I had planned to spend my morning in Torino but it started raining gently so I packed up my bags and headed for the 1:45 drive towards Como. Perhaps driving at 160kms in a 130 zone in the rain wasn’t my most brilliant idea but when the autostradas are dead straight for 30 kilometres at a time it is just so easy.
My GPS takes me 16kms off course and I finally arrive at my hotel in Moltrasio on Lake Como. The road down to the lake is barely wide enough for one car and it is two way. I manage to make it down to the hotel only to find out that there were other possibilities.
The hotel (Grand Imperiale) is a grand hotel which they claim was built in the 1700s. The lobby, like all Italian hotels is marble while the rooms are comfortable minimalist but I am good being very relaxed apart from the rain outside. Irritating of course is the $A27 a day for parking and the $A27 per day they ask for 24 hours of internet – lucky I paid $7 for the month to have my own – take that!!!
I have never been to Como but have heard many friends wax lyrical about the area and I can understand why. Beautiful 200+ year old houses and villas surround the lake with the backdrop of beautiful hills/mountains with houses set in them sporadically all the way down to the water. I would rate this as one of the most beautifully scenic places I have ever been to. I am planning my next European sojourn for 2014 (my 60th birthday) and certainly will consider renting an apartment here for a week.
I have lunch by the lake and pick up a brochure for a boat hire and while it is expensive it seems as though it may be the ideal way to see the lake, the Villas Carlotta and Balbianello and Bellagio which I am told are must see attractions here – may go down and try and negotiate a deal.
I get back to the room and while it rains I catch up on some work, emails and planning. I didn’t realise that I am only 30 minutes from Lugano so may go there for a dinner and then again maybe not = http://www.ristorante-santabbondio.ch/uploads/Menu_Inglese.pdf. I decide to go to Lugano for dinner and have a light meal overlooking the lake.
I head back to the hotel and note a 160 shop outlet centre including Armani and other great labels (http://www.foxtown.ch/docu/Guida_Shopping.zip) which may get my attention in the next few days. I arrive back and there is a wonderful scene of people dining and drinking on the patio in the garden with a pianist playing. I sit there for an hour taking in the 22:00 sunset and a cappuccino. Off to bed after I spend some time planning my last three days before Aix-en-Provence. Was thinking Lyon but this adds two hours to the drive so am thinking Cannes or Grasse, both have Accor hotels with good deals so will decide soon although the way I feel at the moment another night or two here may be a possibility, especially if the weather improves.
Next morning I decide to master the Lake Como ferry system and catch the 08:54 Rapido from Moltrasio to Bellagio. Arriving there about 35 minutes later (1.5 hours by normal ferry) I spent a few hours walking around this most charming Baroque town. In fact I think if I had known more about the area I might have chosen to stay closer to Bellagio.
Another Rapido to Lenno a coffee and a short wait for the Rapido to Como where I lunch and walk around yet another beautiful town. Finally, and with some rain starting I head back to the hotel, collect the car and drive to the Outlet Centre. Must say that this is the finest collection of shops I have ever seen but again I didn’t need anything so left for Milano empty handed. I did resist the Ferragamo shoes reduced......from 8920 Euros ($A12,000) to mere snip at 2754 ($A3600) - they were indeed alligator - didnt even like them that much.....
I was in Milano fleetingly in 1978 and didn’t think much of the city. I arrived around 5:30pm and spent three hours walking around and having dinner. I walked past La Scala which is less than imposing given its stature. Milano didn’t strike me as anything special but again I probably didn’t give it much chance with just three hours.
While there I took some cash from my Citibank ATM. Now normally when I do this my phone rings while I am just collecting my card but this time it took about 5 minutes so I told the young lady from Bangalore that I was disappointed with how long she took to call – I don’t think she understood my humour.
Back to the hotel and I am soooo tired. I had planned a poolside rest but the weather simply hasn’t been accommodating.
Next morning I wake to lovely sunshine – well actually to a very early phone call but with sunshine. I spend three hours catching up on my mail (thanks Danielle for scanning and emailing) and some work which requires attention so don’t get going till mid-morning. I head towards Lenno and Tremezzo to visit the two main villas in the area.
Now, so far I have driven 3,800 kilometres this trip and haven’t had too many problems but the road to these two Villas is a superb advertisement for the ferry system. The road is barely wide enough for two cars and at times not even that. It comprises blind turn after blind turn and the locals travel at great speed around these corners and pass you without a care in the world albeit missing you by millimetres.
Anyway I survived to see Villa Carlotta which was a wonderful but slightly sterile lakeside Villa with beautiful gardens. On the way to Carlotta I stopped at Lenno in an attempt to see the Villa Balbianello. Go figure that it is a twenty minute walk to the Villa but on Thursday and Friday they close off the walk and you must get a speedboat for €6 return. I guess this is one way to ensure fuller employment. Anyway I return to Lenno and lunch by the boat entry at an open restaurant which I swear I thought was set for a wedding.
Balbianello is such an interesting place. Until the 16th century the site housed Capuchin Monks and in the late 17th century Cardinal Durini built a church, Loggia and the Villa. Over the years it passed hands a few time until it was acquired in 1974 by Count (non -hereditary equivalent to a knighthood) Guido Monzino, an Italian explorer who was the first Italian to reach the peak of Everest and also reached the North Pole. The Villa was renovated over four years to become a testimony to his life and houses all of his mementos, medals, rare masks, statuettes and much more. The entire house is done with Naval furniture and it is surrounded by the most stunning gardens.
Anyway it is around 16:00 as I head back to the hotel and it looks like weather for the pool. However by the time I get back – overcast and I fall asleep on the bed until around 21:00 when I start to watch Andy Murray play tennis. Don’t know why but I never like to see Englishmen win at sport. I head downstairs for a coffee and hear the pianist who is now accompanied by a chanteuse who imagines she is an opera singer – not confirmed by the facts. A beautiful fireworks exhibition starts on the lake and I then enjoy a Spanish band at the adjacent bar/restaurant.
Back to the room where I get nervous about accommodation for the next three nights when I see just about every hotel room fully booked tomorrow (Saturday night) so I book at a hotel in Cannes and will burrow down there for the next three nights before taking possession of my apartment in Aix-en-Provence.
I am totally intoxicated with Lake Como and have a bit of a plan to have a family celebration of my 60th birthday here in 2014. There are plenty of places for rent of varying types and it would be so much fun to spend a week here and a week in Provence surrounded by family. Anyway for another day.
Next morning I leave around 08:00. With around 04:15 of driving I wanted to leave a lot of time for stops and walks etc. in places I have been to before like San Remo, Menton and Monte Carlo.
Well paid the bill and hit the road, narrow as it was for the first 6kms, around 09:00. It was supposed to be a four hour drive but it turned out to be 10 hours of which 2.5 hours was due to major traffic jams including one surrounding the Ironman the next day in Nice when I insisted on taking the ocean road from Menton to Cannes rather than the motorway which also likely added 1.5 hours.
On the way I stopped at Menton to enjoy a quiche and cappuccino and a further stop in that place described by W Somerset Maugham as “a sunny place for shady people” - Monte Carlo. I was revisiting place where Linda and I had spent two weeks each playing bridge.
For Anna and Danielle: I also stopped at the Casino Mini-Market in Eze and wore a disguise to buy a drink.
I finally reached the Excel-Suites hotel to find that I had booked an excellent one bedroom apartment for the three nights before I head to Aix-en-Provence. After checking in I walked to the supermarket to buy something to cook for dinner after which I walked the 15 minutes down to Croissette (the road along the water). The nightlife in Cannes is vibrant and even though tourist season doesn’t start in earnest till Bastille Day (14th July) there were people everywhere and the restaurants seemed to be doing very nicely thank you. A taxi back to the hotel after a two hour walk and a good night’s sleep.
Next morning I cooked breakfast and walked to the marketplace down near the water. It scares me that I have never stayed in Cannes but knew exactly how to get to the market which I have indeed visited by car on many occasions. The fruit, vegetables, cheeses, flowers and produce available at this market are truly remarkable. Fresh, unusual – four different types of zucchinis that I saw and one stall that sold nothing but mushrooms and seemingly an endless variety at that. I picked up some raspberries, baby gooseberries, red currants and cherries and walked down the main street winding up at a seaside coffee and lemon presse.
Back to the hotel to work out what I will do for the afternoon although the rooftop Jacuzzi does look tempting.
Oh well this blog is long enough for now and I don’t expect too much in the days to come so I will post it and keep looking for something to do for the rest of the day.
Love to all
XX David
For 12k, the shoe box looks pretty shabby.
ReplyDelete