Wednesday September 20, 2017

This morning is the first morning that we got to wake up an hour later as we were meeting our guide in our own hotel and not moving on today so the extra hour certainly felt like a luxury… which ironically was in one of the most luxurious places we have visited! After a quick breakfast we met our guide Allesandra in the lobby for 9:30 and off we went.

Our first stop was the ferry ticket office where we bought our seats for the slow ferry to Bellagio leaving at 11am. It was such a beautiful day that the ferry docks were crowded with other like minded people who wanted to make the most of this amazing weather.

We headed back into the old town of Como where as usual we realized that the places that we had strolled passed yesterday were actually worthy of stopping for a minute to explore. Our first stop was at a statue in the town square of Alessandro Volta. We had seen him several times already and even had our coffee beside him but did not stop to discover why he was immortalized. You don't have to think too long about the surname to figure out what he is famous for. Mr. Volta is actually most famous for being a Latin Lover but in his spare time, he invented the battery and discovered methane. Born in Como in 1745, he was a physicist, chemist and became the pioneer of electricity and power. The story we were told is this.

Volta: In Como the tradition of eating frogs was a regular part of their diet and would be strung on metal wires to let them dry in the sun. (Sorry Hayley!) One day Volta was strolling by while carrying a metal rod and tapped one of the frogs and the frog's legs started to move even though it was certainly no longer alive. This led to many experiments where most believed that it had something to do with the fluids within the frogs but Voltare's theory, which ultimately was the correct one, proved that with was the reaction of the metals. This discovery led to the development of the field of electrochemistry and ultimately why my hair products keep getting "barbecued" in Europe!

Over the next hour we wandered the town looking at the architecture which was beautifully carved hundreds of years ago (they ironically call it graffiti), cobble stone pedestrian streets with one particularly famous one with it's Lady in the Window fresco high above an ancient street who appears to be spying on you as her eyes follow you no matter which direction you are facing. Como is famous for it's shopping (I was particularly taken with the baby/children's clothing shop windows where a whole week's ensemble at home would be approximately the price of one bootie here!). Como is also famous for it's silk production. In many of their lovely shops you can find one of a kind pieces designed by the students of the silk design academy also located in Como and the silk scarves here are really pieces of art.

Without going into too much detail as I know I go ON AND ON, there are two cathedrals here. Parrocchia San Fedele dates back to 1120 with the building being Romanesque. This was part of a somewhat social experiment with the government and the church working together. On one side were the government buildings including the court house and lawyers offices etc. with a bridge type structure attaching to the the church in order for them to share resources. Perhaps this is where the concept of "wall of separation between church and state", written many centuries later by Thomas Jefferson originated as this turned out to be a failed model and I'm hopeful the the judicial side was not supporting the direction of the younger of the two men found represented on the front of this church.

Typically there would be saints or the Virgin Mother represented on the front of a cathedral but in Como, the place of prominence went to two locals known as Pliney The Elder and Pliney the Younger. In short, The Elder was the scholar who wrote the "Naturals Historia" (Natural History) which became the educational model that led to the first Encyclopedia. The Youngest, also a scholar and lawyer in his own right was most famous for being sent out by the church to find and prosecute any individual who was not Catholic. He is memorialized for his work in the science and discovery field and sadly when he journeyed to study the volcanic eruption of Mt Vesuvius at Pompeii he lost his life to the poisonous gasses before he got there, much to the relief of the Protestants.

Forgive me but one last story of Como. As we headed to the ferry we stopped to notice another interesting building that is an important part of Como's history. The Casa del Fascia or Palazzo Terragni was started in 1932 and completed in 1936 by Benito Mussolini as the seat of the local branch of the National Fascist Party and known as Casa del Fascia and was used a set piece for the Fascist rallies. Today the building still looks like a modern building somewhat out of place for it's time so in the 1930's it must have been extremely unique. Today it houses the Guardia di Finanza (the police force) and has a small historical museum.

Mussolini's story ends in Como in Giulino di Mezzagra and small village in the mountains above the lake where he and the rest of his party were executed at the end of the war. Mussolini had left his wife and mistress behind in Milan but Claret Petacchi the amante (33) had caught up to "The Duce" (61). Disgusting himself as a German soldier with a convoy were trying to get to the Swiss border but the convoy but ran into a group of partisans who had come down from the mountains for a smoke. The Germans who were anxious to get on their way agreed to let them search the vehicles. Although he tried to hide behind a pair of sunglasses, Mussolini was very recognizable by his facial features (it didn't hurt that his face was plastered on propaganda posters all across Italy) and the group were captured. Other then Mussolini and Claret the party were executed on the spot. It is said that the partisans were split on what to do next. Some wanted to execute them and others thought that there should be a war trial. Apparently they were not intending on executing Claret but she jumped in front of a bullet intended for her lover and they were both killed. They drove them back to Milan where they were hung upside down the square and defiled by an angry mob. Two days later, in Berlin, Hitler took the Roman option and committed suicide.

There is a conspiracy theory that a few months later Winston Churchill's trip to Como to enjoy painting was really to take back documents that may or may not have been exchanged with Mussolini. Churchill returned twice more, once in 1947 and again later on. The conspiracy says that Churchill ordered the execution carried out by British agents and came to Como to destroy the evidence. It is also alluded that Churchill may have made many embarrassing promises to Italy to try to keep them out of the war but of course there is no proof to any of this other then the execution took place here in Como.

We boarded the slow ferry to Bellagio and we truly could not have asked for a more beautiful day! The trip took two hours passing by the most beautiful scenery and stopping at the villages along the way. I will narrow this down but with Allesandra with us, I assure you that it was two hours of great stories of who had done what over the years in these palaces and socialite gossip is not new to the 21st century.

The main one everyone wants to know about is George Clooney. We were told that while out on a motorcycle ride in the area his bike broke down in front of this particular property. He bought Villa Oleandra because, of course, that is apparently what one does. George started to do some work and frequent his new home but of course the dreaded paparazzi figured this out pretty quickly and started to rent rooms in the surrounding properties to get photographs of him living his private life. In sheer frustration Mr. Clooney bought all of the properties that surround his home… again, because that is just what you do. Since his twins have been born, things are much worse and there are laws about what you can and cannot do here. You cannot loiter outside his gates and there is a law in place about how close you can come to his home by boat. He has let the town of Como know that he will be moving if the press cannot leave him alone and for now, that seemed to have help support his need for privacy but likely some lucky person will be buying the Clooney estate very soon!

The Villa del Balbianello is a Franciscan monastery that has been on the tip of the peninsula since the 13th century. After failing to buy the nearby island Isola Comacina (that story is next) the Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini bought this property instead in 1785. In 1787 he converted the property into a villa to use during the summer months to enjoy the different panoramic views of the lake. The property changed owner's several times and was property to some political players over the years but ended up falling into a state of neglect for over 30 years. It was then purchased and renovated by several more owner's including Count Guido Monzino leader of the first Italian expedition to climb Mount Everest. The property now belongs to the National Trust of Italy and functions as a museum. Today the Villa del Balbianello is toured by over 90,000 visitors a year.

I mention this property specifically not only because it was one of the most beautiful on the lake but also because you may recognize it from the Bond Film Casino Royale as well as in Star Wars Attack of the Clones or the lake retreat and some of the romantic scenes.

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Isola Comacina

The final story I will share is the story of Isola Comacina Island. This is a stop on the Ferry and visitors can tour the archaeological sites on this island as well as having a meal here. The legend of the island is a very interesting one that starts back as far as 569 when the Lombards invaded Italy and is controlled by the Byzantine Empire. Not all of Italy but simply this island where for ten years General Francine defends the Empire. During this time the island is covered with houses, churches and fortifications. A British priest is said to have brought the Holy Grail to this island so it was then named Cristopolis. In 1118 the war between Como and Milan begins and the island aligns with Milan and eventually becomes the biggest political centre in the region when Milan wins. In 1169 the warriors of Como invade and destroy the island with the goal of the island not being able to be rebuilt. Only one church survived.

As if this was not bad enough, the island was excommunicated by the bishop of Como Vidulfo: "The bells will not ring any more, no stone will be put upon stone, no one will ever host again someone on the island or he will die a violent death." They believed him. It was centuries later after World War I that the island was given to the King of Belgium who ordered the contribution of a house for artists. This building project was interrupted with the sudden death of the King. In 1947 regardless of the curse 3 men decided to build a restaurant on the island. The first of the three soon lost his life in a speedboat accident, the next was murdered by his girlfriend and the last, who was obviously spooked was about to abandon the project completely when a friend suggests that they try an exorcism by fire. Today anyone who visits the tables of Locanda, they uphold the ritual of fire which I will not spoil for you in case you are lucky enough to dine on the island in your future travels.

Back on board, Grant and Allesandra decided to enjoy a coffee (remember this is espresso) just before we arrived in Bellagio. No surprise to anyone who knows me that I stayed outside in the glorious sunshine enjoying being on the water. Grant came back minutes later laughing and Allesandra looking disgusted. Apparently the espresso machine was broken and they were serving Nescafe instant coffee. Locals and Tourists alike seemed pretty horrified by this idea. Simply not done in Italy!! (Oh and as a side note… the first Starbucks has arrived in Italy. We learned this after commenting how happy we were to see it had not taken over. Apparently that is all about to change as I am sure the North American tourists will be lining up in Italy just as they are everywhere else in the world. I'll keep you posted!)

We arrive in Bellagio and know that we have 30 minutes before the arrival of the "big boat" arrives so we quickly get our bearings and a short history before we head to lunch.

The story of note for me is that Franz Liszt spent a lot of time on this island and it would be nice to say that it was the beautiful island that was the inspiration for his musical genius but alas it was the muse of his girlfriend who was someone else's wife Maria d'Agoult in 1837. They had a daughter Cosima who was the future wife of Wagner.

We enjoyed lunch on the patio where Grant tried a Como dish Pizzoccheri and I went the safe route with a pizza in case his dish was a disaster. Buckwheat pasta, potatoes, vegetables and Valtellina Cheese of Bellagio could have gone either way, but in the end, it was delicious.

Bellagio itself is a small village at the tip of the two southern branches of Lake Com. It has a population of around 200 people but has 900 beds for tourists. Most of the locals live out of the main town as the centre is a complicated design of two main streets running across the top and then many sets of steps running up and down as "off shoots" each lined with shops and cafes.

At the top we found the charming San Giacomo Church built in 1075 which was very basic in it's interior. The reason it was still so plain is because the town decided to have all of it's ornamentation throughout it's history removed. We did see their point about wanting to return it to it's original but it also made us cringe to think of all of the treasures that were removed and are now lost to history forever.

One treasure remains! One one side of the church at the floor level is a glass box and inside this box is a wooden carved statue of Christ from the Crucifixion (made somewhere around the end of the 1600's). During a flooding in a small town of Valtellina a church was destroyed and the statue made of wood floated into the lake. (I'm pretty sure I laughed out loud at this point as I could only imagine what was coming next!). Long story short the fisherman caught poor Jesus in their nets and of course believed it to be a miracle. They brought it home to their cathedral in Bellagio where it still stays. They believed that it was a sign and sent to protect them from the plague and they believed that it worked as Bellagio was spared. History tells us that it was the quarantine and that no one came in and if you left, you did not come back during the epidemic that kept them safe. They avoided being infected due to the geographic position of the peninsula and were able to grow uninfected corn which they used to make bread for the people of Varenna (across the water). The exchange took place on a large boulder not very far from the shore where the bread was left. The buyers took the bread and left the money in a jar filled with vinegar which acted as a disinfectant. I love this story and I imagined the fisherman of Jesus were the heroes of their day believing that their good fortune had saved their village.

From here we walked to the point which has a walk out that takes you out over the top of the lake. Again we were in awe of this incredible day that we had been given. Taking some photos and offering to take some for others we realized our time in Bellagio was quickly coming to an end. We bid farewell with thanks to our wonderful guide (truly our favourite part of exploring somewhere new is spending time with someone who lives here) and spent the next 90 minutes shopping before making our way back to the high speed Hydrofoil for our one hour transfer home.

Back at our hotel I will offer up this little problem. The phone plan we were sold was not what we were told it would be even with asking several times to clarify what we were buying. Angst as we try to figure out how Grant is going to touch base with work to make sure that things are running smoothly and to help put the complicated files through. This was not a fun few hours but alas… it is a bump in the road and is behind us but I note it here to remind us for next time when planning a our SIM Cards!

Dinner reservations for 8pm at the restaurant recommended to us by Allesandra in Brunate at the Bellavista Restaurant at the top of the mountain. The funicular train is about a fifteen minute walk from our hotel and all lake side views make a very pleasant start. We bought our return tickets and headed onto the train. This track has been in use since1894 connecting Como to Brunate and takes you up vertically both outside and through dark tunnels delivering you to the top in only a few minutes. We had left a few minutes early to give us time to explore the village. You can reach this area by car but most people here use the train as it is much faster and far easier. We opted to eat indoors as it was a bit chilly tonight but they had saved us a window seat with a view overlooking the lake and old Como. As the sunset and the lights started to come on in the city, it was a very pretty and certainly romantic view.

Dinner was unusual and creative and we shared and enjoyed several dishes many of them featuring oranges including dessert. We had to keep an eye on the time as we knew the last vehicular left at 10:30 until the staff informed us that until the end of September they were running until midnight. So at 11:30 we found ourselves several cocktails, a bottle of wine and some grappa later sitting on an empty funiicular that appeared to not be running. We waited for what seemed to be forever and when the 30 minute mark had passed we were beginning to slightly panic and wondered how comfortable the seats would be as our bed for the night. Forgetting my watch was slightly fast I cannot express to you the relief it was to me when we started to move. Mostly because it was only one of us who had been drinking the grappa and I did not relish the thought of being stuck in the funicular for the evening with this guy as the sober one!

We made our way "home" making conversation with some ducks and Grant trying to get into some little boats docked along the way, but eventually we did make it. Leaving the packing up for the morning as we had opted to take the speed boat to Varenna, leaving at 11:30 so we will have a few more hours to enjoy Lake Como. The week has gone by so quickly and hard to believe tomorrow a week will have gone by when we were excited to depart. Life is short so do what you love to do… even if it means potentially spending the night with a drunken husband at the top of a very cold vehicular train car! :)