A Letter From Lake Como

Dear George,

  I'm sorry you weren't home the last time I visited Lake Como.  I know I should have timed my trip better, but we we decided to stay an extra day in Freiburg, and you know how rarely I get to Germany!  It's funny how this was my second trip to the lago, yet the three Italians I was traveling with had never been, and I, once again, had to act as tour guide.  Romans!

  The photo at the top of my blog was taken at the Villa Monastero (do you visit other villas on the lake to compare?), which was originally a nun's monastery built in the early 1200's.  (I'd join that convent!)  As a visitor sashays through the ornate rooms and tranquil gardens, it's not a far stretch to imagine oneself as a baroness or important guest and wish that one could stay for a few days.  I was so sure that I had lived there in another life that I nearly shooed away all of the tourists; I didn't like the way they were snooping around.

Bellaggio

  No matter how many times I cross Lake Como on the ferries, I am still amazed at how big it is.  It took us 15 minutes to get from Varenna to Bellaggio, and 6 minutes to get to Menaggio, but those are only  the towns in the middle of the lake - it took another hour to get to Como.  I hear it's a six-hour drive to circle the lake; small wonder with all those annoying round-abouts.

   Do you ever get to the town of Como?  I doubt it since it's so crowded and you would get recognized too easily.  I would have to put Como on the list of the top shopping districts in Italy.  We were there on a Saturday, and the streets, closed to automobile traffic, were bustling with locals and tourists, and just when we would think we had come to the last shop, we would turn the corner and end up on yet another row of stores.  There were outdoor cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and churches - we even saw two weddings.  Too bad the Italian silk merchants have mostly been swallowed up by the Chinese, but who hasn't?

Menaggio

 


On our way back to Varenna on the ferry, we passed Laglio, where everyone shouted out "Ciao George!" at every grand villa, but I knew you wouldn't come out and wave like you used to in the early years, because, let's face it, those Italians are getting tiresome, aren't they?  They were charming and fun in the beginning, but they really act like they own you out on that lake: George this, and George that - don't they have celebrities of their own in Italy?  Seriously now, if it's a siting you're interested in, just come to Studio City, right?

  I promise next time I'm at Il Lago I'll give you more notice.  I'll just drop by to say hello though, I couldn't possibly stay at your place.  I'm sure your villa is quite lovely, but I really must get back to the Villa Monastero and see if they would be willing to cloister me there.

Until Then,
Susan

Villa Monastero