During my extended absence from blogging I unfortunately missed the opportunity to post about some of the vacations we have taken since we moved here last summer. I hope to go back and recap as much as possible to record the memories here, so they may live to infinity and beyond. Or at least until the Blogger gods decide to delete them.
Choosing a vacation destination here in Europe has proved to be a challenge because I want to go everywhere and see everything, but time and financial constraints limit our adventure capabilities. So that means that making a decision is a pretty serious process that requires a ton of research and some help from my trusty old Magic 8 Ball. When I asked it if we should go back to Italy over Spring Break even though we had spent Thanksgiving weekend in Venice, it said: "Yes, Definitely." So we did.
I have to confess that I am drawn to Italy. A year before we arrived here, I promised myself that our first big trip would be to the Veneto Region...mostly because we wanted Hannah to see where she was born. We moved away from Vicenza when she was six months old in the fall of 1996, and we hadn't been back to Italia since then. Over the years I have fantasized over my memories of the trattorias, the vineyards, the open air markets, the wisteria-covered terraces, the sunflower fields, and the poppies that color the landscape in the springtime. I can't describe how much I missed indulging in the pasta and the bread and the cheese and the wine. I have longed for that rustic aura that permeates everything from the old villas to the stone churches to the sound of the church bells that used to wake me up at an ungodly hour every morning. In fact there have been many times in that period between then and now, though I may have lived in Georgia or Rhode Island or Florida, when I would hear the church bells in the morning before I opened my eyes. And for a brief moment I was back in Italy again. At least until I woke up and realized that I had been dreaming of a time passed by. After so many years, I began to wonder if it had been a dream after all. If not for the proof of Hannah's birth certificate, I might believe that it had been.
With so many years to reminisce, it's easy to imagine why I have placed Italy on a pedestal. I know I should be exploring other countries, but none of them seem to beckon me in the same way. Admittedly I find Vicenza to have changed a lot, it's more industrialized and busy, and so much less idyllic than my memory serves. Nonetheless I still feel a bond with this country, so that is why we went back for Spring Break. This time we chose Lake Como.
I found Residence Ca Felicita in Gravedona on Booking.com. I thought it would be located right on the shore of the lake, but we discovered after a long, winding, harrowing drive up a roughly paved road built just wide enough for a Fiat that the villa apartment was actually pretty damn high up a mountain. It's still a mystery as to how we got our BMW through those streets, but we made it. And the view from our balcony was worth every cuss word and bead of sweat we shed along the way.
The view.
It was too cold to swim the week we were there, but I still enjoyed kicking my feet up by the pool after our long days of hiking. Ahhh...
Residence Ca Felicita. Maurizio, the owner, spared no costs when building this investment. Everything was made with granite and the finest materials, modern and beautiful. We were in the Allegra apartment, which had 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 balconies, lots of closet space, a nice living room and dining area, with a full modern kitchen. There was a fabulous grocery store nearby so we cooked several meals in the apartment to save money. Food shopping is one of my favorite things to do in Italy, so this was ideal for me.
We took the ferry to Bellagio to look for George Clooney. We did not find him, but I did find a gorgeous leather Bottega Veneta bag at a cute little boutique. The lady who owned it was a trip. I would love to get back and visit her some day.
Myriads of tulips and pansies decorated the shorelines. There were also a lot of swans and they were mean. We witnessed a bit of swan violence while we were waiting for our ferry.
MM and Casey, riding the ferry back to Menaggio.
My two guys again, in Gravedona. This was early one morning before the fog lifted.
Gravedona, center of town.
Some days were rainy and chilly. Cappuccino saved me.
View from a hike I went on with Georgia. She was my hiking buddy. This one we were walking downhill from our apartment to the center of Gravedona. The weather was perfect that day, how lucky we were!
Wisteria. Just like my Italian memories.
Menaggio. This was a picturesque, flowery town where we caught the ferry. Wished I had more time to explore it, but there are only 24 hours in a day. Dammit.
Lunch al fresco in Bellagio. Bon appetito!
Honestly I took over 1,000 photos in Lake Como. I wish I could share them all, because it was like visiting a postcard world. I think it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I dream of going back some day, except it would be difficult to justify that with all the other countries we should be exploring. One year is already over and time is ticking by quickly.
I will end this post with an excerpt of a poem entitled "Cadenabbia" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Cadenabbia is one of the Lake Como towns. Obviously he felt the same way about Lake Como as I do.
The hills sweep upward from the shore,
With villas scattered one by one
Upon their wooded spurs, and lower
Bellaggio blazing in the sun.
And dimly seen, a tangled mass
Of walls and woods, of light and shade,
Stands beckoning up the Stelvio Pass
Varenna with its white cascade.
I ask myself, Is this a dream?
Will it all vanish into air?
Is there a land of such supreme
And perfect beauty anywhere?
Sweet vision! Do not fade away;
Linger until my heart shall take
Into itself the summer day,
And all the beauty of the lake.
Linger until upon my brain
Is stamped an image of the scene,
Then fade into the air again,
And be as if thou hadst not been.
Varenna
