Bellano August 23-28, 2019
August 22 & 23rd -This year we decided to travel back to Bellano on Lake Como to start our European adventure. We loved it so much last year and have rented the same apartment, Casa Luisa, from Dante and Paola. Last year we only had 3 days in Bellano and it was not enough. This year we rented it for 5 days to give us a bit more time to explore this beautiful area.
We took a flight from Portland to Newark, and then from Newark to Milan. Once we landed in Milan we had to take a train from the airport to Milan Centrale train station, and then from there we took a train to Bellano. It was a long journey, but it was less stressful for us as Blaine used miles to purchase real tickets for the flight.
After arriving in Bellano, we were met at the train station by Dante and Paola. They drove us to the apartment (a three minute drive!!). As we had been here the year before, the instructions for the apartment were fairly brief, although we did have some questions about using the Bernina Express to St Moritz. We also learned that Dante and Paola live in Dervio, which is the next town over. They told us about a really good restaurant there, so we plan on going there for lunch tomorrow (Saturday).
August 24th - We spent the morning just hanging out in Bellano and exploring some of the smaller shops on the side streets. We caught the 12:56 ferry (although it didn’t get there until around 1:30) to Dervio. Dante and Paola recommended Le Vele restaurant in Dervio on the water. It was a wonderful setting and the food was delicious. I had a potato ravioli with mushrooms dish and Jeri had a mushroom and tomato pizza.
We walked into the center of town to check out the train schedule to get back to Bellano. It was confusing because they don’t sell tickets at the train station, so we walked back to the local store that sells tickets. The woman at the counter was very nice but she said she didn’t have the train schedule and that we would have to go back to the train station to see it. At that point Jeri wanted to go back to the boat dock and get to Bellano from there. While we were waiting for the boat we spoke with a man named Tatu. He was the man who greeted the boat in Dervio. Tatu was a very nice man and he told us about a medieval fair in his hometown of Corenna. Jeri didn’t want to go, but I decided to go back to the town center and catch a free shuttle bus to the fair. When I got to the fair, to my surprise, Tatu was there. He showed me an apartment that he rents out on AirBnb. He also escorted me around Corenna and introduced me to everyone as the American. It seemed that he knew everyone in town, which shouldn’t be a surprise since it is a tiny little village really.
I made my way back to Dervio, figured out the train schedule and bought a ticket back to Bellano. Jeri and I spent the rest of the evening in the apartment relaxing and playing Sequence, where I handily defeated her 3 to 0!! Undefeated in Italy!!
Sunday August 25th - We bought tickets on the ferry for the mid-lake hop on hop off. Our goal today was to see Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo. Villa Carlotta is a villa and botanical garden. The villa is a museum, whose art collection includes works by Canova, Thorvaldsen, Migliara and Hayez in addition to pieces of furniture from the time of the various owners. The gardens were absolutely beautiful!! It’s hard to believe that this was a private residence until the end of World War 1. The Italian government wanted to confiscate it, but local leaders intervened and the property was transferred to a charitable foundation, which still manages it today. Our day ended with dinner at Carvallo Bianco, on the waterfront. As we were eating, a storm started to roll in and we could see lots of lightning. Fortunately it was off in the distance, so we didn’t get any rain, but it made for a spectacular show.
Monday August 26 - Our day started pretty early. We had to catch a 7:30 train to Tirano, which is about an hour and a half from Bellano. From there we boarded the Bernina Express to St. Moritz, Switzerland. The train ride up the mountain was absolutely spectacular!! Some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. We took a walk around the lake in St. Moritz and ended up having lunch at the COOP store. After a glass of wine at the cafe next to the train station, we boarded the train to head back to Bellano. The skies let loose with rain and lightning, which was kind of cool since the train we were on had the oversized windows. Once we got back to Bellano, the sun had come back out so we headed to Lido restaurant to have dinner on the outdoor deck overlooking Lake Como. Life is good!!
Tuesday August 27 - After yesterdays’ long journey we decided to just chill and spend the day in Bellano. We didn’t get moving until around noon! Really getting into the slow pace here in Italy. We ended up eating at Ristorante Pizzeria Bernina. Jeri had a fabulous Greek salad. She still needs to compare it to a real Greek salad once we get to Athens.
Wednesday August 28 - Today is moving day. Dante and Paola met us at the apartment, and while they did the cleaning, they kept our bags so we could spend a bit more time in Bellano before catching the train back to Milan. We ended up hanging out with Mike (the owner) at Il Chiosco di Bellano, which is the small cafe right outside our window.
The view from Casa Luisa
We took a walk the first night we arrived and Jeri snapped this picture.
