The vacation of great vistas -
Switzerland and the Italian Lakes
Switzerland and the Italian Lakes
Lake Como
Day 8 – Grindelwald to Menaggio
It was sad having to pack up and leave the Berner Oberland on a clear,
sunny morning. But who can say 'no' to the allure of Italy.
We had our usual good breakfast at the Gletschergarten. This time, it was
supplemented by a piece of Black Forest cake, the birthday celebration (at
breakfast?!) of another guest. I mention this, because it made another
appearance later on.
Getting out of the Berner Oberland means backtracking through Interlaken
and along the shore of the Brienzersee. From there, we headed south up
and over the Grimsel Pass, which is breathtakingly beautiful. And with all
the switchbacks, extremely difficult for someone who gets car sick (Allie);
hence, the second appearance of the Black Forest cake; fortunately we had
an empty bag in the car. Nevertheless, we were able to stop for some
pictures before heading on toward Brig and the pass over to Italy.
We stopped for lunch in the town of Gondo, right before the border
crossing, at a small roadside restaurant with a pleasant outdoor eating
area overlooking a stream and the rocky hills around it. We were now out of
the Alps, and the scenery was changing rapidly -- still good, but not as
dramatic. We continued on across the Centovalli, which is very scenic in its
own right, then navigated our way through the border area between
Switzerland and Italy. One of the immediately noticeable differences -- the
quality/upkeep of the roads.
We continued on, skirting Locarno and driving directly through Lugano, as
we wanted to maintain our momentum and make Menaggio by mid-
afternoon. The road between Lugano and Menaggio was thick with traffic,
alternating between people driving as if their heads were on fire and dead
standstills while a bus or two tried to make it through a space barely big
enough for a car. Chris is a fairly confident and assertive driver himself, but
he had a few white-knuckle moments there. We were all glad when we
found our way along the main road to our hotel, the Bella Vista. We had
confirmed in advance that parking was available at the hotel. Yet when we
arrived, they tried desperately to get us to move our Mercedes craft out of
the parking lot. This was one of those times when it pays not to be able to
speak the local language. No comprendo?
The views of Lake Como from our hotel room balcony certainly justify the
name of the hotel. Allie changed into her swimsuit and took a quick dip in
the pool, but soon got out because of the colder-than-expected water. We
had dinner at the hotel, taking the pole position on the veranda with the
best possible views toward Bellagio. The food was decent if
unspectacular, but the prices were right and the setting couldn't be beat.
We strolled through the town that evening, and went to bed fairly early.
Day 9 - Mennagio, Varenna & Bellagio
The next day was mostly cloudy with intermittent rain, but we made the
most of it. After breakfast at the hotel, we took the ferry boat across the lake
to Varenna...a beautiful, ancient and historic town. We visited a church that
was about 1000 years old, then wandered through town for a while. We
decided to climb up to the ruined Castello di Vezia on the hill, coaxing Allie
every bit of the way and making sure Marisa didn't slip -- wearing sandals
on a wet, rocky incline; what was she thinking? About half way up, we ran
into some fellow travelers on their way down who informed us that it was
chiuso. Closed. End of that little excursion.
We took the ferry once again, this time to the delightful town of Bellagio
(which bears an uncanny dissimilarity to the resort in Las Vegas of the
same name). We walked, we shopped, we took pictures...all the things you
want to do in Bellagio, really...before finding a relatively secluded spot
called Barchetta for an early lunch. The food was good, and the service
was relaxed and friendly.
After lunch, we visited the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni which, technically,
was off-limits to non-guests. We strolled in unabashed like we belonged
there, and gave ourselves a self-guided tour of the grounds. Nice place!
Later, we strolled through the village some more and stopped inside an
old church up the hill on the west side of town. Eventually we made our way
back down to the dock and caught the ferry again, this time headed for
Cadennabia. There, we walked down the road to Tremezzo and the
exquisite Villa Carlotta. We toured the beautiful gardens there for about an
hour and only saw a fraction of the splendors there before returning to the
boat dock. We ferried back to Menaggio, just up the coast from Tremezzo,
around mid-afternoon.
Time once again for mini-golf! There is a popular little mini-golf center on
the north side of Menaggio, and we had a good time unwinding there after
all the walking we had done.
Dinner was at the hotel again. Like the night before, average food;
spectacular view. We strolled through town and were intrigued by what
appeared to be an imminent gathering. Chairs were being set up in the
town square. A big screen was erected against the side of a building. A
small sound system was being readied. After a sizeable crowd was
seated, a man stepped to a microphone and addressed the group in
Italian. After a short speech, he stepped away, music began, and slides of
what appeared to be vacation shots began appearing on the screen,
synched to music.
Day 10 - Isola Comacina and Como
It was difficult to pull ourselves away from a leisurely breakfast with that
view across the lake. But we did. We hopped a ferry just down the road and
headed for the Isola Comacina. Once a seat of power in Northern Italy, the
island has been reduced to mostly vegetation and some ruins, including a
15th century church and some Byzantine era mosaics. We had great fun
wandering the paths through the wooded areas and exploring the ruins,
imagining the thriving community that once existed here. There were very
few other people around, making it all the more interesting.
The only operating building on the island is the restaurant, which has been
serving the same lunch and dinner for years -- a long, engaging meal that
includes a recounting of the island's history. We left just as people were
entering for lunch and, in hindsight, wish we had chosen to stay for it.
Instead, we set off on another ferry toward Como. The ferry took the 'slow'
route, stopping at most of the towns en route. This however, gave us the
opportunity to peak at some of the places along the lake, including a nice
view of the Villa Balbianello. By the time we reached Como, a light rain had
begun to fall. We had a mediocre, over-priced lunch at one of the sidewalk
cafes near the dock -- if for no other reason than to get out of the rain. At
least there were some umbrellas, which did a reasonable job of fending
off the downpour. After lunch, we wandered through town, visiting the
Duomo and the old city walls, among other things.
We decided to take the hydrofoil back to Menaggio to make up some time
-- including time for some pre-dinner drinks on the hotel's verandah.
Although it meant giving up the hotel's intoxicating view, we decided to go
for something a bit different for dinner. Not five minutes up the main road is
a small pizzeria tucked away on the upper floor of a building. Pizzeria
Lugano served up some outstanding pizzas and some serviceable house
wine, all for what we recall was in the range of 20 Euro. The restaurant was
busy, but almost all the patrons appeared to be locals.
Next -- Lake Orta
See all of our trip photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
Day 8 – Grindelwald to Menaggio
It was sad having to pack up and leave the Berner Oberland on a clear,
sunny morning. But who can say 'no' to the allure of Italy.
We had our usual good breakfast at the Gletschergarten. This time, it was
supplemented by a piece of Black Forest cake, the birthday celebration (at
breakfast?!) of another guest. I mention this, because it made another
appearance later on.
Getting out of the Berner Oberland means backtracking through Interlaken
and along the shore of the Brienzersee. From there, we headed south up
and over the Grimsel Pass, which is breathtakingly beautiful. And with all
the switchbacks, extremely difficult for someone who gets car sick (Allie);
hence, the second appearance of the Black Forest cake; fortunately we had
an empty bag in the car. Nevertheless, we were able to stop for some
pictures before heading on toward Brig and the pass over to Italy.
We stopped for lunch in the town of Gondo, right before the border
crossing, at a small roadside restaurant with a pleasant outdoor eating
area overlooking a stream and the rocky hills around it. We were now out of
the Alps, and the scenery was changing rapidly -- still good, but not as
dramatic. We continued on across the Centovalli, which is very scenic in its
own right, then navigated our way through the border area between
Switzerland and Italy. One of the immediately noticeable differences -- the
quality/upkeep of the roads.
We continued on, skirting Locarno and driving directly through Lugano, as
we wanted to maintain our momentum and make Menaggio by mid-
afternoon. The road between Lugano and Menaggio was thick with traffic,
alternating between people driving as if their heads were on fire and dead
standstills while a bus or two tried to make it through a space barely big
enough for a car. Chris is a fairly confident and assertive driver himself, but
he had a few white-knuckle moments there. We were all glad when we
found our way along the main road to our hotel, the Bella Vista. We had
confirmed in advance that parking was available at the hotel. Yet when we
arrived, they tried desperately to get us to move our Mercedes craft out of
the parking lot. This was one of those times when it pays not to be able to
speak the local language. No comprendo?
The views of Lake Como from our hotel room balcony certainly justify the
name of the hotel. Allie changed into her swimsuit and took a quick dip in
the pool, but soon got out because of the colder-than-expected water. We
had dinner at the hotel, taking the pole position on the veranda with the
best possible views toward Bellagio. The food was decent if
unspectacular, but the prices were right and the setting couldn't be beat.
We strolled through the town that evening, and went to bed fairly early.
Day 9 - Mennagio, Varenna & Bellagio
The next day was mostly cloudy with intermittent rain, but we made the
most of it. After breakfast at the hotel, we took the ferry boat across the lake
to Varenna...a beautiful, ancient and historic town. We visited a church that
was about 1000 years old, then wandered through town for a while. We
decided to climb up to the ruined Castello di Vezia on the hill, coaxing Allie
every bit of the way and making sure Marisa didn't slip -- wearing sandals
on a wet, rocky incline; what was she thinking? About half way up, we ran
into some fellow travelers on their way down who informed us that it was
chiuso. Closed. End of that little excursion.
We took the ferry once again, this time to the delightful town of Bellagio
(which bears an uncanny dissimilarity to the resort in Las Vegas of the
same name). We walked, we shopped, we took pictures...all the things you
want to do in Bellagio, really...before finding a relatively secluded spot
called Barchetta for an early lunch. The food was good, and the service
was relaxed and friendly.
After lunch, we visited the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni which, technically,
was off-limits to non-guests. We strolled in unabashed like we belonged
there, and gave ourselves a self-guided tour of the grounds. Nice place!
Later, we strolled through the village some more and stopped inside an
old church up the hill on the west side of town. Eventually we made our way
back down to the dock and caught the ferry again, this time headed for
Cadennabia. There, we walked down the road to Tremezzo and the
exquisite Villa Carlotta. We toured the beautiful gardens there for about an
hour and only saw a fraction of the splendors there before returning to the
boat dock. We ferried back to Menaggio, just up the coast from Tremezzo,
around mid-afternoon.
Time once again for mini-golf! There is a popular little mini-golf center on
the north side of Menaggio, and we had a good time unwinding there after
all the walking we had done.
Dinner was at the hotel again. Like the night before, average food;
spectacular view. We strolled through town and were intrigued by what
appeared to be an imminent gathering. Chairs were being set up in the
town square. A big screen was erected against the side of a building. A
small sound system was being readied. After a sizeable crowd was
seated, a man stepped to a microphone and addressed the group in
Italian. After a short speech, he stepped away, music began, and slides of
what appeared to be vacation shots began appearing on the screen,
synched to music.
Day 10 - Isola Comacina and Como
It was difficult to pull ourselves away from a leisurely breakfast with that
view across the lake. But we did. We hopped a ferry just down the road and
headed for the Isola Comacina. Once a seat of power in Northern Italy, the
island has been reduced to mostly vegetation and some ruins, including a
15th century church and some Byzantine era mosaics. We had great fun
wandering the paths through the wooded areas and exploring the ruins,
imagining the thriving community that once existed here. There were very
few other people around, making it all the more interesting.
The only operating building on the island is the restaurant, which has been
serving the same lunch and dinner for years -- a long, engaging meal that
includes a recounting of the island's history. We left just as people were
entering for lunch and, in hindsight, wish we had chosen to stay for it.
Instead, we set off on another ferry toward Como. The ferry took the 'slow'
route, stopping at most of the towns en route. This however, gave us the
opportunity to peak at some of the places along the lake, including a nice
view of the Villa Balbianello. By the time we reached Como, a light rain had
begun to fall. We had a mediocre, over-priced lunch at one of the sidewalk
cafes near the dock -- if for no other reason than to get out of the rain. At
least there were some umbrellas, which did a reasonable job of fending
off the downpour. After lunch, we wandered through town, visiting the
Duomo and the old city walls, among other things.
We decided to take the hydrofoil back to Menaggio to make up some time
-- including time for some pre-dinner drinks on the hotel's verandah.
Although it meant giving up the hotel's intoxicating view, we decided to go
for something a bit different for dinner. Not five minutes up the main road is
a small pizzeria tucked away on the upper floor of a building. Pizzeria
Lugano served up some outstanding pizzas and some serviceable house
wine, all for what we recall was in the range of 20 Euro. The restaurant was
busy, but almost all the patrons appeared to be locals.
Next -- Lake Orta
See all of our trip photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
Varenna
Bellagio
Bellagio
Grimsel Pass
Menaggio
Varenna
