A short train trip up to Milano, an even shorter leg to Varenna and we got out in a charming town on the shore of Lago di Como.
It wasn’t even noon, but it was blazing hot again, 94 degrees. Not so hot compared to home, but with the humidity my weather app says it feel like 109.
I say it feels more like 107.5 but who am I to argue.
We are sweating buckets.
We have an apartment here on the lake, and the owner picked us up at the train station for a welcome ride into town. Not that it is a far walk, but it’s nice to have the ride on a hot day.
We unpack, really unpack for the first time in several days. We are here for three days, so we settle in, then head out to our first meal in two days. We find a nice cafe on the square and order sandwiches, water and wine.
We decide to hit up the grocery store (there are two) for supplies like coffee, cream, water, fruit and wine.
Then we walk through the village, back to the train station to purchase our tickets onwards (Monday to Lienz, Austria) and a stop at the organic grocery we saw on the way in. We decide to purchase food to eat in tonight; fresh salad with a lemon, a chunk of parmigiana cheese, black pasta with salmon for me, and orange pasta with scamorza and radicchio for Gail.
This turns out to be a great dinner.
We spend time walking through the village. There is the huge cathedral, Our Lady of the Juggling Mary, with loud bells that gong ferociously at 7:00 and 19:00. One of the two main town squares is here, the other is down on the waterfront, on the promenade.
The village itself is accessible only on foot. The narrow lanes leading down from the one street are actually staircases plunging down to the water. They pass under arches, sometimes turning to present a very photogenic view.
At the bottom runs a promenade, from the ferry dock in town near the train station, along the edge of the lake to the end of the village. The walkway is called the Greenway Dei Patriarchi. We live near the end, just up ten steps.
Along the Greenway there are shops, bars and restaurants, and a “beach” of sorts. Actually it is a wade-in area, not really a “lay in the sun” beach. We stopped by later, after we dropped off the food, to stand in the water, sweating in the sun.
Our apartment is 75 steps from the beach, in case we want to run over.
Meanwhile, in the town by the ferry docks, the main Lido (beach) is a kind of joke. There are sunbeds and umbrellas to rent, and it is in front of a bar so you have food and drink service. But the “beach” is a concrete platform with some sand and potted palm trees, and at the side is a narrow concrete ramp leading into the lake. It does not appeal to either of us.
I am pretty taken aback by how smoggy - hazy it is here. We can barely see across the lake to the mountains we know are there, let alone look up and down the lake. I am not sure it it’s the high temperature haze, or if it is indeed smog, but the views are not what we pictured, and the beauty and charm are hard to find.
There are a couple sundials on some buildings, and they are amazingly accurate.
I am surprised by the very cold cold water from the community water fountain, and we fill up here.
So we cooked up our dinner (see the photos under food porn) and then watched as the US Women’s Soccer Team, led by Megan Rapinoe, won the quarter-final game 2-1 against home team France. It was a great game.
I like Megan Rapinoe. Not only is she from our home town, but she is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in. That, friends, is a real American exercising her right to free speech.
And Trump, the pussy-grabber-in-chief of all people, tells her to shut up and play. People complain she doesn't salute the flag and says "fucking." Seriously?
Perhaps these complainers need a few fucking US History and Civics lessons. If they can't intelligently answer even these most basic of questions about how the United States of America functions (we can even make it multiple choice) they should be deported.
She’s the shining example to today’s women and girls.
After showering we decided to take the ferry and visit the three other “middle lake” towns: Ballagio, Cadenabbia and Menaggio. I have written a short paragraph about each, and included photos below.
We bought our middle-of-the-lake ferry day-pass for €15 at the dock. You can also buy it on board for a one euro surcharge.
After our day exploring we went to a nice, three hour dinner at IL Cavatappi. See the food porn section for details.
When we finished with dinner, we walked the streets and stumbled across a concert band playing just in front of the cathedral. We sat and listened for a while. Backed up to the massive stone wall, the sound just boomed out to the square. It was very peaceful, and finished off a nice day.
Lake Como is looking up.
WAKE UP! they yelled.
Gail got up and joined me, we ate breakfast and did the laundry. We set it out on the patio, on the drying rack, and took a walk.
By 10:30 we were at the Nilus Bar on the waterfront to claim front row seats for all the lake action. We ordered “early afternoon” drinks and they brought us mini tapas as a snack. We passed two nice hours watching the ferries, the ducks and occasional swan, boats and kayaks, and just looking at the mountains.
It could be worse I suppose.
We made a reservation for 20:30 dinner at Hotel du Lac restaurant, on the lake. See the food porn section for details.
We found the United States Plaza. Ironically, it is a parking lot slash side street.
Later, down in the alleys, we got gelato and watched everyone sweat.
Most of the day we relaxed and read, stopping to make lunch from the leftover pasta, pesto and salad.
Our dinner lasted late.
We have to leave on the train at 7:00 tomorrow, so I guess we will miss “early afternoon drinks” at the lake.
Food Porn
But our first dinner out was at iL Cavatappi (“corkscrews” What a great name!) a place with very limited inside seating (four tables of two and one table for 4-6) so it is almost impossible to reserve.
In fact we were sort of entertained to watch as group after group was turned away at the door.
The entire inside is already reserved for the week.
So, how did we get to eat here?
I asked the line cook, whom I met on the street, very nicely, and she told me that the three outside tables are first-come, first served. And, she winked, come just before we open at 18:30.
So we showed up at 6:25 and had our pick. The tables are in the alley, with great views up and down the street for people watching.
We started with mineral water to delay our start-dinner time until a better hour. The other two tables filled, as did the restaurant.
Gail enjoyed a bottle of Pinot Grigio, while I had a bottle of Sassella, which is the local Nebbiolo.
After we ordered they gave us good bread and a little cracker with whipped cheese and poppy seeds to enjoy with our wine.
Gail started with a summer salad with buckwheat and quinoa, with little vegetables, basil, fresh tomato sauce and 24 month aged parmigiano-reggiano.
This plate did not look at all like either of us had imagined. It was beautiful and tasty.
I started with fresh handmade orecchiette pasta with swordfish ragout, and Sicilian pesto “…Made from my grandmother’s old recipe with wild fennel, almonds, dried tomatoes and olive oil.).
Yum.
For the main, Gail had a primi of fresh handmade ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach, in melted butter, thyme and cherry tomatoes.
This was the most stunning presentation of the night, with little blue flowers and chopped red tomato on the green pasta.
I had the trout fillet with mediterranean style tomato, olive and caper sauce. Boy was that a great fish.
We ended with dessert: Gail had tiramisu and cappuccino, while I had a cold limoncello and espresso.
We ate slow and just people watched. The restaurant closes at 9:00, but another couple and us were still sitting, finishing up at 9:30.
It was a nice evening, a great end to the day, and the food was very good.
During dinner Sweden beat Germany in the semi-final game.
Special thanks to my good friend Mark Lewin who kept me updated on the score.
“We are great husbands."
We had really nice drinks down at the Nilus Bar, in the square on the waterfront promenade. They gave lots of good snacks with the drinks, and it was the perfect spot to have an “early afternoon” Aperol Spritz at 10:30-ish.
Our second evening we ate above the water at the Hotel du Lac Restaurant. We were walking along, talking about food and places, Rome to be specific, and the delicious fried squash flowers we ate there, when a menu caught our eye.
Fried pumpkin flowers, stuffed with dried tomatoes, capers, and taggiasche olives with basil sauce and buffalo mozzarella.
Well then.
We made a reservation right there.
So we came for the squash flowers and stayed for the food.
Gail started with a glass of White Zapel, a blend of Nebbiolo, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
I had a glass of Sassella Sassi Solivi, 100% Nebbiolo.
They started us out with bread and a small serving of lentils with onions, lemon, garlic, and chives. A very delicate taste.
Gail got the pumpkin flowers, and they were very spicy tasting.
I started with the fillet of shad of the lake with fennels, orange and toasted pine nut paste was crunchy, and the pine nut paste was great!
Gail’s main course was eggplant, tomatoes and hummus. The tomatoes just exploded in taste. She switched her wine to a Ligana, Lombardi Trebbiano.
My main course was the pike perch with butter, endive, champignon mushrooms and pistachio sauce. Again the paste was delicious, and it was a wonderful mix of flavors.
I switched my wine to Inferno, another Nebbiolo but more of a huge nose. It’s the best one yet. Huge. I am all in on it.
For dessert I had to try the crumble fresh goat cheese mousse flavored with wild fennel, beet and mint sauce.
It sounded so weird, but I’ll be damned if it wasn't great. On a crunchy cookie.
I mean who comes up with these things?
Perfect with espresso.
We ended with a generous pour of Jameson’s and a limoncello and watched the lights come on all around the lake.
Photos of Varenna - Move Down For More Photos and Town Descriptions
Bellagio
We took the ferry to Bellagio first. This is the biggest town, and has the most frequent ferry service with Varenna.
This is the cutest, most touristy town on the lake. Bright pink and white oleander trees shade the walkway, there is a straight promenade out of town, and the waterfront area is nicely decorated in the typical Italian way.
The stores and restaurants are all pretty pastel colors, old buildings with shutters and metal railings. The town is topped by the cathedral, the bell tower topped by an onion dome instead of the stone Venetian bell tower in Varenna.
The main pedestrian street climbs right up the hill, twisting slightly to keep you in suspense (…is that another wine bar around the curve…???) and it is lined with stores and restaurants, mostly wine bars. Little alleys run off both ways.
At the top of the street you climb some stairs to the cross street, the one with cars squeezing slowly past the pedestrians. There is a viewing platform here so you can look back down the street to the first twist (…is that another wine bar around the curve…???) and out over rooftops to the lake.
The main street on top leads left to the church and more narrow alleys, and right out of town.
We stopped at SURPRISE! a wine bar where I had the excellent local Nebbiolo wine, Gail had a Pinot Grigio, and we got a plate of snacks.
If you want the cute, busy tourist town with more to do, Bellagio is the place.
Cadenabbia
We were stuck for an hour.
We spent time in the really nice church with the red wood ceiling. Parts of the walls are unpainted, but well outlined, ready to be filled in. The tile floor was pretty nice as well. It was cool inside, and it felt good to get out of the sun for a couple minutes.
There are a lot of hotels, but hardly any restaurants and no other things like stores. The main street is pretty busy with car traffic.
The main attraction is the big swimming pool, built on the edge of the lake. That seemed to be where everyone was gathered. There is a bar there, again with umbrellas and chairs.
There is a statue of a man who played boule here. I couldn't get if he was the founder of the town, or a famous player. Anyway, the statue makes it look like he has dropped his balls.
We caught the very next ferry out, back to Bellagio, so we could boomerang over to Varenna to Menaggio.
Menaggio
When the ferry drops you off, you have to walk back a block onto the busy main street, then go right about two blocks to hit the center of the village.
There is a nice waterfront area with restaurants and a short walkway. The main town square opens up from the waterfront, going back to the street that runs straight to the big cathedral.
There are a few crooked streets, one of them with steps right up the middle. Menaggio has the regular amount of stores selling cute Italian things to take home, along with food and wine.
We stopped for a good sandwich and poor wine at a shaded place overlooking the lake. While there, Italy lost to the Nederlands 2-0.