I have done quite a bit of traveling for work in the 4 months that I have been an ex-pat. And sometimes, I have even gotten to squeeze an extra day or weekend in to take time to visit whatever city I may be in. This weekend was a bit different, as I took off for Northern Italy for a weekend at Lake Como with Maria, a friend and ex-coworker...and the intent was pure fun and relaxation! Arriving in Milan late on Friday night, Maria met me at the airport and we headed to Como, encouraged that the predicted rain had not yet start. Saturday morning dawned early, and I got my first real view of the lake from our balcony. No wonder George Clooney has choosen this place to get away from it all...and no, there were no George sightings (much to Maria's disappointment :) ).
Ferries are the preferred mode of transport for the lake, so we got a day pass, and spent the day on the water, criss-crossing the lake from village to village. First up was Belliago, where we got our shopping out of the way amoung the cobbled streets and lake-side cafes. Maria was focused on her hunt for a Italian leather bag, while I admired the silk for which Como is known for. After our time in the boutiques, which was successful, we visited the 12th century Basilica di San Giacomo, where I snagged my Italian geocache, and we then admired the intricate artwork and design of the church. We ended our morning with some wine and olives at the Lakeside where we could watch the ferry come and go. We could have spent all day in Bellagio, but we jumped back on the ferry to Varenna for some of the best views of the Lake. Now, this might be a good time to mention that the lakes in the Lombardy area of Italy have no real shore-line.....they truly are at the base of the pre-Alpine ranges, and so the terrain is basicly straight up as soon as you hit dry land. So as we set our sights to the ruins of Castello di Vezio, a 13th castle nestled in the hamlet of Vezio, in the hillside above Varenna, we did not quite understand that this was not a leisurly walk through the trees. 45-mins of a moderatly strenous hike up, and we were greeted with the small grouping of builidings that was Vezio, and then up to the castle ruins which lead us through an olive tree grove. The castle is home to a falcon avary, and we got there right in time to see the falcons flying through the mountains around the castle. 
From atop the watch towers, and under the care of the castle's "ghosts", we were rewarded with incredible views of the 3 branches of the lake, and the Italian-Swiss Alps in the distance. We descended from the castle as it began to rain, and headed for our last stop of the day, Maria's favorite village, Lenno. There we grabbed a quick snack and some more wine, and then took to the hills once more along the Greenway del Lago di Como, a 10km route which runs along the west bank of the lake. We did about 3km of the walk, from Lenno to Sala Comacina, taking in the Villas that line the lake, the amazing church towers, and even more incredible views. We reached Sala Comacina with the intent of hoping on the last ferry of the day back to Argegno, but a mishap with reading the ferry schedule forced us to partake in another of the public transporation offerings of the area. How those buses navigated on the the narrow lake road, I have no idea, but we made it back for an al fresco dinner of pizza and (of course) wine.
We woke up on Sunday to quite rainy weather, but that did not dampen our spirits as we headed out to the town of Como, at the bottom of the west branch of the lake. We managed to find parking fairly easily, and we set out on foot to find the lake-front area. Having no map, and little sense of directions between the two of us, we wandered amoung the narrow streets, eventually coming upon a parade of some sort, in which appeared to have a military theme. As it was raining quite steadily, we watched for a few minutes, hidden under a store awning, before heading out to the city Duomo (Cathedral). Now, I had already been impressed by the churches we saw on Saturday, but the attention to detail and amazing artwork in the cathedral was simply amazing. However, given it was Sunday morning, we did walk into the middle of mass. Not to be disrespectful, we joined in, and attended the Catholic mass service in Italian. This is actually the second time I have attended mass accidently and in a different language (the first was in Argentina)...however most catholic services following pretty much the same script, so it was not hard to follow along. 
In the afternoon, we headed into Milan for the rest of the day, leaving the car and taking the train in from a nearby suburb. Our main purpose of the trip was to allow Maria to vote in the Polish presidential election, but we took the oppurtunity to hit the highlights of the city...the grand Duomo and the birthplace of many of Italian high fashion. We walked amoung streets housing the flagship stores of Dolce & Gabanna, Prada, Armani, and also a number of exclusive boutiques. We could have window shopped all day (and yes, all we did was WINDOW shop), but as we turned a corner, the Duomo loomed above us with the magnificance of the Emerald City (without the verde tint). The Milan Duomo was started in 1387, and the city had to build canals just to have the marble brought in. The Gothic style and medieval specifications were adhered to throughout its long construction history, as it was only finished in 1960. Nevertheless, the amazing facade is nothing compared to the moment you step inside. The beauty and magnificance of the cathedral is beyond words, and I was truly speechless for a few moments (which all of you know, is a very rare occurance!). 
We spent a good amount of time exploring the Duomo, going down to the lower chapel, which housed the Eucharist, and also the final resting place of Saint Carlo Borromeo, who died in the 16th century. We left the Duomo in search of a little cafe to grab lunch, and noticed that the local police were hurrying everyone off the piazza in front of the cathedral. We were curious, but our hunger won out, and we found a place off a side ally to grab a bite. On the way back with passed the Opera house (which was locked), and wandered back through more shopping areas. As we approached the Duomo on our way back to the trainstation to leave the city, we realized why the police were clearing the area.....in the center of the piazza, there was a very large screen set up and playing on it was the Italy v New Zealand world cup match! Now this is a place serious about their football! With that, we decided to head out of town as quickly as possible, as the Kiwis were winning 1-0 and we did not want to stick around with the rest of the city to watch the rest of the game!
No comments:
Post a Comment