Took a quick ferry boat ride across the Lake to Menaggio, which was about the only town left in Como I wanted to see. Probably needed more time to see the sites in the hills above town but all in all, glad I stayed in Bellagio. Took the train to Milan, then another connecting to Genoa. On both legs,I met some of the most remarkable people, including a lady on the Genoa leg who lives in town, gave me tons of tips on places to see, and took the time to walk me to m...

Went on another amazing hike on Monday, this one translated is called the Green Way trail of Lake Como, which follows an ancient Roman road from Cadenabbia to Colanna. You pass thru many remarkable villages along the way, including Lenno, where huge villas hug the coast, including one they used for the wedding in Star Wars 2; and the town of Mezzegra, where Mussolini was captured and killed trying to escape to Switzerland. Apparently, the back to back hikes knock...

Had another wonderful day trekking around Lake Como yesterday. The humidity dropped and the skies were perfectly clear. Got up early and hopped on a ferry to Varenna, where I hiked up to Castle Vezio above the city. Seriously steep hike, similar to the ones in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon. After that, I continued north on a trail that took me thru all these amazing little villages up in the hills toward Bellano, which you see in this picture of their waterf...

They gave me a modest vehicle for my stay.

Just over an hour train ride from Milan, and a 15 minute ferry trip from Varenna, brings me to Bellagio on Lake Como. The weather cleared and it was just about perfect with highs in the 70's and clear skies. Bellagio is everything you've heard: tons and tons of wealth and people from everywhere. Had a great spaghetti pomodore dinner tonight and planning out a hike from Varenna to Bellano tomorrow. The pic is from just outside my hotel looking north toward what I ...