Gold metal!

 

Rowing is an important sport around Lake Como.  We went to Menaggio which is a village near ours and discovered two men from this village took the gold metal in rowing.  There was a big celebration in the town square.  Being friends and unofficial US ambassadors to Italy we felt it was only right that join the celebration. 

The gift of time..

 

The mornings in Varenna are peaceful and quiet, it’s my favorite time to be out & about.  The “fly by” tourists mainly come in the middle of the afternoon.  They are easy to spot; in a hurry, with a book marking the 5 “must do’s” in Varenna.  I was in that spot for many years, now we have the gift of time.  We usually spend our afternoons here biking or hiking.  We have our other hobbies too; music, photography, learning about other cultures, reading…thinking.

The markets

 

At home when it’s time to get groceries you make a list, go to the grocery store and buy everything you need & want.  It doesn’t work that way here.  There are 3 tiny markets in the village, one has mainly fruits & vegetables (& pasta), one has mainly meats & cheeses (& pasta) the other one has 15 varieties of the best focaccia bread in Italy.  So each day I go to the markets and see what they have that day and then I make it work.  

Because we have been here for 2 weeks now I’m pretty much part of the community and the market owners know me.  One day I asked one of the owners if she had laundry soap, she didn’t so she went to her flat and gave me some of hers.  Another day I asked if they had a lime, she said sadly; “no, no limes today”.  The following day I went to the same market and she said “Sandy, we have limes!” And there was a small celebration.

Mountain biking

We had a great day mountain biking.  25 miles and 3000 feet of steep, rocky, muddy, slippery paths with unbelievable views…what could be better.

Thunder storms

 

Thunder and lightning storms are very dynamic in the mountains!  The warm winds come through these mountains and pick up water from the lake and sweeps it all up to meet the cool air at the top.  This causes very loud & active storms with heavy rain.  The streams that were a trickle a few days ago are now gushing down the mountains.  We cozy into our little loft with a good book and watch it all happen.  

We are supposed to get warm, sunny weather back today 😎

Lovers Walk

 

This lovely walkway goes around the village next to the water.  In the US we would call it the path by the water, here they call it the Lovers Walk.  Italians find a way to make everything sound romantic 💘. (Alan calls it the crowded, obnoxious, tourist walk 😝)

The Vezio castle

 

`Here’s a picture of our village from the water.  If you look on the top of the mountain on the right you can barely see the Vezio castle.  It has a mote, a draw bridge and you can climb to the top of it.  With a little imagination you can turn back the clock 1000 years and picture yourself watching for enemies coming to pillage & plunder your village and castle.  Fortunately today everyone comes in peace and eats gelato 🍧 

Gelato

 Gelato is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy 💕

Takes your breath away..

 I really don’t have much to say today except how breathtaking the views are when we are hiking 💚

Village of Varenna

 We are staying in Varenna with a population of 800, it’s tiny compared to Como which has 83,000.  It dates back to the 8th century and they have worked hard to preserve it’s original character.  It has steep, cobblestone streets & alleys, with lovely walkways around the water.  People like to stop here and enjoy the relaxed restaurants.  Our home is in the middle (2nd & 3rd floor) of the ones shown on the picture.

George Clooney

 

On the way to Como we went by George Clooney’s home.  He lives here with his wife and 4 year old twins.

Then we saw him on his boat (just kidding), this is a stock picture from the internet :-)

The slow boat to Como

 

We intentionally took the slowest boat to Como for the day so we could briefly stop at all of the pretty little villages along the way.

Interesting facts about Lake Como

 

Lake Como is in northern Italy, very close to Switzerland.  The lake is 29 miles long but only 2 - 3 miles wide.  It’s 1,350 feet deep making it one of the deepest lakes in Europe.  It’s depth gives it it’s stunning blue color.  The area is considered a microclimate meaning it’s weather doesn’t match it’s surrounding area.  It’s in the high 80’s in the summer and the average in the winter is in the 40’s (much warmer than it’s surrounding area).  It has palm trees and olive trees which will usually only grow much farther south.  Several movies have been filmed here including; the 2nd Star Wars and James Bond; Casino Royale.  Some of the rich and famous have villas in the mountains such as George Clooney & other well known Europeans.

The beauty of Lake Como

 Many, many years ago a business associate traveled through Europe and spent some time at Lake Como, he told me he thought Lake Como was the most beautiful place on the plant.  I never forgot that and  I think I understand what he meant now.  We are staying in Varenna which is the little village on the right.

Lake Como / home sweet home

 

We arrived in our little home on Lake Como just in time for cocktail hour.  We already found our favorite spot here.

Goodbye to Cinque Terre

 

I think to myself what a wonderful world - Louis Armstrong.  This morning we’ll leave Cinque Terre by train and arrive in Varenna, Italy (Lake Como) by this afternoon.

A fragile fairytale

 Cinque Terre is a popular place to visit, you hear languages from all over the world. It is a UNESCO world heritage site; a designated place on earth that has outstanding value to humanity and should be protected for future generations.  There are 2.5 million visitors a year.  But as of this year they are going to limit visitors to 1.5 million per year.  This is supported by the residents.  I find it heartwarming that a group of 5 little villages want to welcome visitors but are willing to give up some of their income to keep their little home as amazing as it is.

If the world is a book…

 If the world is a book then those who don’t travel read only one page

Pathway to Love

 

This photo shows the Via dell’ Amore trail (translates to Pathway to Love).  It runs about 20 feet above the sea between all of the villages.  As I mentioned earlier it’s closed at this time due to rock slides.  

When these villages were formed in the 13th century each village was extremely isolated.  Even though they were only a few miles apart, there were no trains or trails.  The villagers rarely married anyone outside of their village.  In the early 1900’s this trail was built and it was then possible to move between villages.  Young boys and girls used to meet between their villages and fall in love so the trail became known as the; Via dell’ Amore ❤

Italian Food

 

Italians are great cooks and they know the best food comes from the freshest ingredients.  Everyone here seems to have their own little garden.  The owner of our home brings us fresh eggs and fruits & vegetables picked that day from her garden.  I also go down to the little markets and pick up the staples we need; coffee, wine, focaccia bread and of course…….popcorn for Alan!

Village of Monterosso

 

We took a boat to Monterosso, the last of the 5 villages for us to see.  This one is the biggest with 1,500 residents and it’s the only one with a beautiful sand beach.  The water was crystal clear and warm. It still has an “old town” but it also attracts a few cosmopolitan travelers.  We spent the afternoon swimming or under an umbrella people watching, it was a nice change of pace. 

Village of Vernazza

 

This is the sweet little village of Vernazza.  Most people come here by train, there are very few cars.  Several years ago some people wanted to develope a faster highway to the village.  It would have brought more cars, tourists and money.  The villagers said “no thank you, we like our village just the way it is” 💚

We decided to take the longest & most difficult trails through the mountains to Vernazza.  After 11 miles and a few wrong turns we made it.  I didn’t look this “cheery” at the end.

The legend of Tiramisu

 I am on a quest to find the perfect tiramisu and Italy is the place to find it.  Literally tiramisu means “pick me up” or “pull it up” in Italian.  It’s made with strong espresso coffee, liquor, coco powder, cream, mascarpone cheese etc.  

The legend of tiramisu says it was created in Trevino, Italy in the 1800’s and it was given to patrons of brothels, they noticed that when tiramisu was offered their income when up.  Again note the Italian name for it & the ingredients…

The heights of our hiking

 You can see on this picture how the village of Corniglia sits right on the edge of a cliff.  It also shows just how high we are climbing.  If you have any fear of heights these trails are not for you!

Village of Corniglia

 

We hiked to the Village of Corniglia, we have now seen 3 out of the 5 Cinque Terre villages.  Each one has it’s own charm and uniqueness.  This is the only one that’s not right on the water, it’s built on a steep cliff.  We walked through the streets and had lunch at a cute little restaurant that looked out at the sea.

Baguette verses focaccia bread

 

When we arrived in Italy I wanted to buy a baguette to go with the salad I made.  I walked to a couple local markets and there were no baguettes to be found.  (In France you can’t walk 10 feet with out seeing baguettes for sale).  I walked into a small bakery next and asked the owner if he had a baguette and he said; No…no…no,no,no…No!  I have no baguettes because focaccia bread is better!!  I said; ok, in that case I’ll have focaccia bread.  He became much friendlier after that.  Their focaccia bread really was wonderful!  I have learned to never argue with an Italian about food.

Hiking to Riomaggiore

 

We hiked to Riomaggiore, the village next to us.  The scenic, easy hike is the Via dell’Amore trail that goes along the coast line.  However this trail has been closed for several years due to rock slides.  Now the only way to hike to other villages is over the mountains.  These trails are steep and rocky, in fact if they catch anyone hiking without proper hiking shoes they will be fined.

Sunset over the vineyards

 

Our home is small & cozy but it has a great deck, this is where we spend most of our time when we are not out & about.  The vineyards are on the mountain on the right and the village is 250 feet below us.   PS; happy 4th of July America!

Fresh eggs

 Manarola is a village of 350 residents.  Everyone knows each other and they all work to provide food, wine and care for travelers.  When we got here the owner; Lorella met us and walked us up the long winding steps to our home for the next 2 weeks.  It’s partially attached to a mountain on one side and looks down to the village, the sea and the vineyards on the other.  On the way up she stopped to show us her chickens.  She told us which one was her favorite and she picked 4 eggs for us for breakfast 💚  She also gave us a bottle of the local wine and 2 lemons from the tree outside our door…we already feel like family ❤

Cinque Terre, Italy

 

After a long train ride we arrived in Cinque Terre, Italy.  Cinque Terre translates to “five lands (villages)”each one connected by hiking, boats or a train.  We are in Manarola shown here.  Manarola is considered the most picturesque.  These villages have been able to keep their character and avoid contemporary  architecture, franchises, etc.  When we arrived we walked down to the water and then back up to our apartment on the top.  If we do that a couple of times a day we should be able to eat all of the pasta and pizza we want!