Lake Como Highlighted

For the first show about our recent trip I chose to return to Lake Como, actually our last stop on this tour. Normally I would begin with our first destination and work my way through each broadcast chronologically. Because there is a chance that the owner of the Bar il Molo in Varenna, Simone Deghi, might come to the United States and appear live on the Alan's Italy, I rearranged things to make certain that when he actually arrived that the series of shows on Lake Como in general and Varenna in particular had already been broadcast. If he doesn't make the trip, it would't matter, because this current series of shows is spectacular anyway.

So I started the series using my favorite destination in Italy Varenna. Even though there are no museums and churches, it is the scene of some of my most relaxing and enjoyable times in Italy, truly a place to slow down and enjoy the stunning beauty of Italy. I went back and did some background on Lake Como and my five trips there beginning in 2007 when I first met Simone. I then showed the variety of charming and gorgeous side streets and lanes that make Varenna so remarkable. I also focused on the Hotel Villa Cipressi where we used to stay and the current favorite, Hotel du Lac, where possibly we will stay from now on. The spectacular location with the lake in the background and the amazing patio where we spent a lot of time kicking back with prosecci and lemoncelli made for a sublime and relaxing experience, truly unforgettable. I also spent a lot of time talking about how wonderful Bar il Molo was, and also our formal favorite, Vecchia Varenna, also lakeside for stunning sunsets (for which I chose about a dozen of my favorites photos taken during our five previous trips).

I ended the show with a brief preview of the next two shows. The first will feature why Bar il Molo is our favorite informal venue on the lake highlighted by a series of interviews totaling thirty minutes with Simone, owner of the bar (really a restaurant, pizzeria, and gelateria). He shows us around his various enterprises including his B and B and new art gallery. The second show in that series will mark the 100th broadcast and will focus on my five favorite times in Italy since we started Alan's Italy in December 2011 ending with the penultimate moment, the sunset motor boat ride hosted by Simone and his partner, Silvia, to a wonderful restaurant where we dined away the evening. That spectacular boat ride and dinner will be the main focus of that special anniversary show.