Bellagio, bellissimo

As I have said before, I love Italy, so it should be no surprise that Martin and I headed down to Lake Como (Bellagio to be exact) this past weekend for a relaxing weekend away. Unfortunately, I am beginning to realize that, while I love Italy, Italy might not actually feel the same way towards me.

We arrived in the town of Como excited and ready to make our way to Bellagio via the scenic bus ride around the lake. Thinking the buses ran frequently enough (we were heading to a touristy location), we weren’t too worried when we saw a bus arrive and leave while we were buying our tickets. Apparently we should have been more aggressive in flagging down the driver; the next bus was over an hour and a half wait…Strike One… but no big deal, there was a bar just in side the train station and, being flexible, Martin and I took a seat inside for a beer while we waited…Strike Two… the bartender was a complete jerk – not only did he refuse to help on the bus schedule, he was less than helpful in pointing out the nearest bathroom (we were pointed outside and downstairs to the train station WC, which happened to be locked, rather than the one just next to the bar inside). Having enough of his friendly demeanor, we grabbed two canned beers and sat outside on the curb, enjoying the train station/bus stop and each others company while waiting for the bus…the romance of the moment was only made more magical by the construction site next door. I am beginning to sense a trend in my Italian experiences and spending most of the time waiting for buses and drinking on the curb…first Naples, then Siena/Montalcino, and now Como.

But like those trips in the past, this one proved to only get better and exceed my expectations. We had set out looking for a relaxing weekend with no sights to see and our only concern was where to eat…and we managed to find exactly that. The bed and breakfast we had booked on the recommendation of a few friends was absolutely perfect, located above the town with great views of the lake and a stream running next to the property. The evenings were spent on our balcony overlooking the lake, drinking the local wine and eating the local cheese, followed by four course dinners with stunning views, and warm days full of gelato and sun.

When it came time to leave on Sunday, we were completely relaxed and rested…and to keep it that way we took the boat back to Como rather than the bus.