Lago di Como

Farewell to Verduno today as we pack up once again and head towards Lake Como. Although there were several stops we had planned along the way through the Piedmonte region the weather being unexpectedly lovely and warm so we changed our direction to head straight for the lake. We had a simple breakfast, popped into the winery to say Arrivederci to our host in the winery and to buy a bottle of the wine we had enjoyed in Cal Da Re our first night in Verduno.

We hopped in the car and made our way easily to Lake Como retracing our steps somewhat back towards Milan and then slightly NE towards one of the most famous playgrounds of the rich and famous. We set our GPS to take us to our hotel first so we can drop the bags and then we will sort out the return of the rental car. As we entered the core of the city we were very happy with our decision to drop off the car as it was busy with unaware pedestrians, vehicles that don't seem to fit on the streets and large busses and of course our favourite motorcyclists who seem to have their own rules of the road that no one understands. We found The Palace Hotel (do I feel a theme coming on here?) and realized we were just beside the Como Duomo (that's fun to say!) as well as opposite the lake itself. The rental car return is what you would expect on holiday. Not really understanding the road rules, needing to turn left when it seemed virtually impossible and not knowing exactly where you are going… and of course praying for a gas station along the route! Ideal! A bit stressful and parking in a handicap zone (sorry Vince!) by accident for a few minutes while we tried to figure out where we were meant to be (as well as a very brave Grant reversing into on-coming traffic to make our turn into the rental car place we had driven past with no way to make a U turn) but we succeeded. The walk back to the hotel was on a gloriously warm sunny day and let us partially through the old town of Como lined with shops and cafes row after row as we walked back to our new Palace.

We checked back in about our room but it was not ready so we opted to have lunch in the dining room with the view. The outdoor spaces were not open yet but since we were the only ones there we got seated in the main window that overlooked the street and the lake view. We felt like we could not eat one more thing after the last few days so we shared crab cakes and a salad and Grant had what he believed to be the best Tiramisu yet… perhaps because it was made that morning and was wrapped in a thin layer of dark chocolate. Lunch probably tasted much better then it was not only because we were in that strange phase of being hungry but knowing that we didn't want to eat much at all. We also got a nice discount when we ate on the hotel property so that helped the food taste a little bit better. By the time lunch was completed our keys were ready and we found our way to our room which was, of course for "the minions of Lake Como". When I tell you that this place appears to be dripping with money, for once, I am not exaggerating. The clothing, jewellery, cars, handbags etc. are all designer. Even the people all seemed to look like they are from a magazine cover. (Many of them also have the sour puss faces to match and a sense of entitlement). However, it was fun to watch. Then there are the onslaught of tourists like ourselves looking a little bit disheveled, backpack burdened and certainly not wearing the dress code for shopping here but you could tell who was visiting by their smiles and I believe all of us were pinching ourselves that we were so lucky to have such a beautiful day to explore this famous city. Oh right… we were about to go to our room… it was very small and we were told we were booked into a standard city view room but when we pulled back the curtains we were pleasantly surprised to see a wonderful view of the Duomo and the room was actually really quite nice, especially since we had no plans to spend any time in it except to rest. A quick change and we were off to explore more of Como. We started by taking a stroll by the lake. It was such a lovely day that everyone and their dogs were out today. Lake Como is a hugely dog friendly city and there are dogs of all shapes and sizes to admire and even some will let you say hello, although not very many. We find that dog owners tend to be very friendly people when we are travelling but in Lake Como this was certainly an exception. Everyone seems to either ignore you or have a subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) glare about them. Very odd for Italy but Milan was somewhat the same. Oh well, we kept smiling at everyone and especially the dogs! After our lake side stroll we made our way back into the old town and walked for hours just enjoying the historical sites and the whole ambiance of this beautiful place. It is obvious why they have so many visitors stopping in. Lake Como has been a retreat for the aristocrats and wealthy since the Roman times. Many famous people have or have had villas on the shores of Lake Como like Madonna, Gianni Versace, Sylvester Stallone, Julian Lennon, Richard Branson and of course the one that all eyes are on at the moment here is George Clooney and his new little twins. (More about him later). Lake Como has been called one of the most beautiful lakes in the world and so far, I cannot disagree and the regular folks and the tourists are very pleasant and extremely helpful.

In one of the squares we decided to rest and we had a coffee (water) and shared a Gelato enjoying the amazing day. We headed back to the hotel where I tried to upload some photos (so nice to have internet back!) and Grant had a nap. Later on we headed back out again and walked most of the old streets and saw things by night including the Duomo that was well lit and a beacon to finding our way home. We opted to head back to the same square we had been in earlier as we had been eyeing the pizzas they were serving earlier in the day and decided to share one. It was our first pizza while back in Italy and it did not disappoint! Next to us were a couple from Australia and we ended up getting into a great conversation with them about their trip, other places they have been and of course Australia. It was a lovely way to end the day and since Italy functions on the night owl clock, Grant fell asleep reading and I did a little bit of writing before turning in myself. Early start tomorrow as we have our tour of the city of Como , Lake Como and a day trip to Bellagio. Unpack the walking shoes and surprisingly the sunscreen!!