Paradise on the Lake

Just wanted to talk a little about Lake Como. Obviously from the show it should be clear to the viewer my love for this region of Italy, as well as its extraordinary beauty. I recall very vividly that first experience back in 2007 when we first stayed at the Hotel Villa Cipressi with that amazing view of the lake. The hotel has sumptuous gardens, great public areas, and a friendly, wonderful staff. We stayed in Varenna at the suggestion of Rick Steves and his really great tour book. He was absolutely correct, as he almost always is. The town of Varenna is much less touristy than Bellagio, very peaceful (except on Sundays), and charming. We had a first lunch on the patio of the hotel overlooking the lake, and felt quite aristocratic staying in a Lake Como Villa. That night we had dinner at Vecchia Varenna, the premier restaurant lakeside, as RS indicates. It was quite lovely, and for a short time we had the unobstructed view of the lake until it became too cold and they closed the plastic covering. We then had the irritating experience of being there the night of a big wedding. At first we liked conversing with the wedding party, but then couldn't sleep until 4 AM, because of the noise. After complaining to the manager, he gave s a free dinner at their restaurant all expenses paid, and what a meal it was, soup to nuts with wine probably a $200 meal. When the chef came out at the end of the meal, he was given a standing ovation by the diners. We were all on the patio and that experience was among the best dining experiences of my life.In 2008 after canceling our trip with Linda and Bruce to Sicily, because Alitatlia canceled our flight we decided to instead stay on Lake Como and then Lake Maggiore. First we stayed in Bellagio at the wonderful Hotel Bellevede, and then in Stresa at La Palma, both with spectacular views of the lakes. That was very relaxing. On our way driving Linda and Bruce to the airport, where we would then return the car and train into Milan for the night, I received my first traffic summons, given to me while I was back home 2 months later, for entering the ZTL, Zona Traffico Limitato. Many centers of Italian cities are closed to traffic. This one was the town of Gallarate, a few miles from Malpensa. When we returned in 2009 we had the corner room at Villa Cipressi with the view of the lake and the town, a slightly better room.  Incidentally I love ferrying the lake stopping at the towns and villas, a very relaxing and fun experience.  The only down moment occurred when I was parking my rented car and a nail sticking out of the sidewalk cut my tire in half. I decided to return the car that moment, as we would not be needing it anymore. That little episode cost me $400 for a new tire. We decided to stay the extra night and instead of sleeping near Malpensa (Milan's airport), we took a taxi ti the airport with a great person and car service owner who operates out of Varenna, Marco Barilli. For a cool 140 Euros (close to $200), we arrived at the airport flawlessly, and for once very relaxed. The fourth trip was 2010 when we took Laura's oldest friend, Randy, and her son, David to Rome, Alto Lazio, Tuscany, Florence, Venice, and finally Varenna. That was the usual wonderfulness. That entire trip was among my favorite. Randy and David are two of my favorite people in the world !!! So that's four times on Lake Como, all unforgettable. I know this is a blog site which is supped to be paralleling my TV show, but I figured, what the heck ! Ya only live once. If you like hearing about the actual trips I have taken to Italy, please feel free to go to Travelpod.com, and search for AlanJGreenhalgh.