Umbria, Lago di Garda, Lago di Como, & Visits with Friends in Empoli & Coccaglio

[susan]

By girasoli (susan) from HI, Spring/Summer 2005
June 7 - July 3, 2005: Spello, Perugia, Empoli, Sirmione, Coccaglio, Bellagio, & Day Trips

This trip report was originally posted on SlowTrav.

I have edited this report a bit by organizing it a little better and trying to shorten it a little. I have also changed some of the title pages to identify places more easily in case you are just interested in one or two areas of my trip. **Warning... it is still a LONG report! I was going to add a bunch of photos to each post, but it is already too long. Instead, I am only adding 1 photo (as in the original trip report) & will link each page of this trip report to my corresponding blog post, where you will find more photos from my 2005 Italy Trip.

Itinerary:

*Depart Honolulu June 7th/arrive Roma June 9th - train to Spello

*4 nights in Spello (June 9-12) Hotel Palazzo Bocci

*3 nights in Perugia (June 13-16) Hotel Fortuna

*3 nights in Empoli (June 17-19) visiting Irene & Francesco

*4 nights in Sirmione (June 20-23) Hotel Eden

*3 nights in Coccaglio (June 24-26) visiting Katia & Guido

*4 nights in Bellagio (June 27-30) Residence La Limonera

*last night at Airport Hotel (July 1) Hotel Ristorante Cervo

*depart Milano July 2nd/overnight in Houston at the Wyndham Hotel

*depart Houston July 3/arrive Honolulu July 3

Link to the beginning of my Italy 2005 Trip Report on my blog

 

[susan]

Sono Arrivata!! I Have Arrived!!

Tuesday, June 7th ~ Departure

Each time I make this long long trip, I ask myself, "What was I thinking?", but once I arrive in Italy, all is forgotten and I am so happy to be back again!

This was the first time I checked myself in using my e-ticket confirmation number. The line was very short (only one person in front of me) and it took just a few minutes longer to get my bag checked in. The man that helped me check in my bag lost my baggage claim ticket. I saw him looking around for something for a few minutes. He then gave me a blank Continental envelope and wished me a good flight. I asked him where the claim slip was and he told me that he lost it. I was not moving until he reprinted it or found it. He looked annoyed, but agreed to keep on looking and finally found it in the rubbish can!

I weighed both my check in bag and my carry on. My check in was 23 pounds and my carry on was 48 pounds! Although not the best of ideas, I don't trust the airlines with my bags and have a hard time putting anything in my check in bag that I may never see again.

The line through security was short, about a 5-10 minute wait. All went smoothly and I was not searched. Both plane rides were also very smooth. A very cute Australian man sat next to me on the Honolulu to Newark flight and a very kind woman from Florida/New Jersey sat next to me on the flight from Newark to Roma. She was on her way to spend time in Calabria with family.

On each flight, every seat had an individual screen where there were about six stations with various movies playing, which helped me get through each long flight. I would fall asleep and then wake up at different points of the same movie and I don't think I ended up seeing a complete movie but it helped the time go by quicker.

Thursday, June 9th ~ Arrival in Roma (airport-termini station)

Once I arrived in Roma, it took about 5 minutes to get through the passport control area and then AN HOUR to get my one checked bag. Everyone was worried at first that perhaps there was a strike. Once I retrieved my bag and shuffled things around to help with the weight, it was much easier to travel.

Finding the train terminal in the airport was quite easy. At the train station at the airport, I was helped by a very kind lady at the ticket booth. She was able to print out my Roma to Spello train ticket that I previously purchased on the internet. I was also able to purchase my train ticket from the airport to the Termini - the main train station in Roma at the same time.

It was now about 10 past 9 in the morning. I had a little time before the train arrived and so I stopped to have my first espresso. YUM!! I also bought an eggplant and cheese panino which was just ok.

The train was due to arrive at 9:37. IN RITARDO...the train was LATE. No announcement, just more and more people arriving and looking impatient until the train finally arrived about 10 minutes past 10. It was then mass confusion as everyone insisted on pushing towards the doors to the train while simultaneously, all the people on the train tried their best to get off the train. We all finally managed to get on board and find seats with no one hurt (at least no one that I saw).

It is supposed to take 30 minutes to travel from the airport to the Termini in Roma. My lucky day! This train took over an hour! It stopped in the middle of nowhere four times. Each time, more and more people called or were called on their cells to discuss the train delay.

When we finally arrived, again, mass confusion!! Tons of people trying to go both ways (to and from the train) from the time we stepped onto the platform until we walked the length of the train and turned the corner to get to the rest of the binarios (train tracks). There was also a HUGE crowd of people waiting at the end of the platform with train workers holding them back until everyone from the train got past them.

I originally had almost four hours between the time of arrival and the time my train left Roma for Spello. I now had 10 minutes to get on that train before it was scheduled to leave. I made it with two minutes to spare!

Train travel - Roma to Spello

Once on the train, I found out that there would be a 10 minute delay before the train would leave the station. The train was pretty empty and the ride was smooth all the way to Foligno. Once I arrived in Foligno, I misread the Partenza board and thought that my train and another train were both scheduled to depart from the same binario. Luckily after some back and forth conversation in Italian with a group of men in their early 20's, I was able to understand that my train left from a binario in a different area. Because my train from Roma was delayed by 10 minutes, I now had about three minutes to get to my next train. Two other women were running for the same train I needed to catch and encouraged me to run with them. We made it with a minute to spare and 10 minutes later I arrived in Spello.

Spello

I'd heard and read about this hill that I would have to walk. I figured, I have walked hills before, how bad could it be? Well, with my luggage in tow, it was quite a hill.

I was huffing and puffing as I arrived in the town. A very nice man became concerned about my huffing and puffing and insisted on helping me. He took my roll on bag and helped me roll it up to my hotel. I have always been so lucky to meet such kind people in Italy!

I finally made it to my hotel! - 2 pm Italy time. (28 1/2 hours after my plane in Hawaii departed)

My hotel was wonderful! The people at the desk were very kind and helpful. My room was very spacious with a great view.

The weather was COLD! Luckily, I decided to check the temperature before leaving and saw that it was in the 40's/50's at night! I packed some long underwear but forgot my warm fleece! Hopefully, it will warm up soon!

I unpacked, stopped back at the desk to find out information about towns nearby, and received my package from Katia. I now had my very own Italian cell phone! After reading about all of the choices on how to get an unlocked cell phone and how to get an Italian number, my friend Katia offered to get the phone for me, set it up with an Italian phone number, and send it to my first destination. Now, to learn how to use it! Once charged, that became my task for that night or the next day.

I walked around the town a for a while, took a few pictures. I bought my first gelato (even though it was COLD outside) and found a sliced pizza place. Not my first choice, but I knew I would not make it until eight to eat dinner out. Jet lag was definitely setting in and it was time for bed.

I believe this is the shortcut on the way from the train station to my hotel....
it was much steeper than it looks!

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[susan]

Day Trip to Trevi

Friday, June 10th

Breakfast at my hotel in Spello was wonderful! There was a large assortment of fruits, yogurt, cheeses, meats, sweets, and muesli. After breakfast, I walked to the train station. It was only a 10 minute walk downhill. I stopped at Bar Angelo (the corner bar) to purchase a train ticket. The train station was unmanned, although a woman's voice announced the arrival of the train (not sure where exactly she was - perhaps in Roma?).

I had about 30 minutes to kill while in Foligno. I wandered about five minutes away from the train station and saw this cool arch in the middle of this modern city.

The train ride to Trevi was quick. While doing research before my trip, I read that there was supposed to be a connecting bus to take people to the town of Trevi which is perched high above the train station.

I found the schedule (orario) and the next bus was scheduled to arrive in one hour. I decided to wander around the little town below called Borgo Trevi. Not much to do. Stopped to get a quick cafè and asked about the bus, where to purchase a ticket, etc.

The bar close by sold tickets and the bus station was out front. When the woman told me the price of the ticket, it seemed that she was charging me the wrong price. When I asked to make sure, the woman seemed insulted. I decided to purchase the return ticket once up in Trevi and the price indeed was much less. The price I paid for the ride up ended up costing almost three times as much as the returning ticket cost.

The bus arrived on time. I was the only person on the bus for the ride up to the town of Trevi. The road was very narrow and had many very sharp turns. I would not have wanted to walk that road.

I enjoyed exploring the town of Trevi. Very kind people, beautiful views, great food! Unfortunately many of the sites were closed, but I was able to visit a couple of museums.

The small Museo della Civilta dell’Ulivo / Museum of the Olive Civilization had some interesting displays about olive oil production.

The Museo Archeologico and the Flash Museo (a modern museum) was actually closed, but the woman inside let me wander around for free. There was a very moving video which was playing on a small screen (quick flashes of different photos of September 11th continuously running).

I had lunch at Osteria La Vecchia Posta. I ordered a very delicious bruschetta con pomodori and strongozzi piccante (a thick homemade pasta famous in this area with a spicy sauce) . Lunch was wonderful and the inside of the restaurant was beautiful.

After lunch, everything in the the town was closed for the afternoon (typical in most towns in Italy). I waited a short while to catch the bus back to the station. An older lady with a heavy bag all dressed up also boarded the bus. She asked the bus driver if this bus was going to the stazione. Later, when the bus driver did not turn at the sign that said "stazione", she became upset and rapidly spoke in Italian about the fact that he said it was the bus to the station and why didn't he turn at the sign. Once the bus driver turned at the next street corner and the station was in site, she apologized over and over. I offered to help her carry her bag. Her train arrived just as we got into the station and she just made her train to Roma.

My train of course was "in ritardo". The same woman who mysteriously announced the train arrival in Spello, announced that the train to Foligno was to arrive 10 minutes late. I waited with a few other people and just before the train was to arrive, I realized that I forgot to validate my ticket! I ran back under the sottopassagiata to binario one to validate my ticket, and then ran back to my binario and made it just as the train arrived. The train then sat for 10 more minutes more before departing.

Back in Spello, I took an early evening nap as jet lag was setting in and then had dinner at il Molino. I had pasta taglietti con d'oca (goose) and an insalata mista (mixed salad). The pasta was ok, the salad was very good. I also had my first panna cotta with strawberries, delicious!

The temperature at night here has been in the upper 40's/low 50’s...brrrrrr!!! Temps colder than it ever gets in Hawaii!! I was thankful that the restaurant was very close to my hotel. I am also SO glad that Italy now is smoke free in restaurants and bars as it was too cold to sit outside.

Fun day in Trevi / So happy to be back in Italy!

Thoughts on Trevi: I really enjoyed visiting Trevi. Osteria La Vecchia Posta had the BEST bruschetta! Because of the limited bus service, Trevi may be a more difficult place to stay without a car, especially if you wanted to do day trips from Trevi, but it is a lovely town to visit.

Trevi

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[susan]

Day Trip to Gubbio

Saturday, June 11th

I originally wanted to visit Bevagna and Montefalco while in Spello, but the only way to get to either town was four changes on local buses from Foligno. That sounded much too difficult, so I decided to take a day trip to Gubbio from Spello instead of visiting Gubbio while in Perugia.

There were two options to get to Gubbio - by bus from Perugia or by train, Foligno to Fossato di Vico and then a shorter bus ride to Gubbio. According to the Italy books I have read, there are 10 connecting buses to Gubbio from the train station. Because I sometimes get bus sick and I forgot to bring ginger with me, I thought that the train-bus combo sounded like a better choice.

As seemed to be the theme this year of late/delayed trains, my train was delayed half way to Fossato di Vico (it stopped in the middle of no where for about 10 minutes as trains often do here in Italy). Just as my train arrived in Fossato di Vico, the connecting bus left. I found out that the next bus was to arrive in 2 hours! The station was in the middle of nowhere.

I was left with no other transportation options. There were not even any other trains arriving for the next two hours to take me to a different town instead of waiting for the next bus. It was literally like a ghost town.

I asked the man at the bar if there was a taxi. He went to a few houses nearby to inquire and told me that the price would be 19 or 20 euros. I figured it would be better than sitting at an empty train station for two hours and if I did wait for the next bus to arrive, most of the sites to visit in Gubbio would probably be closed for lunch by the time I arrived two hours later.

It took an hour for a taxi to arrive and the price went up to 25 euros. I was not very happy but figured, I might as well take the taxi to see as much of Gubbio as I could. The taxi driver drove rapidly and we arrived in one piece in 20 minutes (the bus takes 30 minutes).

Gubbio was another beautiful hill town in Umbria. It was larger than Trevi and Spello but not too large that most of the main sites could not be seen in a day. I had a small map that I ripped out of my Rough Guide travel book which got me to the information tourism office. The map the woman gave me was not much help. I ended up using the map that I brought with me instead.

She told me that everything except for the Palazzo Ducale would be closing in an hour and I did not have time to see much. I was determined to see as much as I could and ended up being able to see everything that was top on my list.

My favorite thing was the funivia to the a church high up on the mountain side above the town. It was sort of like a chair lift, but instead of sitting, you stood in a cage. It seemed more difficult to me to get into the cage than boarding a ski lift. The man would say go or run and you would have to jump in as it rode by.

The top was so peaceful with beautiful wild flowers on the hillside, birds chirping, hiking paths, and amazing views.

There was a wedding taking place in the church and so I did not get to see the inside. I did not have long to stay as the funivia closed at 1:15 for an hour or so for lunch.

After riding the little cage down, I visited a few more sites, wandered around, enjoying the town and taking more pictures.

I decided that I better try to catch an earlier bus back to Fossato di Vico than originally planned so that I would not end up being stuck in Gubbio or Fossato di Vico for the night in case of more bus/train problems.

The bus arrived a few minutes late. The train in Fossato di Vico of course was in ritardo. Fortunately, I was still able to catch my connecting train from Foligno to Spello

After arriving back in Spello, I stopped for a gelato before walking back up the hill to my hotel. I ate at another good restaurant that evening, called La Cantina. I was again thankful that this restaurant was very close to my hotel as it was COLD again at night. Dinner was wonderful. I had another plate of strongozzi with a hot red sauce and an insalata mista.

When watching the weather (Meteo as it is called, on Canale 5), the coldest place at night right now in Italy was right here in the area near Perugia - 9 degrees celsius! Lucky me!!

Thoughts on Gubbio: Because of my bad start, I did not have that much time to visit Gubbio. I did enjoy the time I had there though. Because of the location, one really needs a car to make this a home base. I would love to return one day when I would have more time to spend and not feel so rushed.

Palazzo dei Consoli in Gubbio

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[susan]

Sunday in Spello

Sunday, June 12th

I decided to spend my last day here in Spello exploring this delightful little town. I awoke to cloudy skies. Temperatures were supposed to hit 75 but if they did, it was only for a short time.

As is the case in most hill towns, Spello is a town of many steep hills. I found Spello to be pretty empty today with only a few locals and tourists (mostly Italians) out and about. I wandered around seeing much of the town in just over an hour, taking lots of pictures along the way.

I had a wonderful lunch (a caprese salad and another plate of strongozzi) at il Cacciatore. I sat out on the patio, which overlooked the countryside below.

After an afternoon gelato, and more wandering around the town, I went back to my room to pack as this was my last day here in Spello. I also spent a little bit of time on the computer. The hotel had one computer with a two euro charge per connection to the internet which was very convenient.

I am still dealing with a bit of jet lag and so I decided to have a simple dinner of cheese, bread, yogurt, and fruit, which I purchased at various locations in town, and then went to bed early.

Thoughts on my stay in Spello: I had a wonderful time in Spello, however, I would have to say that it was just a little too small of a town as a place to spend a few nights. I definitely did not regret one day of my stay there, but I probably would not return for another three or four night stay. I thought the town was fun to explore, the views were beautiful, the people were all so friendly and it was very peaceful. There were also many excellent restaurants to choose from, but I felt that I pretty much saw it all in two days. There were only a few shops to explore and after a day or two, I felt that there was not much else to do. I would however like to return someday during the flower festival if I ever get the chance to travel in May.

I am not a nightlife person and usually head back to my hotel after dinner and so the nightlife is never part of my impression of a place I visit. Perhaps it was because I just arrived in Italy and wanted to explore, explore, explore or that I was traveling solo? The nice thing about Spello, besides the wonderful hospitality, was that there were only a few tourists there in early June. As far as it being a home base for day trips, it worked out fine for me. I did not mind the walk to the train station.

I loved staying at Hotel Palazzo Bocci; best hotel this trip and one of the top hotels overall that I have stayed in while in Italy (I rarely stay in 4 star hotels but the price was right and I thought it would be a splurge for my first few days in Italy). The people at the desk were so friendly and helpful and the room was very comfortable. I highly recommend this hotel!

Pretty street in Spello

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[susan]

On to Perugia

Monday, June 13th

I woke up to blue skies!! I wandered around Spello for a few more minutes before packing up and heading to the train station. The walk down to the station with my luggage (all down hill) was much easier than the walk up.

I arrived at an empty train station where I waited about 15 minutes for my train to arrive. That mysterious woman again announced that the train would be 5 minutes in ritardo. The train was pretty empty and the ride to Perugia was very pleasant. The scenery was wonderful. Only thing missing were the sunflowers! I remembered my friends telling me two years ago that many of the farmers rotate every other year with sunflowers and wheat and this is the year for wheat. I love sunflowers and this was one thing I missed on this trip. I will just have to return next year during a "sunflower year".

When I arrived in Perugia, I first purchased my ticket for my next train on Friday to Empoli. Although there were self-service ticket machines at the station, the line was at the ticket window was empty and so I decided to purchase there. The man was extremely nice and my purchase only took a couple of minutes.

Outside, there were many taxis waiting. The cost to the historical center was 10 euros. The bus was an option with a stop right near my hotel but because this was my first time visiting Perugia and I did not have my bearings, the taxi ride seemed the better choice.

Hotel Fortuna was located in a perfect location right near the famous Corso Vannucci, the pedestrian street in the middle of the centro. The hotel was a maze of corridors and my room was located in a corner up a few stairs by itself. The room was pretty small. I reserved the standard room instead of the economy room. I wonder what the economy room was like? The bathroom was quite tiny. It was a good thing that I am skinny as it was quite a task to try to fit into the shower, which was wedged up against the sink and then move around once inside.

The best thing I would say about this hotel was the hair dryer. Most hotels (even the one I stayed at in Spello, which was a four star hotel) had hairdryers with hoses that look similar to vacuum cleaners. To quote someone's description I read on a travel discussion board of the typical hairdryers you will find in most hotels: "not able to even blow a cotton ball across a nonexistent counter." I was glad to have a "regular" hair dryer at this hotel.

Once settled in, I headed out to explore the city and take some pictures.

Perugia is yet another city with many steep hills. The unique thing about Perugia were the escalators that reduce the need to walk up/down some of the steep hills. These escalators are called Scala Mobile. The main Scala Mobile went underneath the city where there once was an an ancient city built below the main city of Perugia. When you go down into this underground area, you will find many tunnels to walk through and also a door at one end of the tunnels called Porta Paolina.

For dinner, I ate at a restaurant that was recommended in many travel books and also on Slow Travel called da Cesarino. The waiter was a very kind older man, although a bit forgetful. I asked him which pasta dishes did not include meat. He rapidly described the choices and I was pretty sure that I ordered a ravioli dish. The reason I say this is when he brought me my dinner, it was a plate of rigatoni with fresh tomatoes and cheese. I took a couple of bites of this very delicious dish of pasta and then decided to take a picture of the pasta before eating any more since it was so colorful. Just as I was ready to take the picture, the waiter came back and announced that he brought me the wrong dish, grabbed the dish from me and replaced it with the ravioli dish that I ordered. The ravioli dish was also delicious! I made a plan to return there later in the week to have that rigatoni dish that I enjoyed a few bites of.

The weather was still cold at night...temperatures have been from 9 - 12 celsius (48-53 degrees F) at night. brrrrr!!!

View of tunnel / ancient city once built below Perugia reached by Scala Mobile

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[susan]

Rain in Todi

Tuesday, June 14th

Because the weather forecast was predicting cloudy skies and rain later in the day and then more rain continuing all week, I decided that this may be my only chance to see Todi before the rain began.

To reach the private train station to travel to Todi, I took the Scala Mobili. It was not a far walk once at the bottom of the Scala Mobile to arrive at the little train station. I bought my ticket inside this tiny office and then waited for my train to arrive. When it arrived, a cleaning woman went inside to clean the tiny two-car train.

After the train was cleaned, a small group of people headed towards the train and went inside. I followed and found an empty seat. I could smell the bleach until the train started moving. It left on time which was nice. There were quite a few stops and beautiful views along the way towards Todi.

I arrived at the little train station about 5 KM below the town of Todi. The train ride took 45 minutes. Inside the train station was a little waiting area and a hunting store! In many tiny train stations, you may find a bar but this was the first time I have seen a hunting store in a train station. There were a few men shopping around for equipment.

The man at the counter sold me my bus ticket and told me that the next bus would arrive soon. I found the orario (schedule) outside and it said the next bus would arrive in about 40 minutes. I waited outside for a few minutes and then the rain began! I had a choice of waiting outside in the rain, in the abandoned tiny waiting area, or inside the hunting store. I chose the store where I watched with interest as various people stopped by to do their shopping.

The bus arrived on time and the ride up to the centro took about 10 minutes. I easily found my way to the Piazza del Popolo and stopped for a cafè. The rain was a steady drizzle but thankfully nothing harder. I took a few pictures under cover and then wandered around the town taking more pictures of Todi.

The Pinotecca Museo was quite interesting. The woman at the ticket office was very kind and gave me an English guide that I could use while touring the Museo for free. There were different sections which told the history, had archeological remains, clothing, ceramics, and at the end of the tour, there was a very beautiful painting by Lo Spagna. I did not see a sign indicating no photos allowed, but was not sure, so I quickly snapped a picture and then put my camera away.

I enjoyed a wonderful lunch of some sort of grilled bird and a mixed salad at a trattoria that was recommended on Slow Travel but now cannot remember the name. It was on a side road going downhill from the Chiesa di San Fortunato.

After finishing my delicious lunch and heading back out into the streets of Todi. I found the town (like most towns) to be closed up for the afternoon. Because of my experience in Fossato di Vico and since it was still raining and most everything was closed, I decided it was best to catch the next bus to the train station. As my luck would have it, just as the bus started heading down the hill, the sun came out!

The train back to Perugia was on time and the views on the way back were again very beautiful. I stopped by my hotel and then headed back out to I wander around the city, stopping in many of the shops. Perugia has a variety of clothing stores to wander through. The new colors in style this year seem to be bright orange and bright green!

For dinner that evening, I found a WONDERFUL pizzeria right around the corner from my hotel called il Segreto di Pulcinella, la Vera Pizza Napoletana. There was a large group of teenagers sitting at a table nearby (one boy and the rest girls). I think it was a birthday party.

After ordering my pizza with grilled peppers, I watched this group interact. They spent all of their time calling each other and taking pictures of each other on their cell phones until their pizzas arrived. It seems that everyone in Italy has their own cell phone. I have seen many children as young as seven or eight walking around talking on cell phones. What is most popular here is text messaging, which is called SMS. *[TECHNOLOGY 14 years ago in Italy!!]*

My pizza was amazing! I thought it was one of the best pizzas I have ever had or perhaps it was just because it was the first pizza I have eaten in Italy this year.

Thoughts on Todi: Even though it rained, I really enjoyed my visit. There were many little shops to visit, a very interesting museum, good food, and beautiful views. Todi would not be the good town to use as a home base for me though due to the transportation options, but I would imagine that it would be a wonderful place to stay for a few days if I am ever brave enough to drive in Italy. I hope to return someday, even if just for a day trip.

Piazza del Popolo in Todi

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[susan]

Two More Days in Perugia

Wednesday, June 15th

Wednesday morning I awoke to thunder and pouring rain! I watched a bit of an old Sophia Loren movie on TV and then went down to breakfast. Here at Hotel Fortuna, the breakfast is again a large buffet with many different choices including cheese, meats, pastries, yogurt, fruits, etc. I have been eating these wonderful chocolate filled pastries.

Last night, I found the COOP, a medium size grocery store, where I bought my favorite coconut yogurt. I ate the yogurt along with my pastry and an espresso macchiato for breakfast.

Once the rain stopped, I headed out for the day. The weather still did not look too promising and it was quite cold outside. The temperature displayed above a bank was 17 (62-63) at 11:30 am.

I stopped for an espresso in a very beautiful bar where they sell very fancy pastries. It was very crowded with mostly local people. After my espresso, I went in search of a libreria (book store). On my way (by the main post office), I saw many large police vans, a couple of people with TV cameras, and a female police officer directing traffic, not allowing anyone to park nearby. I watched for a bit to see if anything would occur. I lost interest after a while and continued to explore Perugia as the rain stopped.

Once the rain started again, I went in some shops, spent some time inside a bookstore I finally found, stopped for a gelato, and then went back to my hotel.

For dinner, I ate at Ristorante da Giancarlo, a restaurant I would not recommend.

Thursday, June 16th

Thursday morning I slept in and then decided to go down to breakfast before getting ready to go out for the day. I must have been extra tired because after walking out the door, I realized that I had the remote control in my hand and NOT the key to the door in my hand!

I stood for a moment in disbelief and then went down to the desk to explain what had happened and to ask if someone could please let me back into my room. Luckily everyone at the desk thought it was quite amusing and one of the maids followed me back to my room to let me in.

Finally a warm sunny day! After breakfast, I wandered around Perugia and visited a couple of museums. I headed toward this old church at the edge of the city called San Pietro that I wanted to visit. Along the way, I wandered through the ancient city once more using the Scala Mobile.

The church of San Pietro was at the end of Corso Cavour, the name of a street you will find in most towns in Italy. There is a beautiful door at the entrance of the church and a peaceful garden outside with beautiful views of the countryside.

After spending time looking in some shops on Corso Cavour, I went back to the centro to have lunch. I ate at the same restaurant (da Cesarino) to have the rigatoni estivi meal that I had a quick taste of my first night in Perugia (before the waiter brought me my ravioli dish). It was wonderful!

I ate outside and sat next to an older man and his son who seemed to be in his twenties. He ordered a big bottle of white wine and offered me a glass. We had a nice chat while eating lunch. The restaurant was filled with both locals and tourists and it was one of those places where it was very difficult to get the check.

After lunch, I visited the Galleria Nazionale Museo, a very large, interesting museum with many important paintings of Umbria. When I finished walking through the museum, I once again tried to find the Galleria Kennedy, a long dotted line which went across the center on the map that I had. All along, I thought the Galleria was this big shopping mall that went under the city. I remembered that in Milano there was a famous little place with lots of bars and shops called the Galleria.

I went to one side of the city to try to find the entrance with no luck and then walked to the other side to again try to find the entrance and again no luck. The next day while on the train, I asked the woman I sat with about the Galleria and she told me it was a tunnel for cars!

Although my search came up empty, I did see many wonderful sights along the way that I may not have seen if I had not gone in search for the mysterious Galleria.

Before dinner, I walked back toward San Pietro to go to the Museo Acheologico Nazionale Museo, a very interesting museum of old archeological remnants. I ate at the wonderful pizzeria near my hotel again for dinner and then went back to my room to pack.

Thoughts on my stay in Perugia: I was very surprised at how much I liked this place! I get lost very easily and was a little worried with all I had heard about the street layout in Perugia, but I never had a problem finding my way around and felt completely comfortable there. There are tons of stores to visit, a COOP which is handy, many internet spots, lots of things to see, easy transportation options, and good food.

I have mixed feelings about Hotel Fortuna in Perugia. The location was great. There was one crabby person working at the desk, but everyone else was very friendly and helpful (so overall no huge complaints there). My room was just ok (on the tiny size). The worst thing though was that my clothes all ended up smelling like smoke from the closet. I did not discover this until I unpacked my clothing at my next location. If I had known, I probably would have tried to switch rooms or keep my clothes in my suitcase. I'm not sure if I would stay at this hotel again.

Umbria Overall: I enjoyed my week in Umbria. Lots of possibilities for day trips. Beautiful hill towns to explore with amazing views. There is also a lot to do in Perugia. I found Umbria not as touristy as Tuscany. The people were very friendly (especially in the small towns)! It was nice to hear so much Italian in Umbria. I did not encounter too many tourists in anyplace I visited. I can just imagine what it would be like spending a week in Umbria when the sunflowers are in bloom!

I still love Tuscany more than Umbria though…not really sure why. Perhaps it’s because of my stays in Siena studying Italian and the memories I have of my visits to all the hill towns nearby? I also think I like the food a little better in Tuscany, although I found many excellent places to eat in Umbria.

Pretty Perugia buildings

Blog post with more photos

 

[susan]

Train Adventures - Perugia to Empoli

Friday, June 17th

Friday morning, I checked out of my hotel and took the bus at Piazza Italia to the Perugia train station. I had about 30 minutes before my train departed. While waiting, I purchased my next train ticket to Sirmione for the following Monday at one of the automatic ticket machines.

The last time I was in Italy, there were automatic ticket booths in a few of the train stations. They now seem to be available in most train stations. These automatic ticket booths make it much easier for people that do not speak Italian to purchase train tickets and they also provide information about all of the trains that are available on the day you wish to travel. You first choose your language and then choose the departure city, arrival city, time, etc. all with a touch screen. You can pay by cash or credit card.

After purchasing my ticket and making my seat reservation, I walked down the flight of stairs to go under the sottopassaggio to get to my binario to wait for the train. I found a bench with room to sit while I waited and was very fortunate to sit next to a woman that teaches Italian to foreigners. She was very kind and we ended up sitting together for the ride to Firenze (Florence) where I needed to change trains. I was so glad that I was sitting in roomy first class as the second class cars were packed. The two hours passed quickly. The woman gave me her business card so I could contact her about studying Italian in Perugia. *[I wonder where I put that card?]*

The train station in Firenze (Florence) is quite large. You do not have to go up and down stairs to get to another binario (track) when changing trains, which is quite nice.

When I arrived in Firenze, I heard an announcement that the next train leaving for Empoli would be 15 minutes in ritardo. This was not the train I planned to take. so I was not concerned.

I headed for the train that was to leave 5 minutes after this "late" train was originally supposed to leave. After stopping to purchase a panino for lunch, I walked to binario 3 to board the train. I was not very happy when I saw that my train was an older train with only a few cars and that it was already very full.

Because I had my luggage (backpack and roll on), I decided to stand in the portion of the train that is between two cars since it was only a 30 minute ride to Empoli. Although there were still a few seats, it seemed to be more of a hassle to put my luggage on the rack above the seat rather than just standing for the 30 minute ride. A couple of minutes later, a large number of people started to board the train. My guess is that they were planning to take the train that was now running late and so the train I was on ended up being very crowded with no empty seats and people standing in the aisles.

The section between the two cars on this train was bigger than most. I soon found out that it would also be very hot in this section once the doors were shut since there were no windows and the doors in the two adjoining cars were both shut.

Four other people stood with me as the train departed. The train was supposed to be air conditioned but the air condition was not working. One woman proceeded to change out of her top/pants and into a sundress in front of everyone.

The bathroom which was located in the section between cars was locked and I guessed was not working. Every five minutes or so someone would come out of one of the train cars to use the bathroom and we would try to tell them that the bathroom was locked and did not work. One lady was quite upset and started to argue with me and another woman about the fact that the bathroom did work. She tried for a minute or so to open the door and then finally left in a huff.

About 20 minutes into our journey, the train stopped in the middle of nowhere. The heat started to become unbearable! When I woke up this morning, I was so happy that it would finally be a warm day, but the heat on this train was not at all what I was wishing for. It felt like I was in an oven!

At one point I wanted to try to pry the doors open and walk the rest of the way. I figured how far could the walk be if we were 10 minutes away from the Empoli train station. I also started thinking about how it must feel for people that are smuggled into train cars when crossing the border.

An older man that was standing in the aisle in one of the cars opened the door after we were stopped for about 10 minutes and a very small breeze blew into the area where I was standing.

The train finally started up again but stopped two more times – after over 30 minutes of being stopped in the middle of nowhere we finally started to travel again towards Empoli.

I don’t think I was ever as happy to arrive at a train station as I was when we finally arrived in Empoli and the doors were opened.

Here in Empoli, I will be staying with my dear friends, Irene, Francesco, and their new little girl, Sara, who just turned one. It was wonderful to see Irene at the station when I got off the train!

We drove to Irene’s house where Sara was with her nonna (grandmother). I was excited to finally meet Sara. She was just starting to learn to walk, had a vocabulary of about 10 words, had big eyes and the cutest cheeks, and was a very happy little girl with a huge smile! It was fun hearing her speak Italian and it was interesting hearing which words she spoke as a one year old.

We talked for a while and then I went next door (where I would be sleeping at Francesco’s parents’ house) to unpack my things. I discovered that all the clothes that I had hung in the closet in the hotel in Perugia smelled like smoke. I asked if I could hang my clothes out on the line to air them out. This did the trick as later when I took them down, they all smelled like fresh air instead of smoke!

Irene prepared a wonderful dinner as we chatted and I played with Sara while waiting for Francesco to come home from work. It was great seeing Francesco when he arrived home!

Two other couples, Gianni & Stefania and David & Sabrina along with their son Matteo came over for dinner. The food was fantastic! Irene prepared ravioli, both burro and salvia (butter and sage) and with a white walnut sauce. She also prepared two big trays of antipasti (prosciutto, cheese, other meats), bruschetta, focaccia bread, and a salad. We had two types of gelato for dessert.

After dinner, we sat around and talked for a couple of hours. Sometimes, I understood very little, and other times, I could understand enough of the conversation. I find that if I know the topic being discussed, I can usually understand much more.

I was so happy to be spending time with my friends in Empoli again!

Trains at the Firenze Santa Maria Novella (SMN) train station

*My blog post for this day only has 1 additional photo (of the ticket machines at the train station).

 

[susan]

Weekend in Empoli

Saturday, June 18th

Saturday morning, I started my day by having breakfast with Francesco’s mother, Marusca. I had yogurt, a little torta, and some cereal. She asked me what kind of coffee I liked. I told her that I used to have a cappuccino but now I usually order an espresso macchiato because the cappuccino has too much milk for my taste (an espresso macchiato has just a tiny bit of foam/milk). She told me about another type of coffee called a cappuccino scuro which has more coffee than an espresso and a little more milk but not too much milk like a regular cappuccino. She made me a cup which was quite good!

After breakfast, I went with Irene, Francesco, & Sara for a walk into the center of the town of Empoli. Empoli has many little shops (food, clothing, shoes, as well as many other types of shops). Empoli also has (as in most towns in Italy) many churches.

We stopped to purchase some fish for lunch on Sunday and then stopped in a bar to have a drink. The bar was very elegant with many little pastries. I was too full from breakfast to have a pastry but I did have some wonderful fresh peach juice.

Later in the morning, Francesco and I went to a computer store to see if I could find an iTunes card so that I could purchase songs from the Italian iTunes store when I return home but we did not have any luck. We returned to Francesco's house and we looked on the internet to see if we could find information about where to purchase the card. We printed out some stores in Brescia where I may have some luck finding this iTunes card when I go to visit Katia later in my trip.

We went to Irene's parents' house for lunch. Irene's mother served a huge and delicious meal and this was only lunchtime! We had a pasta with pesto sauce, a pasta with pomodoro sauce, salad, bread and there also was some sliced meat. For dessert, we had a wonderful bowl of fresh fruit and then a bowl of gelato!

When we returned to Irene & Francesco's house, Francesco stayed with Sara while she took a nap. Irene and I went to watch a wedding ceremony of some friends of hers. We stood in the back of the church by the entrance for about an hour. The wedding was very interesting to watch. It was hot outside and the wedding was very long. We finally left after they exchanged rings since Irene could not tell how much longer it would last.

Before my trip. Irene had asked me if I could send her a typical Hawaiian dessert recipe. I sent her a recipe for Haupia which I thought was most typical, but also told her that we could try to make butter mochi when I arrived as it was one of my favorite local desserts and very different than any desserts I have had in Italy.

I read in advance on Slow Travel how to translate recipes. I decided that it would be easier if Irene had the "American" measuring cups/spoons instead of trying to do the translations since it seemed from the information that I read that different dry ingredients weighed differently and it was much too confusing. I mailed in advance the measuring cups/spoons along with a package of Mochiko flour (which I thought would probably be difficult if not impossible to find in Empoli or nearby in Firenze) and I brought the vanilla with me as it is stated on the post office list that you cannot mail vanilla to Italy.

This was my first time making this delicious dessert and so it was an adventure for both of us. I explained the difference between the teaspoon and the tablespoon (tsp and tbs) for future recipes. It was pretty easy to make the mochi. The only thing I was not sure of was the butter as usually I just look at the numbers on the package to figure out the amount and forgot that it would not have the same measurements in Italy. I was also not completely sure about the size of the pan (translation between inches and meters) but tried to figure it out using a piece of paper to judge the size. I had to remember though that the size of paper in Italy is also different.

Once we put the mochi in the oven, we waited. At first it was starting to brown on top and everything seemed fine. But then one side of the mochi started to come out of the pan! It kept getting higher and higher and then 2 big mounds started to grow in the middle! We laughed and laughed. We waited the hour and hoped that it would turn out ok.

We took it out of the oven after one hour and watched as it finally flattened out. After returning to Hawaii, I found out that we might have used too much butter. That was probably why it was coming out of the pan on one side. I also found out that mounds in the middle were normal. I probably should have tried to make it first before going to Italy, but it ended up being quite a memorable experience!

After making the butter mochi, we got ready to go to Giacomo & Francesca's house for dinner. Francesca studies genes in the area of heart disease and Giacomo is an engineer at a famous ice cream factory called Sammontana. They would be traveling to Boston next week. I told them some information about interesting things to see while they were there and answered many of their questions that they had (as I grew up near Boston). We had a wonderful meal of various antipasti, pesto pasta, salad, and a potato and octopus dish. I was so full that I could only have a taste of the gelato and butter mochi (which was a hit with all).

The ice cream that we had for dessert was made at the factory where Giacomo worked. He told me a story about how the ice cream factory was started. A man (who is now old and very rich) met some American soldiers during or after WWII in Empoli and found a recipe for gelato. He started this factory after discovering the gelato recipe and today the factory is very famous all over Italy. I enjoyed another WONDERFUL day and evening in Empoli!

Sunday, June 19th

Sunday morning was looking like another sunny and warm day. I went down to breakfast for another enjoyable meal (a cappuccino scuro, some yogurt, a wonderful little pastry and some cereal) this time with both of Francesco's parents. After breakfast, I went with Francesco to see the church where they were married

Irene prepared a wonderful lunch of a fish with the same name as a frog (rana) and delicious homemade Crema for dessert. After lunch, Irene and I went to Montelupo and walked around at the Festa della Ceramica while Sara napped. I bought two little spoons for my coffee for one euro! A great buy.

We also stopped to get some gelato at Malagigi (a famous and very delicious gelateria). The gelateria was packed!! Because it was so hot outside, I decided on fruit flavors instead of creme flavors. I could not decide and ended up getting three flavors! I had pesca (the best I have ever had), frutti di bosco, and fragola. Delicious!!! Later we walked through a big COOP store which was like a mini mall.

Sunday ended with a delicious meal at Francesco's parents' house. Marusca made a delicious pasta with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. We also had roasted vegetables - all my favorites! For dessert, we had some butter mochi. Francesco's father, Enzo, the only one who liked the li hing mui I brought last time, thought that the butter mochi was even better! It was a hit with all.

After dinner, Marusca showed me pictures from her trip to Cambodia and Laos. What a different world! I was sad to say goodbye to Irene, Francesco, and Sara. After thanking everyone, I went upstairs to pack.

Thoughts on my stay in Empoli: It has been wonderful spending time with everyone here in Empoli. I have been so fortunate to be able to experience Italy from a local person's point of view. All the homemade food I get to eat while in Empoli is always so delicious! I always have a wonderful time when visiting my dear friends. Hopefully I will be able to return again soon. I also hope that someday Irene & Francesco will finally come to Hawaii to visit me!

Empoli is a very interesting place to visit. There are many shops, some interesting churches, and the people there are very kind. It is easy to reach by train, 30 minutes from Florence.

Bar in Empoli with many delicious pastries

Blog post with more photos

 

[susan]

Traveling to Sirmione - 3 Trains & 1 Boat

Monday, June 20th

After some last minute packing and a relaxing breakfast with Marusca, we drove to the train station. I said goodbye and thanked Marusca again for my stay at her house and for a wonderful time in Empoli with her family.

I was off to Sirmione which is located on Lake Garda. Traveling from Empoli to Sirmione entailed three train rides and then finally a boat ride!

My first train from Empoli to Firenze went smoothly. I had about an hour to wait while in Firenze before my next train trip. I hung out at the train station, taking "train station photos" while waiting.

The Eurostar was 10 minutes "in ritardo" and changed tracks at the last minute. The ride was long (almost three hours) but the seats were quite comfortable. There are only reserved seats on Eurostar trains. My seat ended up being across from a very crabby lady. Since the train was not full, I found another seat after a few stops.

My last train from Verona to Desenzano del Garda was 20 minutes "in ritardo". Everyone took their phones out once the train delay was announced. This last train ride was hot (AC was not working) but the ride was not that long. This was a train with compartments. I don’t think you will find these compartments/type of seating on trains anymore. See photos on my blog.

I did not have to go down any stairs with my bags the entire trip until I arrived at Desenzano del Garda! Once leaving the train station, I started heading down hill, following the sign to the centro.

At the bottom of a long street, I took out a map that I printed off the internet. This very nice older man came by on a bike and could see that I was not sure what direction to go. He said "Dimmi" which means literally "tell me", but more like "What do you want/need?". He was very kind and told me which street to take and even followed me a short way and again pointed out the street to make sure I knew the way.

The lake promenade was filled with little shops and bars/gelaterias. I was pretty hungry and stopped to get a slice of pizza at one of the little food shops.

Katia sent me the boat timetable in advance and I knew I had about 10 minutes before the next boat arrived. When I went to the ticket booth, I found out that I had two choices, the slow ferry or the faster "rapido" boat. Since it had been seven hours so far for my long travel day, I chose the faster boat.

There were two places where the boats departed in Desenzano del Garda. I walked over to the spot where the ticket man told me that the rapido boats departed and asked one of the men in blue that worked on the boat if I was at the correct place. I wanted to make sure so I would not end up waiting an extra hour if I was at the wrong boat dock. He replied with a smile that this boat was "rapidissima"! Just as he said, the ride was rapidissima!

When the boat arrived at the dock in Sirmione, I was excited to see that my hotel was right there on the waterfront next to the dock. I checked into my hotel (Hotel Eden) and then went to find the tourist information area before it closed.

At the entrance to Sirmione stands a big castle (Castello Scaligero) with a moat/permanent bridge that you walk over to enter/exit the town. There are only two ways into Sirmione, crossing over this moat or arriving by boat.

I enjoyed taking a few pictures of the Castello Scaligero (castle) and of the town. Then went back to my room to unpack, just in time for my favorite Italian show - Carabinieri! I had spaghetti with seafood at a restaurant that was just ok for dinner.

I was pretty tired after a long travel day. I was very happy to be in Sirmione and was looking forward to a few days on the lake.

Me... in front of the Castello Scaligero

Blog post with more photos

 

[susan]

Malcésine, Limone sul Garda, & Riva del Garda

Tuesday, June 21st

I awoke to a beautiful day on the lake. Hotel Eden serves a huge buffet breakfast with everything you could imagine (except eggs, bacon, pancakes or waffles). There were tables outside right on the lake where everyone ate breakfast. It was a nice peaceful way to start the day.

I took the first "rapido" ferry to start my day traveling on the lake. Salò was my first stop. Italy is my kind of place. Everyone stays up late and sleeps in. There was only one other passenger on the ferry with me. When I got to Salò about 9 am, the town was just waking up.

Everything seemed to be under construction so there was not much to see. I walked around the harbor area and then waited for the next ferry which took me to Malcésine. Tip - research the ferry system! I ended up paying double the cost to Malcésine with the stop in Salò.

When I arrived in Malcésine, I asked someone for directions and then headed up towards the funivia for Monte Baldo. A friend had told me about this mountain called Monte Baldo that you could reach by funivia a few years ago. There was a HUGE crowd of German tourists also heading towards the funivia.

I tried to walk quickly to get in front of the group but my plan was foiled. Even though I did manage to get ahead of the group, there was another huge crowd waiting at the funivia site. The ticket cost 15 euros andata e ritorno (round trip). If I had known what was to await me, I may not have endured the hassle to get to the top, but the way the line was set up, you could not tell until much later that you would end up being stuck waiting for over 30 minutes on a stair.

After finally reaching the first of two funivias (which are both like big gondolas), I had to rush through a turnstyle with my ticket being scanned. Only 45 people got through and there is no such thing as a "formal line" in Italy. Once through the turnstyle, the man herded the group of 45 people into this waiting area and then the funivia arrived. Before I knew it, everyone had pushed their way in front of me and I had to squeeze my way into the funivia.

There was no air and not much room to move during the 10 minutes up to the half way point. It was very difficult to breathe, especially with many of the other passengers neglecting to wear any deodorant. I practiced my skills of holding my breath as long as I could. Once we reached the intermediate spot, everyone was herded off the gondola and then there was a mad dash to scan your ticket into the turnstyle for the next funivia.

This one holds 80 people but does not look much bigger than the first. Now if you have done your math, 45 + 45 does not add up to 80, so the last 10 people through the turnstyle end up waiting for the following funivia to arrive! Luckily, I made the cut!! BUT, wow, that lack of deodorant was even more evident on the second funivia and this time, it was like being in a can of sardines with no breathing room!! What made it even worse was that over half of the people had one arm up for the ride holding onto the little handles that hung down from the top. I was so happy to reach the top for some fresh air.

The experience of being at the top of Monte Baldo made it all worthwhile. The views were incredibly beautiful! It reminded me of Colorado or Switzerland with the wild flowers and beautiful mountains except there was no snow. I could hear sheep on the side of the hill. It was cool but not too cold since it was so warm down below. I sat for a while to admire the beauty and then decided to head back down since I had a full day planned. If I had known how amazing it would have been, I would have changed my plans, brought lunch, and stayed for a while. The ride down was much better because the funivia cars were not full.

Back down in the town of Malcésine, I walked over to the Rocca Scaligero, which is a Castle with a tower. I had a great time walking around the inside of the castle, taking pictures and then climbing the tower. My first tower for the year!! Climbing towers is one of my favorite things to do in Italy. The views from the top were beautiful.

My original plan was to stop to spend a bit of time in Limone sul Garda, Torbole, and Riva del Garda but with the ferry times and the extra time it took to get to the top of Monte Baldo, I only had time for two places and ended up skipping a visit to Torbole.

Next stop was Limone sul Garda. This town did not excite me very much. It was packed with tourists and there was barely an inch to move when walking through the narrow, windy streets.

I really enjoyed Riva del Garda. I wished I had more time to spend there. Due to the ferry schedule, I only had about 90 minutes, but I managed to visit the Museo (really quick visit) and then I climbed my second tower - two in one day! I counted the stairs on this tower, 176 steps up and then down. Not the highest tower I have climbed, but I felt the steps after all the walking I had done plus the other tower I had climbed earlier in the day. The views again were wonderful.

I caught the last hydrofoil ferry back to Sirmione, sitting on the top deck of the boat outside in the back seat. The first half of the ride was very wet, which turned out to be great because much of the crowd headed inside as soon as the water started to splash up from the lake which gave me lots of room to spread out.

Back in Sirmione, I found this restaurant that had a wonderful ravioli dish advertised. I ordered the ravioli dish and also a soup of muscles and clams. When the waiter brought me the soup, he told me that they ran out of the ravioli dish and asked me if I wanted to order something else instead. I was very disappointed. My heart was set on the ravioli dish. I decided against ordering any other dishes as there really was not anything else on the menu that I wanted to eat. I paid my bill and stopped in this little store to buy some cheese, bread and fruit to complete my dinner.

Fun day on the lake!!

Funivia from Malcésine to Monte Baldo

Blog post with more photos

 

[susan]

A Castle, Roman Ruins, Bardolino & Garda

Wednesday, June 22nd

I enjoyed another leisurely breakfast and then spent about an hour more out on the deck soaking up the sun.

My big plan of the day was to visit the moated and turreted Castello Scaligero, the big castle in Sirmione. It was quite impressive and very enjoyable.

After walking around the bottom part, I climbed the first tower. At the top, you could walk around the edge of the wall (similar to the Fortezza in Montalcino). The views were spectacular. On the other side of the tower, there was a second tower to climb. More wonderful views at the top! There was another area I also went to where you can see even more of the castle that surrounds the water. The entrance fee of four euros was definitely worth it!

After exploring the castle, I walked to the other end of the town to the tip of the peninsula to visit the Grotte di Catullo. There is a choice of walking or taking a little tram for one euro to reach the Grotte. The walk was not very far but on a hot day, many people chose the tram.

The Grotte di Catullo are alleged to be the Roman villa and baths of the poet Catullua. I walked around taking pictures and at one point, I stepped on this rock (forgetting that it was actually a ruin thousands of years old) to get a better view for the picture I wanted to take. I heard a loud whistle! A man that guards the area was blowing the whistle at me to get off the ancient stone that I was standing on! I lost my head there for a moment!

In the afternoon, I took a boat to the towns of Bardolino and Garda. I found out that taking the boat in the afternoon was quite a different experience than taking the boat in the morning. I waited with a large group of people. As the time grew closer to the arrival of the boat, the crowd grew larger and larger.

I have found that there does not seem to be any sort of line when waiting with a group of people here in Italy. The Italians will appear to be polite by saying “permesso” but then just push right on towards the front and the Germans just push right on through without even saying anything. I could not believe how everyone just pushed right by an elderly man in a wheelchair waiting by the entrance to get on board. It took quite a while before the man was let through. You have two choices, be aggressive or wait and be last. I tried to be polite, but also had to stand my ground. It's quite a delicate balancing act.

Both Bardolino and Garda were very beautiful little towns on the lake. When I arrived at each town, everything was pretty much closed for the afternoon except for the bars and gelaterias. By the time everything opened again, it was time to take the boat back to Sirmione. I enjoyed nonetheless walking around taking pictures and also enjoyed the boat rides in between the towns.

For dinner, I found a little restaurant away from the centro tourist area called Al Portico Ristorante con Pizza. At first I was seated near the door. I ordered a cannelloni dish. The waiter came to ask if it was ok if I moved to another table because he forgot that there was a reservation for six people and he needed my table. This worked out great for me as it was in a much nicer spot and when I saw the pasta dish that was brought to the table next to me, I asked what it was called and changed my order to this dish, a tagliolini pasta with fish, cherry tomatoes, and a delicious sauce. The Italian couple next to me told me that it was a good choice. We chatted off and on throughout our dinner. They were very nice and it was great to have some company for dinner. I also enjoyed some delicious tiramisù for dessert. Yum!

Bardolino

Blog post with more photos

 

[susan]

Torri del Benaco, Maderno & Desenzano del Garda

Thursday, June 23rd

The weather has been hot all week. I prefer hot to cold weather though so it's been ok for me. I ate my breakfast quickly outside on the deck so I could take the early boat to try to visit two more towns midway up on the lake before the early afternoon closure of most towns.

After buying my ticket, I waited for the boat to arrive. The boat was a “rapido” boat and it arrived at Torri del Benaco about an hour and 40 minutes later.

The town of Torri was just waking up when I arrived about 9:30. I stopped to get a cappuccino scuro since the coffee at my hotel is not very good; I have never figured out why most hotels do not make good coffee like the bars do. I also decided that the cappuccino scuro had too much milk for my taste and that I still prefer an espresso macchiato.

I walked around the town to take a few pictures. Then I went over to the Castle to go inside. The cost was three euro. The smallest amount I had was 10 euro. The women did not have change. I had a two euro coin and some change (but not adding up to three euros). She was very kind and told me that the amount I had was ok. I told her I was sorry again and she insisted that she was sorry for not having change!

The castle had a few rooms filled with ancient fishing information and a very interesting map of how the town was split up into parcels of land with the names of each family that owned the land back before Italy became united. I climbed the tower (4th tower I think now) and walked around at the top. This castle also had a second tower that you could climb after reaching the top of the first tower and also a walk way to walk around the castle wall at the top.

While at the top, I saw the traghetto/car ferry arriving and though catching this ferry instead of staying in Torri for another hour or so might be a good idea. There are two car ferries that cross the lake in two different spots. Here between Torri and Maderno and also farther up the lake between Limone and Malcèsine. Because the ferry took a while to board all the cars I ended up having enough time to reach the ferry and buy my ticket before it left.

The ride to Maderno took about 20 minutes. I had not heard of this town before, but saw it on my way back to Sirmione on Tuesday and thought it would be an interesting town to visit. The town was very beautiful. It was a nice place to take photos but there really was not much else to do in this little town.

I did experience my first “hole in the floor” Turkish toilet on this trip in the town of Maderno. After taking a few pictures and walking around a bit, I went back to the boat dock to take the next boat back to Sirmione.

While waiting for the boat, I decided that I might as well go past Sirmione to Desenzano del Garda since I only spent about 20 minutes or so there on Monday when arriving from the train station. Of course I was not thinking about the fact that the town would be closed when I arrived! The boat ride was almost two hours. I sat out in the sun by the edge of the boat catching some rays while enjoying the wonderful views of the lake, taking a few pictures along the way. The only picture I took while in Desenzano del Garda was taken on Monday/day I arrived at Lake Garda.

I was very hungry when I arrived in Desenzano. I bought a peach gelato at Vivaldi’s, the recommended gelataria in the area. It was delicious! Then I wandered the town in search of a place to get some lunch. I wanted more than just a panino or slice of pizza. I finally came across this interesting restaurant called the Cactus with glass floors and sand/rocks below the glass. The restaurant was empty except for four Italian men sitting at a table. It is unusual to find a restaurant open later in the afternoon that serves all courses. Lucky me! I had a wonderful pasta with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and rucola, a great find!

I headed back to the boat dock and waited for the next boat to take me back to Sirmione. By the time I arrived back in Sirmione, I was exhausted! I took a short nap and then started packing my things. I originally planned to take the train the following morning (Friday) to Coccaglio, where Katia lives, but there was a nationwide train strike planned to start Thursday night and continue all through Friday.

My friends, Katia & Guido, thought it would be easier to pick me up the Thursday night instead of having me deal with the strike on Friday. *The strike ended up being cancelled at the last minute. I was able to arrange with the hotel for them to come into the town and park at the hotel. It was great seeing Katia and Guido again!! We ate dinner at the same restaurant that I ate at the night before. Each of us ordered a pizza. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and then went back to my hotel to gather up my bags and then Guido drove us back to Katia’s house.

Final Thoughts on my stay in Sirmione & time on Lake Garda: I really enjoyed my time visiting Lake Garda. Perfect weather, fun castles to visit, beautiful views. There was so much more that I was not able to see... I will have to return again one day!

I would probably stay somewhere in the middle or at the top of the lake if I do return for another stay. It is expensive to take the boat from Sirmione anywhere due to the location at the bottom of the lake. The boat rides to visit the rest of the lake would probably be cheaper when staying midway up on the lake or up north (depending where else you plan to visit).

I thought that Sirmione was a beautiful town and I loved touring the Castle and the walk to the Grotte di Catullo in Sirmione, but I felt that the town was very "touristy" when it came to the shops and the food choices. It was packed with tourists, even at night. Of course I was there during the beginning of summer, so it may be different other times of the year.

The boats were great to take first thing in the morning before the town woke up, but later on, it was everyone for themselves getting on the boats with the huge crowds at each stop.

I thought that the towns on Lake Garda were amazing and enjoyed the rides on the lake by boat (once I secured a seat). I loved Malcèsine and Riva del Garda the best. Riva seemed less touristy than many of the other towns. There were also some interesting towns to explore midway on the lake.

My hotel, Hotel Eden, was located in the perfect spot. Great views, huge buffet breakfasts, nice tables out by the lake. The people at the desk were very helpful. My room was clean and comfortable, but small (I booked a single room). I would stay there again.

Torri del Benaco

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[susan]

Coccaglio!!

Friday, June 24th

During the morning, I worked on my trip report and copying my pictures onto CDs while waiting for Katia to finish work. I have this wonderful little portable CD burner (Apacer Disk Steno CP-200) that I bought to copy pictures from my digital camera cards and then burn them onto CDs. This allows me to take as more pictures without having to worry about how much room is left on my cards. Another plus is that you do not need computer access to do this. The only downfall is the weight of the CD burner which I have to carry around in my luggage. Although the CD burner says in the little window that the pictures were successfully copied, I still want to see the pictures for myself before erasing them from the cards. I have been very fortunate to be able to use both Francesco & Katia's computers while I have been here in Italy. This machine can also be hooked up to a TV, but most of the hotel TVs do not have the slot for the cord to go into to that hooks up to the CD burner to see the pictures on the CDs. *[2005 TECHNOLOGY]*

When Katia returned from work, we went over to her school to visit the class she works in (Kindergarten age children). The children knew that I was coming to visit. They kept asking their teacher when I would arrive. At first they were very shy but eventually warmed up. They said a few words in English to me. Katia told them that I lived in a place far away. I talked to them a little in Italian and Katia translated the rest. They were very interested in the sea life and also the volcano on the Big Island. They wanted to know all about the lava. They sang two songs in English for me and then two songs in Italian for me. When it was time for their lunch, we walked around the rest of the school. The school houses children from ages one and a half to age five. It was a fun visit! I was very impressed with the school!

After we left the school, we walked around Piazza Luca Marenzio, the historical center area of Coccaglio. Then we stopped at a wonderful pasticceria to buy some little pastries for lunch.

Katia’s mother made us this wonderful chicken that is cooked in a tomato sauce that she remembered that I loved the last time I was here. It was delicious!

In the afternoon, we went to the nearby mall to see if her friend was working at Feltrinelli’s. She was not there but we looked around anyways for a while and then went to Media World. It was a very interesting store similar to Best Buy or Circuit City but with every imaginable electronic device! I could have stayed in that store for hours! We tried to find out if they sold the itunes cards but no luck again. I have come to the conclusion that itunes and the ipods are definitely more of an American thing as neither are well know where I have been.

After returning home and doing some more research, I found out that even if I did find an itunes card in Italy, it would not have worked in the US! All that searching for nothing!! iTunes has some "rule" that you have to have a charge card issued from a bank in Italy to purchase music from the Italy store, even with a coupon or itunes card! The problem is that none of the good Italian music can be purchased from the US store... something about music rights?? To me it is another scam just like the regions on DVDs for the big corporations to make more money!

After the itunes search, we spent some time in the DVD section at Media World. I found Carabinieri (my favorite Italian show) on DVD! The problem was that it was not the beginning of the series and also it was only in Italian. I wanted to find DVDs in both Italian & English so that I could continue to practice my Italian when I return home (I have a DVD player that can play all regions). I ended up buying Chocolat. The total cost was 15 euros. No extra tax!! I liked that! After leaving Media World, we went back to Katia's afternoon working place where we made a CD of some Disney songs in Italian.

For dinner Katia, Guido, and I went to my favorite restaurant in the area that we eat at each year when I come to visit – Agriturismo Alberelle. It was fun to see Lucca (the owner) again. We ate many different antipasti and then I had a wonderful pumpkin ravioli and some rabbit. Unfortunately no room for dessert. SO DELICIOUS and SO MUCH FOOD!!

What a wonderful way to end the day!

Church in Piazza Luca Marenzio in Coccaglio

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[susan]

Bergamo & Cremona

Saturday, June 25th

I went to Bergamo with Katia in the morning. While she attended a lecture, I walked around Bergamo Alta. To get to Bergamo Alta (the older historic area located above the rest of Bergamo), there is a funivia you can take. Katia dropped me off at the funivia and we planned to meet there later after her class ended. When I reached the top, I made sure to look around so I could find the funivia again.

In Piazza Vecchia, you will find the Civic Tower. I was excited to climb the 228 steps to the top of the tower. Just as I reached the last step to the top, the clock struck 10 and the bell rang LOUDLY 10 times! This is not the first time this has happened to me when climbing a tower, but each time, it surely makes me jump! The views were spectacular! I took lots of pictures of the Duomo and the city of Bergamo from the top of the tower. I was up there alone for quite a while until finally another couple joined me at the top.

After my tower climb, I had a wonderful chocolate brioche and an espresso macchiato at Caffé del Tasso, a beautiful bar that is very popular and very old. Then, I walked over to the Duomo and took some more pictures.

There are many wonderful little shops with delicious food in the windows all over town. I stopped at the tourist information center and found out about more things to do while in Bergamo. I decided to head for the 2nd funivia that takes you to San Vigilio, an even higher spot in Bergamo. At the top, there is an old castle that you can go inside to get to an even higher spot to see wonderful views. The weather was very hazy and humid and so the views were not very clear at the top that day. Somewhere to return to another time!

After riding back down the funivia, I headed toward the funivia I took to arrive in Bergamo Alta to meet Katia. Somehow, I missed the entrance and ended up walking much farther down a big hill. I realized that I was seeing things that I did not see before and I asked someone for directions and then walked back up the hill again!

After meeting Katia, we went back to her house to have lunch. Her mother made us a delicious rice salad. In the afternoon, Guido came to pick us up.

We drove to Cremona, the home of torrone and the violin. There has to be something with me and Cremona because as soon as we arrived, the skies turned black and a storm headed our way. The last time I visited Katia and Guido, we went to Cremona and as soon as we arrived the skies turned black and it started to rain!

We went into the Duomo and then to the Battistero. We were so fortunate that a woman working on restoring the large ancient leather bound books was willing to open the books for us while we were there! These books were were from the 13th or 14th century and were once used for the choir when they sang Gregorian songs. She said the reason why the books were so big was for the choir to see the music as a group. She showed us many pages including pages with pictures made from pigments made from vegetables and pages with pictures made from gold! Amazing!! I wasn't allowed to take any pictures of the books, but here are some other pictures I took.

Since it was raining and there was not much else to do, I talked Katia and Guido into climbing the tower. This tower had 502 steps to the top!! Although Katia is afraid of heights, she went almost all the way to the top with us. It was lightning and thundering outside, and since one of my biggest fears is thunder and lightning, I tried not to touch the metal railing that was attached to the last part of the climb where the steps became circular (the part Katia did not climb) thinking that would protect me. Cool views from the top!

After heading back, we went to have a pastry and drink and I bought some delicious torrone. Then we walked back though some of the streets of Cremona to head back to our car to drive back to Katia's house.

When we returned to Katia’s house, we got ready dinner and then watched part of Carabinieri while waiting for Guido. It was fun watching the show together and talking about the "soap opera ongoings" of the show.

Guido came to pick us up and we went to this wonderful restaurant called Santissima in Iseo. I had the most delicious ravioli dish called Casoncelli filled with a very delicious mixture of cheeses cooked in burro and salvia. For my secondo, I ordered a delicious chicken with herbs on top. Again, no room for dessert.

Katia and Guido’s friend, Nicola was there. He is a very amusing person who always seems so excited and happy to see me when I visit. The first time I met him, he called out my name over and over and made quite a spectacle in the middle of the restaurant. We had fun sending SMS (text messages) back and forth. Katia has helped me understand the world of SMS and now it is so much fun! Here in Italy, it seems to be used like mini-emails. *[TECHNOLOGY 14 years ago in Italy!!]*

We saw a Smart forfour car when leaving the restaurant!! This car is the new larger addition to the tiny Smart Car. I love the Smart Cars here in Italy. They are so tiny and cute! Perhaps one day I will get a ride in one!

Both Bergamo & Cremona are interesting places to visit. Another wonderful day in Italia!

Bergamo treats

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[susan]

Breakfast in Iseo, lunch with Katia's family, Franciacorta & Pizza for dinner!

Sunday, June 26th

Guido, Katia, and I drove to Iseo to have breakfast on the lake (Lago d’iseo / Lake Iseo). Iseo is such a beautiful place! We eat outside at this tiny bar (yellow building under the umbrellas in the 2nd photo below) every time I visit. Italian breakfast consists of a Brioche and a coffee. I had an espresso macchiato and a brioche filled with crema.

After breakfast, Katia and Guido took me to a church where they may marry if they cannot get married in the church in Coccaglio. It was very beautiful.

We returned home to have a big Sunday lunch with Katia’s family. Katia’s brother, his wife, and their baby girl Marta and Katia’s grandmother who just turned 85 were also there for lunch. We had a cold pasta salad, melon and prosciutto, other meats, bread, and wonderful vegetables. For dessert, we had a birthday cake (very different than the typical cake) filled with a type of gelato and creme and then some little pastries from the same pasticceria that we visited on Friday. I ate much too much!! I felt like I would not be able to move for hours!

I put all the pictures I have taken with Katia and Guido on Katia’s computer including a picture of her grandmother with her birthday cake and then I made a slide show for everyone to watch. Her grandmother was amazed to see the pictures on the computer. I told her grandmother that I was going to take the picture of her back with me to Hawaii to show everyone. She thought I said that I was going to take her back with me and said she could not go with me to Hawaii!

After a wonderful lunch with Katia's family, we went for a drive through the beautiful Franciacorta countryside. Our plan was to visit an abbey and a monastery, both located along the Cluniac road of Franciacorta.

We first visited the Abbiaza Benedettina Olivetana di San Nicola / Olivetan Abbey of St. Nicola, located in Rodengo Saiano. This abbey was founded around 1050 by Cluniac monks. We were only able to visit certain areas but did sneak into part of a tour while there. I would like to return some day to visit more of this beautiful abbey.

Then, we visited the Monastero di San Pietro in Lamosa / Monastery of San Pietro in Lamosa located in Provaglio d’Iseo. We were even luckier to get a private tour of both the church and the Sala della Disciplina, where there are 16th century frescoes with scenes from the Passion of Christ and the Crucifixion. You could see the layers of paintings on some of the walls.

We were told that the Monastero di San Pietro in Lamosa is the only church in the world with 4 arches built in 4 different ages and of different styles - two Baroque, one Gothic, and one Renaissance. You could see the layers of paintings on some of the walls. The very enthusiastic gentleman told us that this is the only church in the world with four arches build in four different ages and different styles (two Baroque, one Gothic, and one Renaissance). *IF my notes are correct!

This church/monastery was amazing! I would definitely recommend a visit to this monastery, which is located not too far from the lake. Check first though to make sure it is open.

After our two visits, we returned to Katia's house to change for dinner. I said goodbye to Katia's parents, thanking them for everything, as I wasn't sure if I would see them again the following morning. We went back to Guido's and met six of Katia and Guido's friends at his house. Then we all drove to this wonderful pizzeria and ristorante for dinner.

Once everyone's pizza was ready, the waitress came announcing the various pizzas. Everyone raised their hand as their pizza was called out. It was a night of rapidly spoken Italian, funny jokes which Katia translated for me, and wonderful food. It was a very interesting night.

About midnight, we said goodbye to all of Katia and Guido's friends and went back to Katia's house. I spent the next hour packing and then went to sleep.

Thoughts on my stay in Coccaglio: I enjoyed another wonderful stay with my dear friends, Katia & Guido. This is another area where I have been fortunate to experience the local life. Katia's family is always so kind to me and Katia & Guido spend time each of my visits entertaining me and taking me all over.

Although Coccaglio is a very small town, the main church is huge with so much detail inside on the walls and the ceiling. In the little town center, there is an amazing Pasticceria. I love the food in this area of Italy (both at Katia's house and at all the restaurants we visit). Franciacorta is a beautiful place to drive through and Lago d'Iseo is a great little lake to explore.

Birthday cake for Katia's nonna.

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[susan]

Train Ride to Lago di Como & Bella Bellagio

Monday, June 27th

I said goodbye to Katia's mother and thanked her for a wonderful time once again and then Katia & I stopped by Guido's so I could say goodbye and thank him again and then we were off to the train station.

Because tickets are not sold at the Coccaglio train station and I did not get my ticket in advance, we went to the Rovato train station, where the very crabby train ticket man works. I remembered him from a few years ago when Katia and I purchased train tickets to Milano. As expected, he was in a very bad mood. When we arrived, he was complaining to a policeman and ignoring the people waiting in line.

The girl behind us became very upset and started yelling at him saying that he should just do his job and sell tickets because the train is about to arrive and she needed a ticket. Both Katia and I knew this would only make him even grumpier and take longer to get our tickets. Fortunately, we arrived at the station with plenty of time before my train was to arrive.

After getting my tickets, we went to wait for the train. A little boy and his nonno (grandpa) were also waiting for the train to arrive so that the little boy could watch the train come and then go. He was so cute. He became so excited when he finally saw the train in the distance and yelled, "stop" with his hands out when it arrived. I guess "stop" is a universal word.

I sadly said goodbye to Katia and boarded the train. To get to Bellagio, I had to change trains in Lecco and then take a Ferry from Varenna. The ride to Lecco was fine except for the one moment when the train made a funny noise and then just stopped. Everyone looked at each other with sort of a panicked look as if to say are we going to be stuck here for hours? But luckily, a few minutes later, the train started up again and ended up being only a few minutes late.

The train arrived on Binario 6. I looked for the yellow Partenza sign that lists all the train departure times but there were no signs on this Binario, so I carried my roll on bag (which seems to be getting heavier each time I take a train) down the steps to the underpass and found the Partenza sign.

I located my train time and looked for the time for my stop to Varenna. Varenna was not listed as a stop on the train even though I had the stop listed on the sheet that I printed out from the Trenitalia site. There were also three Australian girls reading the same train info and wondering why Varenna was not listed as a stop. Sometimes little stops are not listed on the main list but there is usually another place on the right side of the Partenza page where the smaller town stops are listed. Varenna was not there.

I had about 15 minutes before the train should be arriving and so I decided to go to the first Binario to find a conductor, which meant carrying my bag up more steps. The conductor told me that the Varenna train will arrive at Binario 6 (the Binario I originally arrived at!) and just kept repeating Binario 6 even though I told him that the sign did not list Varenna as a stop for this train. I figured he knew what he was talking about and so I headed back down the Binario 1 steps and then up the Binario 6 steps. I also let the Australian girls know what the conductor told me.

While waiting for the train, I talked with this sweet older Italian lady. She told me all about the area and where she lived. The train arrived a few minutes late. There were tons of people waiting for the train, but amazingly, everyone got a seat. The views on this train were wonderful, and as the conductor told me, the train stopped in Varenna - another deserted train station.

I took the train to Varenna two years ago and so I knew how to find the ferry from the train station. It was all down hill. When I arrived at the ferry, it was just about to leave. I was fortunate to be able to board and buy my ticket on while on the ferry. It was WONDERFUL to be back on the lake! The ferry first went to Menaggio (where I stayed last time) and then headed to Bellagio.

When I arrived in Bellagio, I took out my map that I printed out from the website for the place where I was staying (Residence La Limonera) and looked for the best street to take to head up hill to the apartment. Every street seemed to have steps. I knew about a very long, steep street at one end of the town that went uphill without steps, but did not know about the shorter street at the other end near the church. After passing quite a few streets that headed straight uphill with lots of steps, I chose Salita Mella (not the best of choices). At that point I figured all the streets would have lots of steps so I should just pick a street and start heading uphill. This street had many many steps with very rocky parts in between the steps, a good test for my luggage wheels!

The map indicated that I needed to cross one more street before reaching the street the apartments were on. When I arrived at the place where another street crossed, I walked down a ways to see if any of the other streets that went further up the hill were without steps. No luck.

I stopped in front of this wonderful looking gelateria. I was out of breath, hungry, and hot! The weather was in the mid 90's and muggy. I thought about stopping for a gelato but I figured that it would be better to get rid of my things first and so I went back to Salita Mella and headed further up more steps. There were longer stretches between these steps and my wheels made quite a racket as they rolled over the rocky road. At one point, a man stuck his head out a window and asked where I was going. I told him and he told me I went too far and that the street I was just on was the street where Residence La Limonera was located. I followed his directions back down the steps and I couldn't believe it! The place I was staying at was right across from the gelateria! If I had only turned around instead of drooling over all the gelato choices!!

I called the owner on my cell and waited about 10 minutes for her to arrive. She sounded a little put off that I was interrupting her day to let me in. Just to note - I did send her an email in advance telling her the time I was arriving and her response indicated that it was not a problem to arrive at this time. When she arrived, she showed me my room and explained how the key worked, etc, all very fast, again as if I was taking up all of her time.

The apartment I was renting at Residence La Limonera was a large studio apartment. It was nice except for two things. First, the floor was very dirty. There happened to be a broom in the apartment and right after I checked in, I swept up a big pile of dirt. Second, the shower head did not stay in place. It was impossible to set it so that the water would go on you and many times it ended up falling down to the bottom of the shower and occasionally the water would shoot out all over the floor. Otherwise, the apartment was in a good location and it was nice and quiet at night.

Before unpacking, I went and ate lunch at this little bar called Caffe' Vecchio Borgo, which was right next door. I ordered a dish of pesto pasta. It was tasted amazing! Next, I had the most delicious peach gelato at the gelateria across the way. This gelateria (Gelateria del Borgo) makes their own gelato and was almost as good as the gelateria in Montelupo. I thought it was definitely the best gelateria in Bellagio. There were many local people at this gelateria whenever I stopped by.

After my delicious lunch, I went back to my apartment to unpack and do my laundry in the sink. Another plus to the apartment was the semi-private garden area I shared with one other apartment with lots of places to dry my clothes. Once my laundry was finished, I walked around Bellagio a bit to try to figure out some of the streets near my apartment and then went back to shower and get ready for dinner.

I ate at a very busy place that I remembered eating at the last time I was in Bellagio on a day trip. I had the lake fish, which was just ok. I was not very thrilled with my dinner and wished I had ordered the pizza instead as it looked really good. After dinner, I walked around for a little while, took more pictures, and then headed back to my apartment for the night.

I was excited to be spending the next few days in Bellagio!

Bella Bellagio

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[susan]

A LONG Walk in & Around Bellagio / Pescallo, Loppia, San Giovanni

Tuesday, June 28th

I woke up to clear blue skies and decided it would be a wonderful day to do the advertised "two hour" walk around the suburbs of Bellagio. Before starting the walk, I went out to get an espresso and brioche for breakfast. I also stopped in the little alimentari (grocery shop) which sells wonderful cheeses, basic supplies like pasta, cookies, milk, yogurt, water, etc. I bought some delicious pecorino cheese and some coconut yogurt and then headed out for my walk.

I started by heading towards Pescallo, a beautiful little fishing village that I visited last year. To get there, you climb about 50 steps and then walk down about 100 more steps. The views were amazing! I sat there for about an hour taking in the beauty while eating my yogurt and cheese.

I continued on to Via Volta. Because the supermercato was on this street and it appeared to be the midway point on the walk, I decided to split the walk in half, stopping at the store to buy some groceries, heading back to my apartment to put the groceries in the refrigerator, and then continuing my walk. Part of Via Volta was a pretty dangerous road to walk on. It had a very narrow shoulder with lots of cars speeding by.

After shopping, I checked out the map again. I decided to take the little side streets to get back to my apartment. BAD IDEA! I ended up walking up and down hills and steps as well as down narrow paths. It ended up taking at least 30 extra minutes to get back to the main road, which was probably five minutes in length to get to my apartment. Have I mentioned that I get lost easily? The plus was that I saw sights many others do not get to see in Bellagio.

Because I was carrying a big bottle of water and two bags of groceries and was concentrating on finding my way back to the main road, I did not take any pictures. At the time, I thought that maybe I would return to some of the interesting spots I explored while lost to take some pictures, but I never did.

Once I finally reached my apartment, I put my groceries away, ate some yogurt, fruit, and cheese for lunch, and then headed back out to continue my walk.

I decided to start from the town of Bellagio and head towards Loppia and San Giovanni instead of retracing my steps back to Via Volta. Once again, I ended up on a dangerous road that did not make me very happy.

I made it to Loppia and saw the little restaurant that I had read about, Ristorante Darsene di Loppia. What I should have done was plan to eat lunch here instead of shopping and eating food I bought. It would have been a perfect place to stop for lunch. I really did not make many plans in advance for my time in Bellagio. I was not about to take this walk again at night on the dangerous road and the only other way to reach the restaurant was through the Villa Melzi Garden, which would be closed. Next time!

Besides the restaurant, there was not much more to see in Loppia, so I continued on towards San Giovanni. The walking tour took me back for a short time on another dangerous stretch of road. Even though, it was a pretty walk. Along the way, I saw an interesting bridge, a beautiful church, and a very interesting orange building (a Mausoleum).

I finally reached San Giovanni. I wondered why the this was part of the advertised walk. What was I missing? The church was very beautiful, but the town was sparse and there was nothing really to see or do except to go to the free beach nearby. There was another restaurant there though, that also has very good reviews.

I headed back towards Bellagio, this time walking through the Villa Melzi Garden. The Villa has entrances both at the edge of Loppia and also at the edge of Bellagio. The Villa itself was closed but the grounds were beautiful. There were many different types of plants including banana plants and taro leaves and even a grass hut!

My two hour walk began at 10:30 am and finished it at 4:30 pm. Granted, I stopped for an hour to admire the beauty in Pescallo, stopped for about 15 minutes at a grocery store, and took a little side tour (lost), but I still would not advertise the walk as a "two hour" walk, unless you did it more as a "run". If you do decide to walk to Loppia, I would recommend walking through the Villa Melzi Garden instead of along the road.

Back in Bellagio, I continued walking past the town to the point called Punto Spartivento, the point at which the northern wind divides Como and Lecco. From this point, there is a wonderful view of Varenna and also the little town of Fiumelatte (the river of milk) where there you will find the shortest river in Italy.

Because of the heat and the extremely low water levels this summer, the river was dry or if there was a river, it was only a small stream. What was seen instead from this point was a mark on the side of the mountain where the river was supposed to be.

By now, my little toes were pretty sore. I decided to head back to my apartment for a shower and to rest my feet for a while, watching my favorite telefilm show.

For dinner, I returned to the same restaurant (Antico Pozzo) for pizza since they looked pretty delicious the night before. Another mistake! The pizza was horrible! The absolute worse I have ever had in Italy and probably even in the US! I didn't even eat a quarter of it. I ordered a pizza with mozzarella di bufala and fresh tomatoes. The dough was light yellow in color and hardly cooked. On top was some mozzarella cheese that was hardly cooked and on top of that was I think three cherry tomatoes in all cut up. It was a very disappointing dinner. I stopped to get a gelato on my way back to my room and ate some food that I had bought at the grocery store to complete my dinner. Again, I should have done more planning in advance.

My dinner was not very memorable and I was lost for a while on my walk, but still, I enjoyed my day exploring Bellagio, Pescallo, Loppia, San Giovanni, and the Villa Melzi Garden. What I learned for future trips... plan, plan, plan in advance!

Peaceful spot in Pescallo

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[susan]

A Boat Ride to Colico & Grande Grandine in Varenna

Wednesday, June 29th

The word around town Tuesday was the temporale weather would be heading our way on Wednesday. The weather predictions were correct. I woke up to overcast skies. I hung out for a while watching the weather trying to decide what to do and finally decided to take a chance and take a boat ride to Colico, the farthest point north on Lake Como.

The first boat leaving (except the rapido boats) was at 11:30. I hung out at my apartment and ended up falling back to sleep. I woke up a little after 11, gathered up my things, and headed down to the boats.

There was a big group of kids from a summer camp getting off the boat I was about to board. They stopped in the middle of the exit pathway. I heard one say that they were told to stop there. They backed up everything and finally a man working on the boats came by, waved his hands and said "Avanti, avanti". The kids moved on and we were then able to board.

The boat was not very crowded after the stop at Varenna, perhaps due to the unsettled weather. I found a great seat with a wonderful view and took lots of pictures on the ride up north. I ate some food I brought with me along the way. The towns are quite different than the towns on Lake Garda. Most seem much smaller.

When I arrived in Colico, everything was closed except for a few bars. My original plan was to take the rapido boat back to Bellagio because of the bad weather heading our way. Because my boat was running late (due to the summer camp crowd in Bellagio), the rapido boat beat my boat to Colico and was heading back towards Bellagio when my boat arrived. The next boat was to arrive in about 40 minutes so I walked around the town and got a gelato and then hung out, waiting for the boat to arrive.

On the way back, the sky seemed to clear a little as we got close to Varenna and so I decided to stop there for an hour or so before heading back to Bellagio.

Varenna is a very beautiful little town. I took a bunch of pictures as I walked down by the water and then saw the cutest baby ducks, five of them, with their mamma duck. Being a preschool teacher, of course I started to hear Raffi's song about the Five Little Ducks in my head. I took some pictures and then watched a grandma and her two grandchildren feed the ducks.

I was so busy watching the grandma, the little girls, and the ducks as well as taking pictures that I didn't notice that the sky had turned black! I walked a little ways farther towards a hotel I had thought about staying at in the future to get some information and the rain began. The man at the desk was very kind and let me hang out in the lobby for a little while. I asked him what he thought - if it would be a quick storm or a long storm. He predicted a long storm.

The temperature cooled about 20 degrees from the mid 90’s to the 70’s once the storm started. I was not dressed for the cooler weather, although I did have my raincoat with me. I headed back to catch the next boat, scheduled to arrive in about 15 minutes. Much of the walk was covered and so I did not get too wet. But, once I arrived at the area where the boats arrive and the tickets are sold, it started to rain quite hard and the wind was blowing all over the place.

It was difficult trying to stay dry under the little tin roof that connected the two tiny buildings where the tickets were sold. There were about 15 or 20 of us waiting under this little tin roof for the boat.

Next, lightening started to flash. Many of us tried to get pictures of the lightning but the rain was blowing straight into us. I gave up and put my camera away. I did not want to get the lens wet.

Then we heard this loud noise that sounded like someone was shooting a gun at the roof! It was HAIL - Grandine!! At first, the hail was about the size of marbles. It was falling pretty quickly and the noise was unsettling. I managed to get one picture of the marble sized hail.

The woman, who was safe and dry in her little ticket booth, not seeming to care at all about our safety, got out and moved her car under the covered area where we were all standing. This left us with a much smaller area to hide under so as not to be hit by the hail.

The hail started getting bigger, and no exaggeration, it had to be the size of golf balls. Hard ice balls. We could pick them up as they fell by our feet. As the wind moved one way, so did we, and then as the wind moved the other way, so did we. Finally someone opened up the little building on the other side of the ticket booth and we all crammed inside. It was very scary.

An even scarier thought was getting on the boat when it arrived. It was late as usual, but this time, it was easy to understand why. Fortunately the hail stopped right as the boat arrived. We all boarded quite quickly. Once on the way to Menaggio, the hail started up again for a short while. I think the storm was following us.

When we finally arrived in Bellagio, the storm seemed to let up. I sure was happy to be back at my home base to take a warm shower and get into some warmer clothing being the cold weather wimp that I am.

For dinner, I ate at the little bar right by my apartment, just in case the temporale (thunder storms) started up again. Once again, I enjoyed another wonderful meal, a plate of delicious pesto, at this little bar (never did write down the name). I had another gelato from across the way for dessert. A perfect way to end a fun day on Lake Como!

Colico

Blog post with more photos