Leaving Lake Como

The final day in the Como area, the warmth of the sunny holiday yesterday has left for a cool rainy day. The view from our balcony no longer reveals miles of water and mountains, but a magical veil of fog and clouds with the briefest of glimpses of light and hardscape mountain.

We have only one life to live and one day more here so rainjackets on… down the path ( steep rocky stone paths are slippery… the trek is a little longer today than yesterday… or maybe it is the drizzle slowing us).

When it pours, find a cafe with an awning and enjoy a little cappuccino. Again the clouds dance as the little bursts of rain empty them out, and the part, only to fill up again and close out the view. Maybe one more espresso.

We have not yet really explored Varenna beyond the waterfront, so we take the narrow alley up to the rest of the town. San Giorgio has a church from the 1100’s with some frescos still visible. The little church across the piazza had black marble tiles on the floor hune from nearby mountains. It is a popular wedding chapel.

As we come across the Villa Cipresso with its botanical gardens, we decide it is a good option for a rainy day. And as we enter the garden, the clouds part, the sun peaks through and the soggy morning gives way to a beautiful afternoon.

The holiday over, the crowd is gone, and we have the gardens almost to ourselves ( a perk of traveling in the shoulder season). Beautiful courtyards and pathways abound.

Wisteria hang from the stone walls and trellises. Cactus and succulents fill the hillside. Gardenia hedges, though not yet in bloom, are still beautiful. It is a spectacular surprise and what better way to spend an afternoon that has now become sunny!

We have finally learned our way up the walking path ( after a few wrong turns the previous days) and arrive home in time for an aperitivo before heading to the local restaurant for dinner.

We have eaten Bar Milano a couple of times -with no printed menu it is game of pantomime and broken Italian, but delicioso! While the cafes in town are nice, you cannot beat the view from “home”. Salute!