Lago di Como

Well, I had every intention of writing this post about a month ago, but alas...life has gotten in the way of updating this blog. Hey, better late than never....

When Lynda and I were trying to decide where we wanted to spend our fall break we decided that we wanted to go somewhere that we'd never been before. I immediately threw out Lake Como as a destination. I've always wanted to travel to Italy's Lake District and I wasn't disappointed.

We stayed in the lakeside town of Varenna. Set along the banks of Lake Como, Varenna is a quaint town that I imagine is overrun with tourists in the summer, but because fall had arrived along with cooler temperatures and gray skies we practically had the town to ourselves.

After checking into our hotel, I went out exploring on my own since it wasn't raining yet and I wanted to sit by the lake. I practically grew up on a lake in southeastern Wisconsin and love being next to the water. So, after I meandered through the quiet town I sat next to Lake Como for almost an hour just listening to the water lap at the shore. I was immediately transported back to Brown's Lake, WI and my childhood. I felt such peace sitting there, looking at the mighty Alps across the water from me.

The next day Lynda and I ventured across the lake to the town of Bellagio, another quaint town beside the lake. The weather was out of control! It was blustery, cold, and sometimes rainy. Still, we had a great day wandering the cobblestone streets, perusing stores, and eating a yummy lunch of funghi pasta.

Later as we made our way back to our hotel via the path that runs along the banks of the lake we almost found ourselves in the lake the wind was so strong! There was an incident involving Lynda's glove that I won't bore you with...but let me tell you that I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!

On our last day we awoke to....sunny skies! Of course. We're leaving so why wouldn't the weather clear!? The view stole my breath. The water was a sharp and clear cobalt blue, while from it's banks the imposing Alps rose proudly and snowcapped towards the azure sky. Nestled throughout the Alps' foothills, tiny Italian towns and villages looked inviting and like something out of a postcard. Really, it was picture perfect. We took our time making our way to the train station, stopping to sit by the lake and take in the view.

It was the perfect end to a great fall break. I returned to Rome relaxed and ready to start the second half of the semester.