Long flight over nothing but ocean, weird food and cheap wine included? Check!
Obligatory overnight stay in Lisbon (thank goodness we finally found a decent hotel there)? Check!
Sounds like we are ready to start on another European vacation! Where to this time? Italy, of course (with a little bit of France and Monaco thrown in for good measure).
Our flight from Lisbon landed us in the northern Italian city of Milan. We stopped in the train station and grabbed a few slices of pizza before catching the train from Milan to the tiny village of Varenna.
Varenna is located on the eastern shore of Lake Como, about 20 miles from Switzerland. Upon arrival, we wove our way through narrow cobblestone streets to our hotel.
When I was trying to book a hotel for this stop, I was presented with a bit of challenge. It seems March is still considered the off season, and most hotels shut down for several months at a time during said off season. This left me with only a few accommodation options. Fortunately, the hotel we ended up at was wonderful! Come-back-someday-and-stay-for-a-week wonderful. It might have been our private terrace overlooking the lake – just maybe.
After basking in the sun and resting our tired feet in matching lounge chairs on the terrace, we headed back out into the town, eventually ending up at the ferry dock. We had already covered the “planes, trains and automobiles” section of our trip on day one. Why not add a boat to the list? The ferry took us across the lake to the village of Bellagio (yes, this is the town after which the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas is modeled).
During the tourist season Bellagio is a high-fashion, high-class destination for the region’s rich and famous. During the low season (ie: March), it is a peacefully, sleepy little village. We watched the sun set over the town’s harbor. Then, we explored the back streets looking for a wine bar recommend by our guide book. After enjoying several samples of regional wine, we boarded the ferry back to Varenna.
The next morning, staring out over the beautiful alpine lake while enjoying our breakfast, we decided we would have to come back when we could stay longer (and the weather was a little warmer).
One day in this beautiful, peaceful village wasn’t nearly enough. In the end, Varenna was our favorite stop of the entire trip. Who says you have to save the best for last?
