Leaving Venice we took the autostrada towards Milan. We had about a four hour drive to Bellagio, which would put us there by mid-afternoon.
As lunch time approached, an Autogrill appeared on the horizon. Perfect timing! We were ready for our Autogrill experience.
Similar to truck stops along the turnpikes of America, the Autogrill is a chain of cafeterias and lunch counters dotting the thousands of kilometers of autostradas in Italy and Europe.
For a quick snack or a coffee, you simply go to the cashier and tell him/her what you want and pay. Then, you take your receipt to the counter, they get what you ordered and you stand at the counter or at one of the tall tables while you eat your meal and drink your coffee. Simple and fast. If you wish to sit and eat, there is a cafeteria that stretches across the six lanes of the autostrada.
Equipped with a salad bar, pasta bar, grill, and dessert bar, the cafeteria has a variety of choices for the hungry traveler. We opted for pasta, risotto, a salad, and dessert, of course. It was decent food at Ciao, or is it "chow" restaurant.
We also got two coffees, which you get from the coffee bar downstairs after your meal.
Back on the road, we followed the sometimes stern commands from our GPS (she can get really testy when you miss an exit in a round-a-bout) and found this narrow road that was barely a lane and a half in most spots hugging the lake.
The scenery was nice. Although, I think I was able to enjoy it more while Wayne concentrated on the road.
We arrived in Bellagio as planned, around 3:00, and met Sylvie, Fabio's wife, who would show us where to park near the apartment. She was on her bike and peddled up the hill to the top of the town without breaking into a sweat.
Bellagio is a very nice town built into the side of a hill descending into the lake. It caters to the summer tourists. Lots of high end silk shops, jewelry shops, and nice restaurants in this small town. It's located on a point in the middle of Lake Como, which is in the shape of an upside down Y. Bellagio is in between the two lower branches of the lake. Being on the side of a hill, the streets are steep and oddly stepped.
Everything is in its place in Bellagio. The buildings are impeccably maintained, the flowers are perfect, and the streets are clean. A bit too Disney for us, but it was nice nevertheless.
We had a peek-a-boo view of the lake from our apartment window. If you stick your head out and look left, that is. But no complaints on the apartment. It was clean and had all of the necessary amenities except for a cork screw. Crazy, I know, being in Italy!
It was nice, though, having a small kitchen to prepare meals. One day, we stopped by one of the three small grocery stores and bought some salami, cheese, bread, and water for a quick lunch. Dinner is pasta with red sauce and italian sausage.
There are only four, I believe, apartments in the building called Il Borgo located on this small street leading down to the lake. This view is looking up towards the main road that loops around the walking streets of the city.
The area is very quiet and peaceful. Not much happening. The main event, besides eating and shopping, is sitting on a bench and looking out at the lake and mountains. It apparently doesn't get too cold here in the winter since there are plenty of palm trees along the lake.
One of our three day visit, we opted for a boat pass that permitted us to visit several lakeside villages nearby. Each leg took about twenty minutes, and the ferry boats circulated every thirty or so minutes. Except during lunch. The ferry boats shut down from noon until 2:00pm for lunch.
We found ourselves in one of the larger towns on the westside of the lake, Mennagio, during lunch. Wayne had his heart set on a pizza baked in a wood fire brick oven. Walking from the ferry terminal towards town he saw a sign advertising pizza al forno. So, we followed the signs up the road away from the tourist area of town and landed here.
It was a very good find indeed. The carrot salad was fresh, and the pizza was delicious. While eating, locals were coming and going, eating in and picking up pizzas. I think we were the only ones with cameras. Obviously tourists.
Back on the boat after lunch, we cruised the lake stopping at all the towns our ticket allowed.
The towns were all very similar and not terribly interesting, but the boat ride was nice and relaxing.
The claim to fame in this part of Italy are the villas along the lakefront. George Clooney is reported to have one in Bellagio. The ones we saw from the boat were shuttered and quiet. Must not be the season for the owners.
After a quick stop in another village with more immaculate gardens,
we made our way back to Bellagio. Time for an afternoon nap before dinner. Such is the quick and hurried pace of life here on Lake Como.
We pack up the car tomorrow morning and head for France via the Mont Blanc tunnel. Looking forward to getting back to France where I can communicate!
