Friday, April 27, 2007
Bellagio will have to wait
I am not able to put up the rest of my Lago di Como pics just yet. I am using the computer at the desk of the hotel I am staying at in the small town of Caserta (near Napoli) and it's just not going to work! I am going to be in Capri this weekend, will hope to find an internet place. If not, no pictures for a little while!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Lago di Como: Como
Last Friday I hurried home and grabbed my little suitcase and rushed off to the Firenze train station. I wasn't sure how long it would take me to get there because the city has been crowded and it is difficult pulling the wheels of the suitcase over the cobblestone streets. But it didn't take too long and the wheels didn't fall off (at one point I thought they might with all the bumpiness of the road). I took the Eurostar to Como. Fortunately this was a direct trip, I hate changing trains. I had a window seat and a great view of the Italian countryside. Firenze is sort of near the middle of the country, a little bit north of center and Como is right next to Switzerland in the northernmost part of Italy. Here is a small town we passed on the way:
We stopped at several major cities on the way including Bologna. As the train pulled into the station I got a glimpse of their fabulous train station police on their little perambulator thingies but by the time the train actually stopped, I wasn't able to see them. So I kept my camera on and kept hoping that they would pass by my window. Finally they did and I was able to take this picture:
The guy on the left is so stylin'--he is way too cool for his job. The other guy is ready to persecute anyone who misbehaves in the train station. Actually while I was sitting there in the train station, I read in my little guide book that the Bologna train station was bombed in the 90s and lots of people died. I had been reading about each town as we passed through to see if I should make a special trip to come back and visit. As I read that particular item I was thinking, Um, can this train pull out of the station now? Here is the cute dog that was sitting across from me all the way to Milan:
I think it was a she and she was very well-behaved if not a little curious. She wanted to come up and sit on my lap but her owner was trying to keep her sitting on a little blanket next to the seat. Finally she gave up and let the dog sit in her lap and stare out the window, making little wet doggie nose prints on the glass. Here is one of the many mini-vineyards we passed:
And another one:
This is just a field of some sort. Everything is so green in the north:
Finally, we arrived in Como. This is the view down the main street after you exit the train station:
The trip took about 4 hours but felt like forever. I think because you sit facing someone else, you feel really cramped because you can't stretch your feet out in front of you because your knees will hit theirs and that is kinda awkward. At this point it was about 7:30pm and I was starving but I had to go find my hotel and walk around the city. Here are the houses/mansions up on the hill. Everything was glowing with a soft pink hue:
I walked down to the harbor to catch a glimpse while it was still magic hour before heading to my hotel to check in. It is so frustrating because the glow just doesn't translate to the photos. In addition, the entire weekend was rather hazy, weather-wise so there just wasn't enough contrast for decent pictures. So bear in mind that this is about 5% representative of the beauty and serenity of Como Lake:
A wider view:
The harbor is right there in the main part of town. To be true it is a very small town and everything is right there. Como is at the very southern end of one of the legs of Como Lake. After enjoying the view for a minute I walked into the town to find my hotel. On the way I passed the Duomo (cathedral):
Which is a very imposing Gothic structure:
There is a nice piazza surrounding it with lots of restaurants and bars:
It was kind of weird being out of Firenze though, because Como felt so calm and almost deserted. There were still lots of people around but not like what I am used to. I felt like I had come at the wrong time or something. I am sure it does get a lot more crowded in the summer--it was perfect for me this way. I found my hotel on the other side of the Duomo and checked in. I stayed at Ristorante Sociale which is a restaurant that also rents rooms above. They are located right next to the Duomo and the Teatro Sociale and they are very famous for attracting the after theatre crowd. So I left my bag there and even though I was starving, I headed out to walk around the city because I knew I didn't have much daylight left and I didn't want to waste it while eating. I walked around the other side of the Duomo for a different view:
And then walked back down to the harbor where it was really taking on a special glow:
The houses built into the side of the hills surrounding the lake:
More with the boats...this is where you take the ferry up to other parts of the lake:
I walked around on the east side of the lake (on the same side as pictured above) and found some beautiful old homes I wouldn't mind spending a night in:
Just like on the coast of California, they are built one right on top of the other. You can see that the architecture is a bit different in the north. It is pretty apparent that they are so close to Switzerland. I almost didn't expect the locals to be speaking Italian. The whole place had a really different feel:
This is the furthest point I got to on my walk, you can see the other side of the lake because the lake isn't wide, it is long. This is looking north--the lake continues for a long way north of this point.
Walking back towards the harbor at Como, this is looking across at the hills on the west side of the lake:
And the lights as night began to fall:
The diagonal line of lights is the track for the funicular railroad I took the next day:
Finally, I decided I had enjoyed the city and the sunset enough to justify getting some dinner. The nice thing about staying in a room above a restaurant is that you can just go downstairs and have dinner. Plus, the guidebook said it was one of the best places (good food and value) in town. I think they thought I was a little strange when I asked for a table for one so they sat me in the corner. But I didn't mind because I had a great view of everyone else. I had an insalata mista (mixed greens salad), gnocchi ai quattro formaggi (gnocchi in 4 cheese sauce), and some white wine (1/4 liter got me pretty drunk...). This was the best gnocchi I have ever had in my life:
The little gnocchis melted in my mouth and the cheese sauce was so creamy and delicious...it was ridiculous. I cut each gnocchi in half--partly because they were kind of big but also because I wanted to savor them! This is the view of the restaurant from my corner, before the large group of guys sat down at the empty table there. From what I could tell they seemed a bit amused that I was sitting by myself but by that time I was fully enjoying my gnocchi and my 1/4 liter of wine and I really didn't care.
This is my room. Apparently they didn't have any singles available so they rent you a larger room but just charge you for a single.
After dinner I walked back through the town to have some gelato. The Duomo is really creepy at night with the way they have it lit:
I walked down to the harbor, got some gelato (the biggest one I have ever had--the prices are so expensive in Firenze that for the price I was paying I thought I was getting the smaller one, turns out it was humongous!) and sat on the park bench enjoying the cool night air and the sliver of moon:
The next morning, I got up early because there was a lot I wanted to do and the boat ride to Bellagio was going to be about 2 hours, so that took away a bunch of my day. This is the tunnel that holds the funicular train that runs up to Brunate:
And here is the train/tram thingie arriving:
The tram takes you up to a little city called Brunate which is in the hills above Como. Here is the view as we pulled out of the tunnel, looking back down on Como city.
Here is what the interior of the tram looks like:
Since I got up at about 7:30am to catch the train, I think I was only riding with a couple of people who use it to commute to work and seeing a tourist at that hour was a bit of surprise. Here is another view of the city of Como from a little further up:
The city of Brunate was barely walking up when I arrived. It is just a miniscule little town on the top of the hill. You can barely get cars up here, they must have to come up the hill from the other side. Here is a tiny residential street in Brunate:
From this city you should be able to see all of Como and the lake but a bunch of houses were blocking my view so I walked down this little path:
Where there was this gorgeous mansion with a spectacular view:
And then down this path:
asdfasdf In the picture above you can see Como faintly at the top of the picture. I didn't realize that the hills were so steep all around the lake. These paths up and down were the first two of many, many hills I walked this weekend. Sometimes I would take a picture because I thought it was rather picturesque but sometimes I was taking pictures in case I got lost. Finally I found a spot that gave me great (although hazy) view of the city:
I could even pick out my hotel room window! You can see the Duomo in the center of this picture--it is the large gray/white structure with 4 rounded tops. This apartment building is at the top of the hill there and they own the view in the above picture:
Not a bad perch on top of the world. I walked around Brunate for about 40 minutes and then had a caffe latte in what appeared to be the local morning hangout and shared the sports page with a bemused old man. Here is a view standing on the street in Burnate, looking down on the funicular track as it disappears down the hill into Como:
I headed back down to Como because I had to check out by 10am. Seems pretty early to me but that appears to be standard. On the way back I ducked into the Duomo for a peek inside:
Very lovely but, as usual, a bit over decorated. I checked out of my room and then headed back down to the harbor to buy my boat ticket to Bellagio and grab a couple of brioche (croissants) for the ride.
The trip up the lake takes a couple of hours because they stop in a bunch of little towns on the way. There are a bunch of villas lining the lake. Many of them now belong to the state. This one in particular is called Villa Olmo and is in Como. It houses art exhibitions:
So many cute towns are nestled right on the banks of the lake:
Another city built up into the hill:
There are some gorgeous private residences right on the waterfront:
I would take a week vacation here:
Main street:
Boating is how you get around the lake, with all the hills it is really the most efficient. This boater was passing by the one island in Lake Como, Isola di Comacina.
And for you Star Wars buffs, here is the villa that was used in the series. I think for the wedding...I know, I am a disgrace to the film community. But anyway, I did my due diligence and took a picture for you (three actually):
It is a stunning structure right on the point of a peninsula. If I were George Lucas' location scout I would have chosen to shoot here as well.
Amazing (everyone on the boat was oohing and aahing):
And then we approached my destination, Bellagio (you can see the privately owned Villa Serbollini up on the hill to the right):
Bellagio pictures are coming!
We stopped at several major cities on the way including Bologna. As the train pulled into the station I got a glimpse of their fabulous train station police on their little perambulator thingies but by the time the train actually stopped, I wasn't able to see them. So I kept my camera on and kept hoping that they would pass by my window. Finally they did and I was able to take this picture:
The guy on the left is so stylin'--he is way too cool for his job. The other guy is ready to persecute anyone who misbehaves in the train station. Actually while I was sitting there in the train station, I read in my little guide book that the Bologna train station was bombed in the 90s and lots of people died. I had been reading about each town as we passed through to see if I should make a special trip to come back and visit. As I read that particular item I was thinking, Um, can this train pull out of the station now? Here is the cute dog that was sitting across from me all the way to Milan:
I think it was a she and she was very well-behaved if not a little curious. She wanted to come up and sit on my lap but her owner was trying to keep her sitting on a little blanket next to the seat. Finally she gave up and let the dog sit in her lap and stare out the window, making little wet doggie nose prints on the glass. Here is one of the many mini-vineyards we passed:
And another one:
This is just a field of some sort. Everything is so green in the north:
Finally, we arrived in Como. This is the view down the main street after you exit the train station:
The trip took about 4 hours but felt like forever. I think because you sit facing someone else, you feel really cramped because you can't stretch your feet out in front of you because your knees will hit theirs and that is kinda awkward. At this point it was about 7:30pm and I was starving but I had to go find my hotel and walk around the city. Here are the houses/mansions up on the hill. Everything was glowing with a soft pink hue:
I walked down to the harbor to catch a glimpse while it was still magic hour before heading to my hotel to check in. It is so frustrating because the glow just doesn't translate to the photos. In addition, the entire weekend was rather hazy, weather-wise so there just wasn't enough contrast for decent pictures. So bear in mind that this is about 5% representative of the beauty and serenity of Como Lake:
A wider view:
The harbor is right there in the main part of town. To be true it is a very small town and everything is right there. Como is at the very southern end of one of the legs of Como Lake. After enjoying the view for a minute I walked into the town to find my hotel. On the way I passed the Duomo (cathedral):
Which is a very imposing Gothic structure:
There is a nice piazza surrounding it with lots of restaurants and bars:
It was kind of weird being out of Firenze though, because Como felt so calm and almost deserted. There were still lots of people around but not like what I am used to. I felt like I had come at the wrong time or something. I am sure it does get a lot more crowded in the summer--it was perfect for me this way. I found my hotel on the other side of the Duomo and checked in. I stayed at Ristorante Sociale which is a restaurant that also rents rooms above. They are located right next to the Duomo and the Teatro Sociale and they are very famous for attracting the after theatre crowd. So I left my bag there and even though I was starving, I headed out to walk around the city because I knew I didn't have much daylight left and I didn't want to waste it while eating. I walked around the other side of the Duomo for a different view:
And then walked back down to the harbor where it was really taking on a special glow:
The houses built into the side of the hills surrounding the lake:
More with the boats...this is where you take the ferry up to other parts of the lake:
I walked around on the east side of the lake (on the same side as pictured above) and found some beautiful old homes I wouldn't mind spending a night in:
Just like on the coast of California, they are built one right on top of the other. You can see that the architecture is a bit different in the north. It is pretty apparent that they are so close to Switzerland. I almost didn't expect the locals to be speaking Italian. The whole place had a really different feel:
This is the furthest point I got to on my walk, you can see the other side of the lake because the lake isn't wide, it is long. This is looking north--the lake continues for a long way north of this point.
Walking back towards the harbor at Como, this is looking across at the hills on the west side of the lake:
And the lights as night began to fall:
The diagonal line of lights is the track for the funicular railroad I took the next day:
Finally, I decided I had enjoyed the city and the sunset enough to justify getting some dinner. The nice thing about staying in a room above a restaurant is that you can just go downstairs and have dinner. Plus, the guidebook said it was one of the best places (good food and value) in town. I think they thought I was a little strange when I asked for a table for one so they sat me in the corner. But I didn't mind because I had a great view of everyone else. I had an insalata mista (mixed greens salad), gnocchi ai quattro formaggi (gnocchi in 4 cheese sauce), and some white wine (1/4 liter got me pretty drunk...). This was the best gnocchi I have ever had in my life:
The little gnocchis melted in my mouth and the cheese sauce was so creamy and delicious...it was ridiculous. I cut each gnocchi in half--partly because they were kind of big but also because I wanted to savor them! This is the view of the restaurant from my corner, before the large group of guys sat down at the empty table there. From what I could tell they seemed a bit amused that I was sitting by myself but by that time I was fully enjoying my gnocchi and my 1/4 liter of wine and I really didn't care.
This is my room. Apparently they didn't have any singles available so they rent you a larger room but just charge you for a single.
After dinner I walked back through the town to have some gelato. The Duomo is really creepy at night with the way they have it lit:
I walked down to the harbor, got some gelato (the biggest one I have ever had--the prices are so expensive in Firenze that for the price I was paying I thought I was getting the smaller one, turns out it was humongous!) and sat on the park bench enjoying the cool night air and the sliver of moon:
The next morning, I got up early because there was a lot I wanted to do and the boat ride to Bellagio was going to be about 2 hours, so that took away a bunch of my day. This is the tunnel that holds the funicular train that runs up to Brunate:
And here is the train/tram thingie arriving:
The tram takes you up to a little city called Brunate which is in the hills above Como. Here is the view as we pulled out of the tunnel, looking back down on Como city.
Here is what the interior of the tram looks like:
Since I got up at about 7:30am to catch the train, I think I was only riding with a couple of people who use it to commute to work and seeing a tourist at that hour was a bit of surprise. Here is another view of the city of Como from a little further up:
The city of Brunate was barely walking up when I arrived. It is just a miniscule little town on the top of the hill. You can barely get cars up here, they must have to come up the hill from the other side. Here is a tiny residential street in Brunate:
From this city you should be able to see all of Como and the lake but a bunch of houses were blocking my view so I walked down this little path:
Where there was this gorgeous mansion with a spectacular view:
And then down this path:
asdfasdf In the picture above you can see Como faintly at the top of the picture. I didn't realize that the hills were so steep all around the lake. These paths up and down were the first two of many, many hills I walked this weekend. Sometimes I would take a picture because I thought it was rather picturesque but sometimes I was taking pictures in case I got lost. Finally I found a spot that gave me great (although hazy) view of the city:
I could even pick out my hotel room window! You can see the Duomo in the center of this picture--it is the large gray/white structure with 4 rounded tops. This apartment building is at the top of the hill there and they own the view in the above picture:
Not a bad perch on top of the world. I walked around Brunate for about 40 minutes and then had a caffe latte in what appeared to be the local morning hangout and shared the sports page with a bemused old man. Here is a view standing on the street in Burnate, looking down on the funicular track as it disappears down the hill into Como:
I headed back down to Como because I had to check out by 10am. Seems pretty early to me but that appears to be standard. On the way back I ducked into the Duomo for a peek inside:
Very lovely but, as usual, a bit over decorated. I checked out of my room and then headed back down to the harbor to buy my boat ticket to Bellagio and grab a couple of brioche (croissants) for the ride.
The trip up the lake takes a couple of hours because they stop in a bunch of little towns on the way. There are a bunch of villas lining the lake. Many of them now belong to the state. This one in particular is called Villa Olmo and is in Como. It houses art exhibitions:
So many cute towns are nestled right on the banks of the lake:
Another city built up into the hill:
There are some gorgeous private residences right on the waterfront:
I would take a week vacation here:
Main street:
Boating is how you get around the lake, with all the hills it is really the most efficient. This boater was passing by the one island in Lake Como, Isola di Comacina.
And for you Star Wars buffs, here is the villa that was used in the series. I think for the wedding...I know, I am a disgrace to the film community. But anyway, I did my due diligence and took a picture for you (three actually):
It is a stunning structure right on the point of a peninsula. If I were George Lucas' location scout I would have chosen to shoot here as well.
Amazing (everyone on the boat was oohing and aahing):
And then we approached my destination, Bellagio (you can see the privately owned Villa Serbollini up on the hill to the right):
Bellagio pictures are coming!
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