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Italy's Luxurious Lake Como
$3125 Includes All Expenses Except Airfare
Contact Us for 2012 Dates!
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Lake Como - Your Home for a Week
Europeans have been spending languorous months gaining inspiration on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como for centuries. Think Stehdahl, Wordsworth, Verdi, Byron, and Puccini. Upon seeing Lake Como, Percy Bysshe Shelley proclaimed: "This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty." Now, it’s your turn. In fact, you may have already seen Lake Como without even knowing it; it’s appeared in Star Wars II, Casino Royale, and Ocean’s Twelve. See the movie A Month on the Lake with Vanessa Redgrave and a young Uma Thurman for a preview. George Clooney likes it so much he’s bought a lovely villa that we may be able to spot as we ferry back and forth. We’ll spend a week here exploring history, cuisine, culture, and the fine art of relaxing. $3125 (double occupancy) covers all of your costs (lodgning, meals, ground transportation, classes, excursions) excluding your airfare/transportation to Milan.
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Day 1 - Arrival and Settling In
We’ll meet at the Milan airport, where we’ll spirit you away to the city of Como. From there it’s a water taxi to our home base, Bellagio (which was a town before there was Las Vegas). We’ll stay at the Residence La Limonera: wonderful apartments with gardens at the top of Bellagio’s hill. We’ll dine at Bilacus, just a few blocks away, our favorite in-town spot with a full menu of regional cuisine. In the past, we’ve had perfect al dente risotto with fried sage leaves and local perch, along with pillows of ravioli with cream and prosciutto. Magnifico!
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Day 2 - Bellagio
We’ll take a leisurely morning stroll through Bellagio’s famous shops and parks. Shop everywhere in town, but we love the prints and watercolors from Grandi Carlo down on the lower level of shops, Piazza Mazzini, 2. Wind up the twisted streets and you’ll find another of our favorites, Luigi Tacchi, a family-run business that creates beautiful, useful shapes using olive wood. We’ll try lunch at Silvio’s, where local fishermen create the menu around the catch of the day. Then, we’ll head out on a chartered water taxi in the afternoon to the Villa del Balbianello, a sumptuous site, scene of several movies, including, most famously, James Bond’s Casino Royale. We’ll take a private tour of the villa and learn all of its secrets, then it’s back to the apartments for relaxation, aperitifs, and fine dining in the evening, where we’ll wind through gardens at Villa Melzi to try another top-rated restaurant just on the docks of the lake, Alle Darsene di Loppia.
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Day 3 - Villa d'Este
Maybe you’ve heard of it: Villa d’Este. Near the town of Cernobbio at the bottom of the lake, this property has hosted kings and stars over the years. Built in the 1500’s as a Cardinal’s summer home, the property continues to exude the effortless elegance of a bygone age. We ferry down to Cernobbio, then walk the short distance to the property, where we’ll be greeted with a luxurious lunch and walk around the famous Renaissance gardens. Instead, you may choose to lounge on the terrazzo and contemplate your parallel life here, as king of all you survey.
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Day 4 - Mennagio and Varenna
If you think of Lake Como as an upside-down “Y”, Bellagio is at the center, along with Menaggio and Varenna to the west and east, respectively. Today, we become amphibious and water taxi to each, taking in the sights and best of each city, each having its own distinct character and history. World War II buffs will be interested to know a darker side: as World War II drug to a close, Mussolini fled Milan, spent the night in Menaggio, and then was captured in Dongo just north. Our journey has a lighter focus, but knowing a little history adds depth to the journey. We’re off for a quick walking tour of Menaggio, then it’s to Ristorante di Paolo for lunch. You’ll enjoy Menaggio’s cuisine, influenced by both the lake culture, and Alpine culture with Swiss roots. Back in Bellagio, we’ll relax and dine at Trattoria San Giacomo, perched on the edge of Bellagio’s now-familiar precarious, hilly streets. Local lake fish and salad for me!
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Day 5 - Cooking Lesson at Il Caminetto
Today we voyage to Ristorante Il Caminetto, just a few paces from Varenna for a cooking lesson with Chef Moreno. We’ll gather late morning for coffee and conversation, and then our lesson begins! We’ll learn how to make local specialties such as pasta, risotto, and meats rolled around tasty stuffings. We’ll taste a little wine, then dine on the fruits of our labors. Return to Bellagio late afternoon for a stroll near the lake and a light dinner.
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Day 6 - Volts and Cable Cars
On our last day together will be electric! We’ll share our last ferry ride to the city of Como, home of Alessandro Volta, inventor of the Voltaic Pile, precursor to our modern battery. Napoleon was impressed, and made him a count. And the unit of measure of electromotive force, the “volt” is named after him. On arrival in Como, we’ll head to the Tempio Voltaio, a museum dedicated to Volta, then, take a funiculare (cable car) to the tiny town of Brunate where we can walk to the tiny lighthouse dedicated to….you guessed it – Volta! The views are stupendous from this vantage point; on a clear day, we can see the Swiss Alps. We’ll head back and dine at Bellagina, where the best pizza in town is served by ex-pat Turks.
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Day 7 - Arrivederci!
All good things………..Today we say good bye to Bellagio and Lake Como (for now!) and head back to Milan, where you can catch transportation to your next Italian destination or flights home.
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