Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Rick Steves Writes About Bellagio

The Italian Allure of Lake Como

Varenna's romantic promenade hugs the shore of Lake Como.
By Rick Steves
Stretched over two chairs atop the tiny passenger deck of a 10-car ferry as it shuttles across Lake Como, I look south into the haze of Italy. I'm savoring the best of my favorite country with none of the chaos and intensity that's generally part of the Italian experience.
Turning the other way, facing a crisp alpine breeze, I marvel at the snow-capped Alps. I'm just minutes from Switzerland...but clearly in Italy: The ferry workers have that annoying yet endearingly playful knack for underachieving. Precision seems limited to the pasta — exactly al dente and reliably homemade. Rather than banks and public clocks (which inundate nearby Swiss lake resorts, such as Lugano), the lanes that tumble into this lake come with lazy cafes and hole-in-the-wall alimentari brimming with juicy reds and crunchy greens.
In Italy's romantic Lakes District, in the shadow of the Alps, wistful 19th-century villas are seductively overgrown with old vines that seem to ache with stories to tell. Stunted palm trees appear to be held against their will in this northern location. And vistas are made-to-order for poets. In fact, it was early nature-lovers who wrote and painted here that put this region on the map in the 1800s.
A handful of lakes tempt visitors just north of Milano. The million-euro question is: Which lake to see? Tiny Orta has an off-beat, less developed charm. Maggiore has garden islands and Stresa, a popular resort town. Garda is a hit with German windsurfers. But for the best mix of scenery, offbeatness and aristocratic-old-days romance, my choice is Lake Como. And it's just an hour north of Milan by convenient train.
Sleepy Lake Como is a good place to take a break from the obligatory turnstile culture of central Italy. It seems half the travelers you'll meet have tossed their itineraries into the lake and are actually relaxing. Read more.....
http://www.ricksteves.com/news/tribune/lakecomo.htm

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