ITALY IS A SMALL COUNTRY BUT SEEMS TO HAVE THEIR SHARE OF SWEET SPOTS.
AT THE CONSTANT URGING OF COACH COS' OLDEST DAUGHTER, KARI, WE HEADED OUT MONDAY MORNING IN THE DIRECTION OF LAGO DI COMO..A SPLENDID DECISION.
LAGO DI COMO IS PART OF THE NORTHERN LAKES REGION OF ITALY THAT LIES NEAR THE SWISS BORDER AND IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE ALPS....OTHER LAKES OF NOTORIETY IN THIS REGION IS LAGO MAGGIORE, LAGO L'ISEO, AND LAGO DI GARDA..ALL OF THEM ARE FED BY THE NATURAL RAPID FLOW OF WATER OOZING OUT OF THE ALPS MOUNTAIN RANGE.
IN ORDER TO DRIVE TO COMO ONE NEED NOT HOOK UP THEIR GARMIN GPS SYSTEM, OR PURCHASE A GRANDE CARTE, OR STOP AT THE LOCAL BENZINO STAZIONE AND ASK FOR DIRECTIONS..NO NO NO!!!!.
IN ITALY ALL PLACES OF DISTINCTION ARE LABELD ON SIGNS POINTING IN THE DIRECTION THAT THEY LIE...ITALIANS DON'T DO MANY THINGS WITH EFFICIENCY( THEY MAKE COFFE FAST AND WELL IS ALL I CAN REALLY THINK OF)...SO DRIVING IS MADE FAIRLY SIMPLE EXCEPT FOR THE ITALIAN DRIVERS THAT LIKE TO PRACTICE RUNNING YOU OFF OD THE ROAD ... IN THE CASE OF FINDING COMO, SIMPLY FOLLOW THE SIGNS FOR LECCO-COMO..FROM ALMOST ANYWHERE IN NORTHERN ITALY ONE WILL SEE A SIGN, AN AZZURRO SIGN FOR LECCO-COMO
LECCO IS A CITY ON LAKE COMO..IT IS THE FIRST CITY ONE COMES TOO ON THE LAKE IF COMING FROM OUR DIRECTION WHICH FROM BERGAMO IS WEST AND SLIGHTLY NORTH...AFTER BARELY GETTING OUR 6 GEAR AUTOMACHINA INTO 4TH GEAR IT WAS TIME TO HIT A TRAFFIC CIRCLE FOR MANY DIFFERENT DESTINATIONS..FROM BERGAMO TO LECCO WE STOPPED COUNTING TRAFFIC CIRCLES AT 18
ONCE AT LECCO, IT WAS TIME TO DECIDE WHERE TO ENJOY OUR IL PRANZO...IN ADDITION TO LECCO, THERE WERE SIGNS TO COMO, TO GRIGNA, TO CERNOBBIO, TO MENAGGIO....AND TO BELLAGIO..AH BELLAGIO IT WAS.
OUR FOURSOME OF COS, DREW, MYSELF AND KARI WERE CAPTIVATED BY THE NATURAL BEAUTY THAT SURROUNDED US..SNOWCAPPED JAGGED JETTING MOUNTAIN PEAKS IN CONTRAST TO THE PEACEFULLNESS OF A CALM LAKE AND NESTLED THROUGHOUT TONY AND MAINTAINED HAMLETS OF VILLAGES SPRINKLED WITHIN THE COUNTRYSIDE.
LITERALLY BELLAGIO MEANS..."BELLA--BEAUTIFUL//GIO--PLACE"..BEAUTIFUL SPOT..AND THATS WHAT IT IS..MADE POPULAR BY TOURIST FROM AROUND THE WORLD IT IS NESTLED RIGHT WHERE THE INDEX AND MIDDLE FINGER OF AN INVERTED HAND MEET.
AND THATS WHERE WE PARKED THE CAR..TIME FOR A PASSAGIATO THROUGH TOWN..I HAVE VISITED BELLAGIO DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE TOURIST SEASON AND IN ANY PART OF THE TONY HAMLET, ONE CAN HEAR 5 OR 6 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES IN SYMPHONY..EVERY RISTORANTE, TRATTORIA, CAFFE', GELLATORIA IS FULL..SO MANY PEOPLE IN SUCH A SMALL AREA...IT IS ACTAULLY CHOKING
BUT ON A CRYSTAL CLEAR DAY ON THE FIRST OF MARCH WITH LA PRIMAVERA TEMPERATURES SOARING TO ALMOST 15 DEGREES CELSIUS, IT WAS SPECIAL TO ROAM THROUGHOUT THE NARROW SLITS OF STREETS AND PASSAGEWAYS AND GARDENS THAT DEFINE BELLAGIO..MANY OF THE HOTELS AND POPULAR NEGOZI WERE CLOSED..SPRING CLEANUP WAS UNDERWAY..LEMON TREES WERE STILL PROTECTED FROM THE L'INVERNO TEMPERATURES..SHOP OWNERS WERE FLUTTERING ABOUT DOING THE NECESSARY THINGS TO PREPARE FOR THER UPCOMING TOURIST SEASON
EVEN FOR AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHERS LIKE OURSELVES II WAS INSPIRING TO CLICK AWAY...STONEWALKWAYS, VISTAS OF THE SPARKLING LAKE, MOUNTAINS SO CLOSE YET SO FAR AWAY, AND THE ITALIAN FLARE FOR MAKING EVERYTHING SEEM MAGICAL
BALDI......KARI.....COS.....BELLAGIO
AFTER AN HOUR WALKABOUT IT WAS TIME TO LUNCH...BUILT INTO THIS RESPITE IS MY FAVORITE ITALIAN SAYING AND ONE THAT THE REST OF THE WORLD SHOULD THINK ABOUT ADOPTING.
IL DOLCE FAR NIENTE'...IT TRANSLATES TO.."THE SWEETNESS OF NOTHING"..TIME TO DO NOTHING BUT TO TAKE IN ALL OF THE BEAUTY..ENJOY A DELICIOUS LINCH AND LET THE CONVERSAZIONE DRIFT INTO ANY DIRECTION THAT IT WANTS TO GO
COS...DREW...BALDI...KARI.....BELLAGIO
MUSSELS, COZZE, FROM THE MEDITERRANEAN, INSLATA MISTA, PIZZA MARGHERITA, VINO LA CASA, FRESH GNOCCHI, VARIOUS OTHER PASTAS AND PANE AND AQUANATURALLE AND ESPRESSO AND GELATO...WELL YOU UNDERSTAND..2 HOURS LATER I THINK WE HAD ENOUGH..HOW TO DRIVE BACK WITHOUT A SIESTA WOULD BE THE ONLY OBSTACLE?
NOT LOST ON OUR AFTERNOON WAS CASUAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE LOCAL A GENTE'...THERE WAS AN OBVIOUS HIGH SCHOOL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE WHERE THE KIDS TAKE A WATER FERRY TO AND FROM SCHOOL EACH DAY..WHEN THEY DISEMBARKED THEY JUMPED ON THEIR VESPAS AND BEGAN RACING EACH OTHER HOME...OTHER FERRIES WERE TRANSPORTING CARS AND THEIR DRIVERS TO VARIOUS DESTINATIONS AROUND THE LAKE....ONE SAILBOAT GRACED THE SCENERY WITH A PERFECT SAIL AND A TRANQUILITY THAT BELIED THE AFTERNOON.
WE GOT HOME IN TIME TO PREPARE AND SCRIPT AN ELECTRICAL PRACTICE..I THINK WE WERE INSPIRED BY WHAT WE SAW ON OUR DAY TRIP
SADLY WE SAW KARI OFF ..BACK TO SACRAMENTO..SHE WAS REALLY NICE TO HAVE AROUND..DREW, HER BOYFRIEND WILL MISS HER...EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HER VERY FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRIP, I HAVE A FEELING THAT SHE WILL RETURN..
TO THOSE WHO ARE FOLLOWING THIS WORLD FAMOUS BLOG, AND TO THOSE WHO KNOW ME AS THE TRAVELDOG, I CAN'T COME TO ITALY AND THINK ONLY ABOUT FOOTBALL..I KNOW COVER 2 DEMANDS MORE ATTENTION AND IT WILL, BUT IN THE MEANTIME WE ARE GOING TO EXPLORE THIS FABULOUS REGION AND SOAK UP ALL THE EXPERIENCES WE CAN..WE HOPE YOU ENJOY READING AS MUCH AS WE ENJOY DOING
THE DOORS ARE OPEN AND THE VILLA MORONI IS BUSY BEING PREPARED FOR THE SPRING SEASON..
VILLA MORONI....OUR SPRING HOME
A CHE' VEDIAMO A PRESTO
No comments:
Post a Comment