You're Not in Bellagio (Las Vegas) Anymore

Bellagio, Italy is nothing like Bellagio, Las Vegas. The approach to Bellagio is either from above on a narrow, winding road, (which I did the first two times I went to Bellagio), or by ferry from Varenna or Menaggio (which I also did two times). Both are beautiful ways to get to the small Italian resort town.

The shops and restaurants were abundant, and I ate at the wonderful, and inexpensive, Carillon Pizzeria, Bar, and Gelateria Cafe a couple of times. There pizza was out of this world, and the view of the ferry and waterfront was equally exquisite!

Once, while eating with my cousin Delia, a tractor chugged by pulling a hay cart with a newly married couple in the back. Once they got to the waterfront, the tractor stopped and all the tourists sitting in the outdoor cafes applauded the young couple and took lots of pictures, myself included.

Most of the cafes were located along the waterfront, and all had outdoor areas to sit and watch the Lake go by. The first pizza I had in Italy was at the Carillon and it was exceptionally good. I was surprised how big they were and commented to Delia that I doubt I would finish mine. When they came, they were indeed large (by American "personal pizza" standards), but the crust is almost wafer thin. Not crispy, not doughy, the crust was done to perfection. Another difference between Italian pizza's (at least in Lombardy) and their American relatives, is that the tomato sauce in very sparsely applied. I had several more pizza's during my stay at other restaurants around the Lake, and the taste experience was far above what I had expected!

During several outings, I would revisit Bellagio. My favorite approach was the ferry boat. Bellagio's waterfront is best described as bellisimo! The mix of beautiful forested hills above, and beautiful, old European architecture along the water, makes the scene seem timeless. Once, I took the ferry to Varenna with a stop at Bellagio, just so I could look at it's beauty. From Menaggio, the view across the Lake to Bellagio at night, looked like a diamond sparkling in its setting.

360 Degree View From The Breakwater

This is another short video shot with my SLR camera. Quality isn't too good, but I didn't have a camcorder. I walked out on the breakwater behind my hotel and got the shot. I stopped my panning for a second when I was on my hotel, then continued.

Commercial Fisherman

Quite of few of the local dishes revolve around freshly caught fish from Como di Lago. Fishermen go out in the night to fish and bring in their catch in the early morning. Sometimes when you walk by the house you can see someone cleaning fish in the morning, or mending and cleaning nets in the afternoon.

The boat is small, with a spot light mounted on the side. I asked if they were going after trout and was told that trout are winter fish, they are really deep this time of the year. I didn't recognize any of the other fish that I saw, but on my lake side walks, I would often see large fish swimming near the seawall.

Above the patio of the fisherman's home was a large picture by a well know local artist of Jesus and his disciples bringing in their catch. The painting has a piece of glass over it to protect against the elements, but also made photographing it hard because of the constant glare.

Rome's Colosseum

After a 2 course lunch, I decided to try to make it to at least one famous Roman site. Looking at them maps I got from the hotel, it appeared that I could walk to a train station, change trains once, and get off at the Colosseum.

Setting out with my umbrella I found the train station a few blocks from my hotel. During my walk it started raining, and continued to rain until the late evening. Going north wasn't too hard, and after 5 stops I came to the subway. Getting off the train was easy, but now it was 6pm and rush hour. I have never felt like a sardine in a can until that ride. I got on quickly and many more got on in back of me. The door started to close, but couldn't. Someone from the outside pushed the last person in and I was surrounded by a sea of humanity.

I only had to go two stops and get off, but how do I get off from the middle of a packed subway car? When my stop came I pushed as hard as I could and, while I didn't know what was said, could hear Italian curses. But I did get off. Once outside the station I could see the imposing edifice that was the Colesseum!

The building was much larger than I imagined it. I had a hard time trying to take pictures and not get rain on my camera. Surrounding the Colosseum was a world of antiquity. The only one I knew was the Arch of Constantine. It was built in 312 AD to commerate Constantine's victory over Maxentius but for some reason it looked almost new, despite its almost 2 millennium existence.

There were obvious archeological digs going on as well as resorations and lots of "deferred maitenance". If Rome can put it off for 2,000 years, why not California Parks. (An inside joke for DPR folks.) But the area was indeed filled with ancient Rome. And, despite the contant rain, the area was filled with tourist from all corners of the globe.

Looking at my Rome map, I could see so many areas that I would have liked to explore, but my time in the city was pretty much limited to a few early evening hours. Fortunately the historical monuments here don't close early like they do in California.

My ride back to the hotel was somewhat less crowded at 8:30 than it was earlier. And while I enjoyed seeing the beautiful colosseum (remember that Bruce Lee killed Chuck Norris there), I already missed Lago di Como. Hopefully I can return to my Northern Italian roots in the future.

The Canceled Flight

On Monday morning I took the slow ferry down the lake to Como for my last, long look at the lake. Tomorrow I was due to fly out at 8:30, so I decided to get to Milano by Monday night so I could get up early and easily make it to the airport. In Como I took the train directly to Milano and changed trains once in Soronno, and ended up at the Malpensa Milan Airport. Once there I took a shuttle to my hotel for my last night, or so I thought, in Italia.

Tuesday morning I boarded the shuttle to the airport, found the ticket counter, and discovered that my flight had been cancled. I was pretty bummed out until the agent asked me if I would be willing to fly to Rome and spend the night there, Delta's treat. I jumped on it!

So I got my ticket to Roma and made my way to the uscita (gate). Wow, it was only about 10 AM and it was only about an hour flight to Rome...I would have most of the day to quickly discover Rome.

The jet took off and as soon as it reached altitude it just as quickly descended to Rome. From the window I was surprised to see how close it was to the Tyrrhenian Sea. After disembarking I walked up to the first information center I could find to ask where Delta's ticket counter. They told me that it might be closed because they only have flights out in the early morning. After about an hour there I was directed to Alitalia. The first counter I went to was for domestic only (I was international), so I had to go to another terminal for the Alitalia ticket counter. Now it was just about 12:30 and I was burning daylight and getting perturbed! When I got to Alitalia I was told that they would help me get my hotel and meal voucher from Delta. The very kind and helpful agent kept calling for about another hour when finally they got someone. My story was told and the Delta agent said my vouchers would be there in 5 minutes...or about 1:30. After another hour wait the English speaking Delta agent came over and was made at me for making him walk all the way over to the Alitalia counter! I asked him how to get to the hotel (the Satellite Hotel), and he said go outside, down to the first level and look for a silver bus. Okay, now I had wasted all morning, at least I was going to my hotel. Once outside and down to street level I found a 1/2 mile long area for busses filled with either silver or white busses! Walking up and down the line I asked each "Satellite Hotel?" and the driver shook his head and point to the next bus. Finally I found the right area and the sign said "bus every 30 minutes". After an hour I called the hotel and they said one would be there by 3pm. I arrived at my hotel at 3:30 extremely tired from standing and waiting. I hadn't eaten since 7:30 am and was famished. So I went to the hotel restaurant and they made me a special lunch in between their open hours.

Menaggio Piazza

This is a short video of the Menaggio Piazza. The Tourist Information Center is located here. It was a great place to get tons of free information of hikes, tours, history, etc of the area. Each town has them. The Cafe Pess was a where I ate lunch most days, or had an afternoon Americano Caffe Nero and Gelato later in the afternoon. At the beginning and end of the shot, you can see the tower and part of the church of San Stephano.

Eating Out

I have always heard that food is really good in Italy. They weren't kidding. Everything that I have eaten has been squisito!

Eating in Bars can be very good, though they call it snack food. Bars do have hard liquor, but they are also places to get very good coffee, capuchino, or espresso. I often get an Americano Caffe Nero (Black coffee). In the afternoon I get a gelato, the most delicious ice cream I've ever had. Ben and Jerry must have learned their trade here. Cheap, too. The Americano Caffe always comes with a small pot of hot water. I think that the coffee might be too strong for many Americanos, so water helps cut the strength. I've had two espresso's in the morning, and my hands were shaking 10 minutes later.

The other thing I like about eating out around Lago de Como is that most places have the exquisite views. Places where, for $10 USA, I can buy a great lunch and get the view thrown in gratis.

Como Birds

Lots of bird life here in Como.

I am traveling light, so no binoculars or bird book.

Here are some that I have been able to capture with my camera.

Click on a picture to see it larger.

Loveno

Todays hike in the afternoon took me to my Aunt's village of Loveno. It is a small city situated above Menaggio. The hike up was very uphill the entire way. I can really see how these Italians stay so thin, despite eating so well.

The walk took me over the Sanagra River again, but this time on a different bridge. On the left side up river was an old wall in the river bed. It looked like it may have been an old Roman aquaduct, but there were no signs.

Right in the middle of the bridge was a shrine dedicated to San Giovanni Nepomuceno, the patron saint of bridges. By the time I got to the top I was very tired. There were beautiful Villas up there, some were new, some were old. I ran into my cousin Daniela's son, Luca, on the way up. I was very surprised to hear my name being called by a young man I didn't know (yet). Luca was walking down to Menaggio with a friend and recognized me from pictures. I am scheduled to go to his home near the Swiss border on Sunday.

Anyway, I had a great pizza and salad for dinner with a birra! Tonight Mexico played France in the World Cup. Just minutes ago Mexico won. I'm going to sleep well tonight!

Autos in Italy

This is just a few pictures of very small cars that we don't get here (with the exception of the Ford Fiesta).

I enjoy looking at how folks drive on the extremely narrow roadways. Delia, my cousin, says that gas is expensive, so most everyone drives

small cars.

The few large vehicles (VW Vans and a few Japanese SUV's) have to stop often to allow people to pass. They travel slower, and with caution.

Bell Towers

Bell towers, in Italy, can give you some idea of their maker, and when they were erected. In the cities I have visited in Northern Italy, you often can not see the tower from the church. In the case of San Carlos Church you have to go down to the town center about 1/2 mile away and look back to the Spanish style bell tower.

Built in 1614, during Spanish control, the tower reflects the Spanish heritage of this area. Though it dominated for only a few years, you can see it in the tower. To Californians, you can see similarities to the Mission architecture of El Camino Real Missions.

The church bell towers through the Lombardy region ring on the hour and half hour from early in the morning until about midnight. San Stefano is the main bell in Menaggio, and it's beautiful peels can be heard from all throughout the town! This is the biggest that I have seen during my short stay in Italy, and the loudest.

Church of San Carlos

Yet another beautiful Menaggio church. At the upper limit of my walk today was a church built in in 1614 so that Cinzio Calvi and his wife could have their tombs in it.

San Carlos was built during a period of Spanish domination during this time, so the church carries a Spanish carrier inside and out. I couldn't see the bell tower (too many high walls all around the church), but you can see it down in the town.

There were large paintings hanging from the walls of the Church, as well as several murals painted on the wall of a man (St. Peter?) watching and writing in his book.

After making the climb I took the same route back in the drizzle that had been going on all day.

Via Castellino de Castello

This old, narrow road always had a beauty to be discovered behind gated portals, or right ahead on the path. There is a part of the path that goes under a home that is spanning the path.

More old sculptures along the way. This is supposed to be a winged cat with a bust above it. Time has taken its toll on the bust. These two sculptures are from the XI century.

Old Statue Head

During my hike UP history, I came across an old gate that was capped with the head of an old bull. It was a 12th century Bull of San Luca head, but there wasn't any record, that I could find, which told of the maker, or how it got to the top of the gate.

Further along I came across the perimeter walls of huge castle that was build in the beginning of the middle ages and destroyed in 1523 under the despotic regime of Pombal. I could see glimpses of it along the way, and at the top a large section of wall was still standing.

Walking Up History

Still raining! Supposed to rain for several more days. At least the rain usually falls gently and my umbrella works, va bene. I thought I would take a hike up a street called Via Castellino da Castello, where there is all sorts of history that just drips from the buildings. My journey started out from the local Piazza Garibaldi and headed up hill. The streets were wet and empty, so I could take my time climbing the narrow alley to the top.

One of the first antiquities that greeted me is the family house of a famous (at least here) Jesuit priest named Gabriel Malagrida. He was born in Menaggio in 1689. As a young man he joined the Jesuits and left for Brazil, where he worked for 28 years. Upon his return to Portugal in 1749, Gabriel received a hero's welcome. Everything soured for the poor man, who was thrown in prison for treason with the charge of treason. During his time in jail Gabriel started writing about Saint Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary. He apparently had a very unhealthy fixation on Saint Anne's uterus and was then found guilty of obscenity and blasphemy. He as put to death in 1761 by strangulation in Rossio square, Lisbon, Portugal. His corpse was burned after and the ashes were scattered in the Tagus River.

The houses that lined the Via Castellino da Castello were all old, like Padre Malagrida's. The walk was steep, and it was hard to get really good shots because of the lack of sunlight. Besides the rain, the walls are high on this road and the street narrow. My next stop near the top will be a 16 century church.