So yesterday we bought an all day pass on the lake via the steamers. It's a hop on/hop off system, and we thought that would be a fun way to see all the lake and get several stops in on the way. Note to travelers: Como is a huge lake...giant! And the steamers, while totally relaxing, are slow...and they stop EVERYWHERE. It took almost three hours to get from Como (at the bottom of one part of the lake) to Bellagio (somewhere mid-lake). Here's a map of the lake:
It's a long, long way on a slow steamer.
We wanted to have lunch in Varenna (two stops past Bellagio) and then spend some time there. Unfortunately, three hours + up (and the same back) left us little time to do anything but eat lunch. And, granted, the lunch was good, but it was glacially slow - perfect for an Italian afternoon, but not when your time is cut short because you're at the whim of a ferry schedule.
So here's the lesson learned...choose your ship wisely (there are slow steamers and fast hydrofoils), and build in time for a long, slow lunch. Because we'd missed buying the tickets for the fast boats, we were stuck with the steamer...as I said, we got back really late.
Having said all this, the lake is lovely. We did some house hunting...
We think George Clooney's house is the one behind the Cyprus trees. Hey, neighbor!
And this is how you do it...
And all the little towns...
Today, we were a little wiser (a little). We had a 3pm tour of Villa Balbianello - the most beautiful villa on the lake, and a jewel in Italy's national museum crown. You can only get there by a taxi boat (the ferries don't go directly there). Our tour operator suggested that we go to Bellagio early, have a nice lunch, then hire a taxi boat to take us over to the Villa. Sounds like a good plan. We got up early and caught the first fast boat from Como to Bellagio. Once there, we tried to book a taxi to take us over, and figure out how to get there and back in time to catch the last ferry back to Como. Drama. We decided to make it a bit easier: Since Balbianello is in Lenno, we could go there, have lunch, wander around and then take a taxi boat, or walk to the villa...instead of stressing about getting out of Bellagio on time. Drama.
So we spent an hour in Bellagio. It is beautiful.
We bought a ticket on a ferry and were finally in Lenno and relaxing. We found the taxi boat guy and got that squared away...time for a nice lunch - with a view.
On to Villa Balbianello
You know you recognize it...it's one of the most photographed sites in northern Italy. It's in Casino Royale, one of the Star Wars movies (Two, I think), and A Month by the Lake.
The site has been a monastery, a church, a residence, an abandoned home, and is now a national treasure. I can't show you pics of the inside (a no-no), but here are some nice ones from the outside and on the grounds. As you can see, the weather was fabulous today, as well.
It's sort of the Hearst Castle of Como.
This is Lizzardo DiBalbianello. He waited with us until our tour started.
We got back to Lenno after the tour and relaxed with another lovely beverage while waiting for our fast boat home. Turns out even fast boats are late - about 25 minutes late. Drama.
All in all, Lake Como is a lovely place. It's villages are picturesque. The shopping is great. The food and drink with a view is wonderful. Next time, though, we'll stay in one of the smaller ports mid-lake and take better advantage of the fast boats.
Tomorrow is our last full day in Italy, and we haven't quite decided what to do? Explore Como? Explore another village on the lake? Go to Switzerland? Who knows!?
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