I can't remember why we chose to go to Lake Como with Brian's parents, but I am so, so happy we did. The towns and lake were just as picturesque as you imagine. On top of the beautiful scenery, we feasted on incredible Italian food and drank Italian wine, it was paradise.
Don't believe me? Well, this was the view from the apartment we stayed in:
And this was our daily walk down the hill to the town:
 |
| The Lederman's heading down to the town square |
 |
| amazing villa along the way |
 |
| and beautiful views all the way down |
And this is what we did when we got to town:
 |
| Enjoying the weather and views |
 |
| looking at the lake from Menaggio |
 |
| Feasting on delicious food |
 |
| enjoying a Spritz with good company |
 |
| happiness |
 |
| strolling along the waterfront |
 |
| and stopping to take photos |
 |
| Menaggio at dusk |
 |
| Us |
And then we went back to our apartment and did it all over again the next day:
 |
| alleyways |
If you're jealous, you're not alone. I'm jealous of myself just looking at the photos.
In reality, we actually did do a bit more. Let's start at the beginning. We stayed in a town called Menaggio and loved it. It was quaint and not overly crowded and had a great vibe. Our first full day we took a ferry across the lake to a town called Varrena, then another ferry over to Bellagio.
We were all anxious to see Bellagio and thought we would spend the majority of the afternoon there, but turns out, we spent the least amount of time there. It was kind of a bust, overly touristy, which completely ruined the charm. We honestly couldn't even find a place we wanted to stop for lunch, so we took another ferry back across the lake to Tremezzo and found a nice restaurant on the water. After Tremezzo, back on the ferry to go down south a bit further where we ended our adventure with gelato and homemade popsicles.
 |
| Waiting for the ferry in the morning |
 |
| B and his mom |
 |
| The lake from the ferry, looking back at Menaggio |
 |
| View from the ferry |
 |
First stop, Varrena. This one kind of looks fake, but it's not,
I don't know how to use photoshop! |
 |
| view from Varrena |
 |
| we toured the botanical gardens and mansion of the Villa Monastero |
 |
| This is the one photo I have of Bellagio |
 |
| Italian gelato truck - this is not where we got gelato, but I thought it was pretty cute |
 |
| Last stop in Lenno |
 |
| Post gelato smiles |
 |
| back home in Menaggio - it never got old |
Our second full day we rented a boat. It started as a few hour rental and turned into a half day rental. We really should have just kept the boat for the full day because it was incredible cruising around the lake, looking for celebrity houses, swimming and picnicking.
 |
| Captain Richard |
 |
| Recognize this mansion? James Bond once recovered here...Villa Balbianello |
 |
| Bond fan |
 |
| Richard Brandson's house |
 |
| Swimming in front of Versace's house |
 |
| We also spotted George Clooney's house, but we didn't see any of the owners |
 |
| Enjoying our picnic |
 |
| From the boat - it was hard to just choose one last one |
Day 3 was a bit of an adventure. We drove to Switzerland to spend the day at Lake Lugano. It was just as beautiful, but much more expensive. We decided to drive up to the top of Mt. Bre for a drink and the view. It was a super windy, steep and narrow road up. Not going to lie, I was a bit scared of our captain's driving (sorry Richard), but once we were all safe at the top, it was well worth it.
 |
| That's Mt. Bre in the background |
 |
| cruising the streets of Lugano |
 |
| View lakeside |
 |
| View from Mt Bre |
 |
| Not a bad place to stop for a while |
 |
Can you believe this is our only photo with the 4 of us from the trip?
Not typical of me |
 |
| and one more, it was so pretty |
 |
| We made 1 stop for a photo on the way back down the mountain |
 |
| It's like we are pasted on a postcard |
I loved Lake Como and Lake Lugano. It was a great trip, and as I write this, I wonder why I ever left. Kidding, well, sort of. I really want to go back and explore some of the smaller lakes in the region, and see the area during all seasons. In winter, it's close to skiing, which would be amazing. Until then Italy, I will keep dreaming of your beauty, food and wine.
Comments
Post a Comment