We dressed and headed out for the day. We decided to take the boat over to Varenna this morning. We bought tickets and had to wait about 40 min for the next boat. We parked ourselves on a bench near the water. Katrina decided to do a little drawing, so she pulled out her pencils and pad. She's quite the creative and artistic woman!
The boat ride across the lake to Varenna took about 30min. Once we arrived we decided to follow the Rick Steve's walking tour, from his book.
Unfortunately, I took my camera out to take some pictures and realized that I left the memory card in my laptop. No pictures until Katrina sends me a couple. I will also link to her blog once she posts all of her fabulous shots.
Anyway, Varenna is a small town of about 800 people on the less busy side of the lake. Varenna has a romantic promenade, a tiny harbor, narrow lanes and very wonderfully little to do but stroll and relax.
We wandered through the town lanes checking out the buildings, architectural features and interesting sights. We walked the Passerella, a promenade built to connect the ferry docks with the old town center. There are no streets in the old town, just lanes called contrade. Varenna was originally a fishing community, famous for its counterpart to the Norwegian lutefisk: missoltino, air dried and salted lake sardines. They are served with the regions polenta.
We made our way up to the Piazza San Giorgio. There are 4 churches that face the town square. The main church dates back to the 13th century. Varenna is a very popular spot for weddings. The Royal Victoria Hotel also faces the main square. In 1839 Queen Victoria visited the hotel and registered under the name Countess of Clare in an attempt to remain anonymous. The street plan of the town survives from Roman times when gutters flowed down to the lake.
Our next destination was Castello di Vezio. It is located above the town. Visitors must hike to it, up a very steep and stony trail. It took us about 30 minutes to reach the top, with several rest breaks. The castle is barren and in a bit of disrepair. The views of Lago di Como are unmatched. It was amazing how far and how much you can see. The information books says that the mountain peaks across the lake from Varenna, behind the town of Menaggio are the Swiss Alps. The castle is surrounded by olive groves.
The castle was a defensive fortress, not really one that someone of importance lived in. It is essentially a main tower surrounded by high walls. As you enter inside the walls you see the remains of the military fortress, which was used as a sighting tower from the days of Queen Teodolinda. You can can some stony steps up the inside of the wall to a narrow drawbridge that leads into the tower. I must say, if this was in the US, it would not have been open the the public. The stone steps leading up the wall almost appear to be floating, although they are attached to the wall. The railings (added later) are nothing more that welded rebar. Its very crude and would be considered a liability in the US. Not in Italy. Kids were climbing the tower under the watchful eyes of their parents. Inside the tower are narrow wooden steps that lead to the top. On top of the tower we were rewarded with a 360 degree view. The castle was used in modern times as an outpost of the Cadorna Defensive Line (1915-18) which would have opposed a possible attack by the Germans from the basin of Manoggio across the lake. We made out way back down the tower and out of the castle.
The castle is not alone on top of the hill. There is the hamlet of Vezio. It is a small group of stony houses with about 50 inhabitants. It has kept its ancient features and it hides a very long past among the restored buildings. We made our way down the stony lanes and found a great place for lunch. Some say, if a restaurant is packed with locals, it must be a good one. We tried the multi course meal special, like we did the day before in Bellagio. Our meal consisted of Bruschetta con pomodorini e basilico (both of us), Fiochetti ripieni di pere a fermaggio all crema di talegiio (pasta stuffed with bits of pear - Katrina), Colsoncelli bergamaschi con sugo di salsiccia e scarola (ravioli with sausage - me), Bocconcini di brasato di manzo (braised beef in sauce with potatoes - both of us), and dessert della casa (chocolate mousse - both of us). It was a big lunch. We were full and ready to roll back down the mountain.
It was slow going back down due to the steepness of the trail. When we reached the bottom we made our way back to the ferry docks. We were now heading across the lake to Villa Carlotta, via a boat stop in Bellagio. We really enjoy riding the boats. The ride is relaxing, great for sightseeing and the breezes are great on a hot summer day.
We arrived in Villa Carlotta and quickly realized there was not a lot to do there. We were tired from our morning excursion, so after a short walk through town, we decided to take another boat ride. We rode to San Giovanni, Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, back to Varenna and finally to Bellagio again, all on the same boat.
Arriving back in Bellagio we decided to take a late afternoon nap. I told you this was a relaxing trip. Katrina ended up sleeping for awhile, but I worked on my blog.
In the early evening, when Katrina was up and ready to go again, we took a walk around Bellagio and stopped at a bench near the top of 'the ditch'. The first photo from yesterday, looking down the steps between the shops, is the ditch. At the top are some benches where we parked ourselves. Katrina pulled out her sketch pad and pencils and we sat for a couple of hours. Katrina sketched and I people watched. I also enjoyed a gelato, sort of. I must say that in almost two months in Italy, I have never found a gelato I didn't like...until now. Of course, some shops are better than others, but they have all been good. I got two flavors that I almost always get and both were not very good at all. Of course, I ate them, because gelato should not be wasted.
When Katrina finished her drawing we walked down the lane to the 'other' gelateria so that she could have some. Hers was so much better. We took a nice late night walk down by the waterfront. The lights around the lake were beautiful.
PS - We received a text last night that the kids were doing well and continued to be well behaved at the castle. They had gone on another hike, visited a church and so much more. They were preparing a 'last night' play for entertainment.
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