy again - great memories!
On our way to Milan, we had to stop in Ventimiglia and transfer trains. But the transfer times didn't line up, so we stayed the night in a very nice hotel just a few blocks from the station. We had time to grab some dinner, walk a bit, and then headed to bed. The next morning, we had a quick breakfast and continued the journey to Milan. We then picked up a rental car and off we went. This time was had a Fiat again - a small car is a bit easier on the narrow roads. Our hearts can't take the near misses.
We are in Italy for 2 1/2 weeks so I'll break the areas down by town or region.
Our first distination was a small community up in the hills above Vereena, overlooking Lake Como. Finding the place was a bit of a struggle as home hosts don't want to give out specific details until just before you arrive. Unfortunately, cell service can be sketchy, which was the case here, and we didn't get the directions until it was too late. We spent almost an hour trying to find the right location, even with the owner giving us directions by phone. He was trying to send us pictures and didn't understand we couldn't get good reception. Also, speaking English in a foreign country means there will be an accent and sometimes those can be worse. Let's just say it was messy and we were tired and grumpy by the time we arrived. But it was worth it. The view was spectacular, and the home was beautiful and comfortable.
Welcome to Perledo. We did not expect to find a whole community at the top of this mountain and were pleasantly surprised. There were little restaurants, a grocery store, and a quiet, peaceful neighborhood. It was just where we needed to be.
To get to our Perledo home, from the red dot, we went up this very steep and winding mountain road - it was a good thing we had a car and didn't have to walk this. It was straight up, but there were stairs along the way and people were hiking them - crazy!
Vareena (at the bottom of the mountain) is a tourist destination and was jam packed with people. They have a large parking garage and it was full, so cars were juggling each other and people to try and move about. We had our fill when we were looking for our house, and had no desire to go back down to try and find something to eat. Instead, we had a wonderful meal at this darling little restaurant, just a few turns up the hill from us. It was so peaceful and quiet - soothing on our very frayed nerves.
Second day was a boat ride around the left leg of Lake Como - no, I didn't drive this one, just got a picture instead, but it was a great tour. Notice all the trees in the following pictures. It looked and felt just like Washington. Lots of fir trees and water.
These beautiful homes were hundreds of years old. The orange one was originally the home of Napolean. The one with the elevator is now a resort, built in the 1700s. The white one was actually three different houses that are now one estate, owned by someone very rich - I can't remember who it was.
