May 2018
Leg three of our May 2018 European Trip was a stop in Lake Como. (You can also view posts on stop one and two.) Adam and I spent two weeks in Italy on our honeymoon and it quickly became our favorite place to travel. On that trip we visited Florence, Rome, Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast. It was incredible and a recap of it is on my blog to-do list! We realized how much we wanted to go back to explore more of the country we had yet to see.
There are multiple towns and options for lodging, but we decided to stay in Varenna. Bellagio is the well-known glitzier and more touristy town that is just a quick ferry ride away, but we liked the idea of Varenna being a little quieter and filled with more locals. We rented an Airbnb with beautiful lake views. The lake is stunning and from Varenna we could look up and see the snow-covered Swiss Alps.
We roamed through the town square and purchased the essentials, which in Italy always means a bottle of Barolo.
That evening, we ventured off to diner at II Cavatappi for delicious pasta and grabbed drinks along the waterfront before calling it a night.
Our taxi driver suggested a hike up to Castle of Vezio so we decided to do it first thing the following morning. The first 30 minutes of the walk felt like it was straight up hill (and it was!) but the destination was worth being a sweaty mess. Castle of Vezio is an ancient military outpost of medieval origin erected to defend and control the lake and the surrounding villages. At least that’s how Google described it, so I’ll go with it. As you can see, the views from the estate surrounding the castle are breathtaking.
We walked back into town and hopped onto the ferry to Bellagio. I now understand why Vegas named a casino after this glitzy destination. Bellagio has a presence much larger than its actual size. As soon as I saw Hotel Villa Serbellonio from the water, I was a little jealous that we weren’t staying at the resort, but quickly realized this would be the perfect excuse to come back.
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the bars and boutiques of town before heading back to Varenna.
We had a great evening for dinner at Ristorante La Vista; it was an ideal spot to watch the sunset.
My only regret about Lake Como is that we didn’t have more time. I had no idea how much I would love the area and want to extend our stay. Now that I have a taste for the surroundings, I would like to go back and visit more of the lakefront towns. It would be easy to spend three or four full days just around the lake.
Venice
From Lake Como we took a train back to Milan and headed to Venice. I went to Venice with a lot of expectations. I’d seen the gondolas and heard how romantic the city was and I couldn’t wait to explore it. Adam and I made the decision to walk to our Airbnb and instead of romance, I felt sweaty and claustrophobic. There were a lot of tourist and dodging them while carrying my bag up and down the stairs over the canals was not exactly the best start to the visit. When we finally climbed the four flights of stairs to our Airbnb, I realized the rooftop wasn’t over the canal as it had looked in the pictures, the toilet had an unsettling sway when you attempted to sit on it and the bathtub was more of a quarter of a bathtub than a full tub or shower. The picture doesn’t do it justice; I swear the sides of it were 3 ft tall which was a fun little challenge for my short legs. I was really tempted to Google and see if the JW Marriott still had rooms available. =) Venice and I were off to a rocky start.
We slowly made our way through the massive crowds and knocked out a couple of the touristy sights including St. Mark’s Square.
We grabbed a drink and watched the cruise ships leave Venice while someone chain smoked next to me. I took a deep breath, closed my itchy eyes and hoped the next day was better. In that moment, I know I’m not supposed to say this, but I hated Venice.
I really wanted to be a good sport as Adam seemed to be enjoying the city and luckily dinner helped to snap me out of my funk. Osteria Alle Testiere lived up to the hype and was well worth the reservation we’d made a few months in advance. The food was delicious, and the restaurant had a lively atmosphere.
I woke up the next morning determined that I was going to find an area of Venice that clicked for me. I went for a walk through the neighborhood and it was gloriously quiet. I let myself just wander and get a little bit lost without checking Google Maps which was exhilarating. I stopped for gelato and then (shh…) stopped for it again about an hour into my walk! By the time I got back to our place, I felt like a different person.
Adam and I mapped out a day that allowed us to explore while avoiding most of the main stops for tourists. We walked up to a café that had two little window seats and stopped by for a cocktail. I was instantly in love with the place. And as luck would have it, I kept finding more places to fall in love with along our way. This version of Venice felt like a completely different city than the over-crowded place I had visited the day before.
We stopped at Sina Centurion Palace for drinks and spent the better part of the afternoon enjoying the views before grabbing a private water taxi back to our place. I figured, I’d given up a posh hotel with an adult size tub; we could splurge on a water taxi.
Post dinner, we figured a trip on a gondola was the perfect way to end our visit. With the cruise ship tourist gone, it was a peaceful ride through the canals.
The next morning, we took another water taxi to the airport. I’m sure there are other places in the world where this is common practice, but it was my first time having a boat as my airport transportation and it was a fun way to arrive!
By the time I sat in my seat ready for our flight back home, I had a different opinion of Venice. As I looked back through my pictures, I realized there were a lot of hidden gems off the beaten path and I was grateful I had an opportunity to discover them. With all the places I love in Italy, I’m not sure I’ll make it back to Venice but I’m glad I didn’t give up on it without giving it a chance. But if there is a next time, I’m staying in a hotel. =)
Postcards To Mabel 