Lake Como

Our balcony overlooking Lake Como and Varenna. We have decided after a week that we could definitely take more and that Varenna is the prettiest town on the lake.

But we were here to explore, and that we did.  Day 1 explored the middle lake area including Villa Carlotta and Bellaggio.  Day 2 was a 2.5hr excursion to the bottom of the left leg of the Lake and the township of Como. Day 3 had us travel to the top of the lake for a surprising day with the target being a 7th century Priory in Piona. Day 4 was a long journey into Switzerland by the famous Bernina Express that took us to StMoritz.  And day 5 the girls did some shopping and visited the Villa Monastero, which is even more elaborate than Villa Carlotta and can be found in downtown Varenna.

 Villa Carlotta is a huge garden and villa. We spent hours climbing the cliffs to see all the garden areas including ferny grottos and waterfall, Japanese malpes and massive bamboo and refined English gardens. Inside the Villa was incredible although was overtaken later in the week by Villa Monastero.

---

500m up furnicular above Como

Lunch on top of the world

Water trips just gave endless views of lovely villas on the water.  It is like Lake Eildon (with steady water level) after 100 billion dollars spent on development over the past 200 years.

George Clooney's place up for sale - 131 M euro. Not bad given he bought in 2002 for 17 M euro.

Seems everyone needs a tower

Some people to any length - note the lift from the street down to the house on water.

Had fun on the day to Piona.  This little monastery was visited infrequently by the water bus so we chose to go via water and then catch a train back to our Fiumelatte station.  We were surprised by a full 3 course meal offered on the water bus (best salmon meal according to Marg). We were then surprised as we pulled into shore with a bush track leading up from the water and no evidence of a town.  Not deterred we visited the 7th century priory.

With train tickets in hand we found the non-English speaking kitchen staff who informed that Piona township was 6km away (over the hill), there was a train station, but no trains today.  Ooops. No water bus either. 

We finally negotiated a taxi from town who took us on a wonderful excursion through the mountains. He laughed when we arrived at the concrete block called the station when Marg asked if we needed to hail the train as it passes.

---

Bernina Pass was to be a highlight.  One of the best train trips in the world leaving Italy, Tirano, and traveling over the Bernina Pass to St Moritz and beyond.  Long day (7am to 9pm in the end) gave us some great sights, lucky with the weather and around 300 photographs.  One of the highlights was coming back in the standard train (not the tourist train we used going up) which had two open carriages on the back. Marg called it a big kids theme ride.  Luckily, unlike people we met who came down on the train one hour later, we did not get massive rain and thunderstorm that brewed up in minutes over the alps.

Glaciers, lakes, people hiking and even horse riders were all over these mountains.  Highest point was the altitude of Mt Kosciusko.

Of course we got time to catch up on some serious eating throughout the day.
First breakie at Margi bar, then spaghetti - no icecream - no muesli cereal/icecream.  The icercream concoctions were sensational and just to our taste late in the afternoon.

Regretfully our journey is coming to an end but we still have Rome to conquer.  I think a few have failed in that over the millennia but I think we are up to the task.

Finally, fair warning.  We have several thousand pictures.  Future dinner parties are likely to be cursed for a while until we get Europe out of our system.