Majestic Lago di Como - Italy

There are very few places we can call majestic. Something majestic, in my opinion, is a place that inspires you, impressive and dignified. Well, Lago di Como or Lake Como is that kind of place. It reminds me of The Fiords in Norway where I felt the same way. A place where the natural beauty leaves you speechless. All you want to do is admire it, celebrate the view, imagine the possibilities. Breathtaking feeling!

            

Lago di Como is located in the northern province of Lombardy, an hour away from Milan. Many claim the lake has the shape of a man walking and use the different parts of the body to explain the location of a specific village. It has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and celebrities and wealthy people since the Roman times. It's also a popular touristic attraction. Names you may recognize Madonna, George Clooney and Versace have homes here. It's regarded as one of the most beautiful and deepest lakes in the world.

We took the train from Milano Stazione Centrale to Varenna, one of the many villages along the shores located on the right hip. Did you find it?

                            

We sat on the left side of the train and were able to enjoy lake views along the way. We passed a bunch of little towns and an hour later we arrived to Varenna. 

Here are a few of my takes from the train...

We walked out of the train station and headed down to the Main Street toward the water. The street has arrows painted for pedestrians and after a few blocks we were by the shore. 

                       

We walked the town from one end to the other enjoying the magnificent views. There were a few tourists like us, the walk-way below is call the tunnel of love. It's narrow and takes you along the hill to the other side.

                        

Breathtaking views from every angle

We stopped for an expresso at a tiny cafe along the way along the stretch of the picture above. The only waiter was a guy from El Salvador.  Again, you hardly ever run into Hispanics, but here we are in this tiny town and I asked him what brought him there. He shared that word of mouth took him there after a friend found a job, he came and voila! Unusual as the unemployment in Italy is very high. He spoke fluent Italian and told me it was easy to learn. 

We continued our journey and ended up at a tiny little beach where I captured the fisherman above, such a peaceful site.

We decided to take the ferry to go to another neighborhood town across Varenna to a village named Bellagio. I wonder if the casino in Las Vegas with the same name took its name from this town. The next ferry was scheduled to leave in about an hour, we bought the tickets and went to a restaurant with outdoors tables in front of the harbor to grab a lunch, this time pizza. We enjoyed it while we talked to a family also waiting for the ferry. Their daughter was a student doing the famous semester abroad program based south of Rome and her parents came to visit. Every American we met during this trip had a similar story. Lucky kids having this life experience at such a young age.

The ferry arrived and we all quietly embarked and soon started heading to the other side of the lake. The ride to Bellagio took 15 minutes and the awe continued. Here is a view from the ferry arriving at Bellagio....

We walked the town up and down as this town was hilly with many steps providing spectacular views almost on evey street. Many shops were closed, but this didn't stop us from walking the town and enjoying the beautiful streets.  Here are a few takes....

                        

                         

Riding the ferry....

                     

                       

Our selfie....

                       

I may sound like a broken record, but the views were breathtaking and the people were super friendly. Leaving Bellagio.....

We will be back to tour the other villages and enjoy a few italian meals with a spritz drink. Back to Varenna via ferry. We took the 5:30 pm train to Milan from Varena and will be getting ready to return to the states tomorrow, March 11th. 

I took these pictures from the train in the ride back....

Our flight leaves at 9:15am, so we need to take the 5:30 am bus to Malpensa International Airport. Luckily our apartment is walking distance to the train station and the buses depart in front of it every 30 minutes. 

March 11th.  We woke up bright and early, had everything packed the night before, just matter of packing a few things, lock and leave the keys as instructed. The bus left to the airport on time. It was an hour ride. The Milan airport is huge and the distribution is not logical with long walks back and forth to check-in and then back to the gates. I wanted to do some shopping at the airport.... the duty free shops opened at 7am and I was able to buy a few little things to take home. 

At the Malpensa airport....

                   

      

     

   Arrivederci e grazie Italia per i tempi meravigliosi e bellissimi ricordi!!!

       Good bye and thank you Italy for a wonderful time and beautiful memories!!!