Innkeepers & travelers, please send us your travel articles for future issues at info@altraverse.com!
Italy 2005
Part Four: Milan & Lake Como
The Trip From Florence
From Florence, we took the Eurostar train first to Milan, where we stopped off for lunch and a quick tour of the center of the city. Then we boarded one of the smaller trains for the leg up to Varenna, about halfway up Lake Como's eastern edge.
Lake Como is truly breathtaking:
The Lombardy People
We didn't spend enough time in Milan to get to know anyone there, but folks were, as you might expect from Italy's fashion capital, very sharply dressed. The folks in the Lake Como area were very friendly, and we enjoyed the hospitality for the three nights we stayed in Varenna.
Milan
Click On Any Picture To See More
Our experience in Milan was brief. Even 21 days is a short time to try to see all of Italy, and we didn't budget time for an overnight stay in the fashion capital of Italy. But we did manage a layover - coming in from Florence by train, we took a Taxi to the heart of Milan - the Piazza del Duomo.
While we were here, we visited the beautiful upscale shopping center called the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II pictured above. We made the mistake of eating here, at a cute little cafe inside the shopping center - total cost for two, no alcohol - 73 Euro (over $90 US) for lunch, and not that great a meal. Our table charge (to "rent" the table) alone was 14 Euro.
Still, this is a beautiful city. Just to the east of the Duomo is a long open-air pedestrian shopping district that rivals anything we saw in Rome. The Duomo itself was, of course, under renovation, but it was still stunning, with what seemed like thousands of white spires gleaming in the afternoon sun.
We'd like to come back one day and explore Milan a bit more.
Lake Como is a long, h-shaped glacial lake in Northern Italy, nestled right up against the Italian/Swiss border. It reminded us a lot of Lake Tahoe in Northern California - a deep, pure lake that sparkles in the afternoon sun.
Varenna
 Varenna is a charming, small seaside town on the eastern side of the "h", about halfway up the lake's length. The train station sits above the town, so you can get a glimpse of it as you approach from Milan in the south, just before you enter a mountainside tunnel. On the far side of the tunnel, the train emerges briefly, only to plunge into another on the far side of the station, leaving you the impression that you've disembarked in some strange, hidden mountain destination shut off from the outside world.
 In fact, you can actually reach here now by car as well, though the twisty, narrow roads are not for the faint-of-heart.
From the train station, you make your way down into town - no more than a 10-15 minute walk. Here's where thay rolling luggage comes in handy. Varenna saves its best face for the water, but still, as you enter the small town, you can see bits and pieces of it's glory - beautiful old buildings covered in verdant red leaves; twising, cobblestone pathways that are strung through the town like rough necklaces; and perhaps a glimpse of the clock tower at the central square.
There are no clubs here, very little in the way of shopping, and absolutely no nightlife. What you will find in Varenna is absolute beauty, and a relaxing atmosphere that can provide a well-deserved rest after days or weeks walking through Rome or Florence or Venice.
Where to Eat
Ristorante & Terraza La Vista
At Hotel Albergo Milano, ia XX Settembre 29, Varenna
39 0341 830 298
hotelmilano@varenna.net
http://varenna.net/
There are a few really good restaurants here, including one at the Hotel Albergo Milano - but the seating is extremely limited, so we recommend you make your reservations here as soon as you arrive in town. The food here is excellent.
What to See
 Villa Monestero
Varenna also boasts two outdoor gardens that are open to the public. Of the two, Villa Monestero, an old Monestary now turned into a convention center, is by far the more spectactular. The grounds stretch out along the Lakeside, and there are stunning vistas almost everywhere you look, including some beautiful views of Varenna itself to the North.
It's hard to take a bad picture here (we did manage a couple); this is also a great place to bring a picnic lunch on a nice day. If you're staying in town, ask your host if they have tickets available for this garden - it's well worth a visit.
It's also nice to just wander around town, taking in the sights, stopping at the small negozi (shops) here, and maybe getting some gelato at a little bar by the water. There's a great walk that runs form the main part of town along the waterside to the Marina, where you can take a ferry to other parts of the lake. here are a few shots we took just wandering around Varenna.
Here's a map of Varenna to help you get oriented. The train station is at the far top-left. You walk down the road to the main town in the center; the ferry leaves from the right. On the left is Villa Monestero.
And as we mentioned, Varenna shows her best face to the lake - here are a few pictures we took of the town from the ferry to Bellagio.
  
Bellagio
Across the lake from Varenna, in the center of the "h", lies Bellagio, another beautiful lake town on Lake Como. Having been to the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, we expected a wild, party-all-night European resort town. But Bellagio's nothing like that. Besides the name, all it shares with the Vegas attraction is a lakeside location and some beautiful Italian architecture.
Bellagio has one thing that Varenna does not - an internet cafe. We spent hours one afternoon at a little place here on our laptops - it had a bar downstairs and a nice, airy room with several work areas upstairs. They billed us as Bellagio Point Com, but I'm not sure of the actual storefront name. But it's on one of the narrow staircases about three quarters of the way up from the dock, and any local can probably point you in the right direction.
Bellagio is a city on two levels - the seaside Marina, and the street that runs along the hillside above. The town is arrayed between these two parallels, and half the fun is wandering up and down the stairs that connect the two.
Bellagio boasts a lot more shopping than Varenna does, which is not to say that there are that many shops, But there are some nice places, especially along the waterfront, and the town can make for a pleasant afternoon of shopping.
We also found a good lunch spot here, just a few steps up from the waterfront. This place has a great casual atmosphere, and while there's no view, the food was very good, and the service extremely friendly.
 Transportation in Lake Como
 It's all boats on Lake Como, and feet on the water's edge. Everything in Varenna and Bellagio is accessible by foot, so don't bother renting a car... just come into Varenna by train.
There are ferrys leaving every half hour to hour from the edge of town, bound for various parts of the lake, and there's a fast boat to the town of Como at the far southern edge of the lake that leaves in the morning and arrives in the afternoon.
Ferry trips are reasonable, especially if you plan to make several hops in a day - if so, try a day pass instead of a per-ride or round-trip ticket.
Eating in Italy
Eating in Italy has its own traditions and idisyncracies, including:
--Most of the restaurants we visited offered water with or without gas - carbonated or non-carbonated. If you say yes to either, expect to pay 3-6 euro for a bottle for two. If you say no, expect a strange look or two.
--Be aware, too, that Cokes are very expensive in Italy - typically 3.50-5.00 euros per can, no refill included. And Pepsi is rare in Italy, for some reason. Most places serve Coca Cola.
--Most restaurants do not offer ice except by request - so if you want ice with your drink, ask for "giacchio" - pronounced "ghee-ah-cho".
--Although offically banned in the larger cities in Italy, many places still charge a cover charge - literally, a charge to use the table and table cloth (cover). This shows up as a coperto charge (cover), or pane e coperto (bread and cover) on the bill. If you visit a bar or cafe and don't plan to stay there to eat, say "no tavolo" (no table) and your bill will be less. If you do want to stay and relax, ask for a tavolo, and expect to pay a bit more (often 1-2 euros, more in some touristy areas - we paid 9 in the center of Milan). This allows you to rent the table as long as you want it, so feel free to stay and people watch for a long morning or afternoon. One other note: usually if you choose to sit, they cashier will tell you to choose a table, and a waiter will come take your order, instead of ordering at the counter.
--Most restaurants will tell you "servizio incluso", meaning the cost of service/tip is part of the bill/food charge. In this case, you do not need to tip on top of the bill, but can give an extra euro or two if you want to a server or bus boy who gave you excellent service - this is always appreciated. If servizio non incluso, then the tip should be left in addition to the bill. If you pay by credit card and want to include the tip on the card, tell the waiter when he first brings the check how much you want to add. Unlike in the US, you can't add the tip to the credit card bill after the waiter charges you. You may want to tip in Euro anyhow, as we were advised by some other travelers that some restaurants do not pass the credit card tips on to the staff.
--Avoid restaurants close to tourist attractions as a general rule, unless the place has been recommended to you by someone who has been there. Often the food there will be expensive and of poor quality.
--Sometimes you'll get a rude waiter (we had several in Rome). Tip the busing staff if you can directly in these cases - you'll never see the waiter again, but they have to put up with this guy every day.
--If you need another coke, bread basket, etc, the word is "altro" - "altro coke, per favore", "altro pane" (bread), etc.
Here are a few resources we found helpful during our visit to Italy. Please remember that the advice in these resources is AYOR.
 Insight Guides: Italyhttp://www.insightguides.comWhile a bit light in detail on some of the outlying areas, this guide is rich in information on the history of Italy, and is a great read before you go or companion in Rome and Italy - but be warned - it's a bit heavy, so it's better for suitcase travel than backpacking.
 Oxford Italian Minidictionaryhttp://www.oup.comOur bible in Italy. We took an Italian for Travelers class at the Italian Center in Sacramento - thanks Patrizia for the excellent instruction. But there's no substitute for having the answers to your linguistic questions on hand. We carried this n our camera case, and used it to translate signs, ask questions, find that word you either didn't know or forgot, and most interestingly in conversation back and forth with folks we met on the trip, when they spoke a little English and we spoke a little Italian. Highly recommended, with English to Italian, Italian to English, Common Phrases, and verb table sections.
|
