I thoroughly enjoyed reading your trip report. Thank you so much for taking the time to describe your adventure!

beanweb24-- Thank you and all others who took the time to read my very long report!

An excellent report, I especially enjoyed the section on Bellagio and the restaurant reviews as we will be in Bellagio early next month, staying at the Florence. I stayed there last year and like you, found the Florence's restaurant superior to Bilacus.

Also, please ignore Tower's green-eyed, sour grapes comments. Price info is always helpful. I don't think anyone here assumed you HAD to spend that much for meals in Italy. There have been many, many posts that described meals at cheaper restaurants in Italy. This report was about YOUR vacation and I appreciated it. FWIW, spending about 200 euro for a multi course meal with wine for three people at a well regarded restaurant in a popular destination is hardly extreme.

Enjoy the bag!

Ralstonlan,

Thank you for sharing your wonderful trip. It sounds as if you did a masterful job of planning and organizing!

I'm definitely saving your report.

Byrd

What a great report. Loved your tales of eating with your well-behaved son. We too took our children to europe on several occasions and they've grown up to love travel and good things. Our son-in-law whom we introduced to european travel even posts on this board and answered this post. Having gone to several of the places you write of and eaten at several of the restaurants you ate at, I was even more taken with your report especially of the wonderful meals you had. My first trip report on this board in which I included prices for all hotels and meals (because I had seen so many reports get responses asking for that information) elicited similar responses about costs--actually at that less gentle time considerably nastier than you've experienced. Some of the same gentle people who have responded to you, responded to me with similar reactions--it's all a matter of priorities/interests. I personally like to vary my experiences from relatively low to realtively high end. Somehow each makes the other experience a little more meaningful and the variety is wonderful.

I loved your idea of a bottle of bubbly to greet your husband at each hotel. What a wonderful birthday trip. So glad you enjoyed Isola Comacina. I do recall it as one of the most memorable meals of my life and think it would be a perfect 50th birthday lunch. As many times as I've been to the Lake Como area I've never eaten at Villa Serbelloni, mistakenly assumed it would be too pricey and a bit off-putting. So much for biases. For sure I'll reserve there next time and given your wonderful experience at the Florence I think I'll finally try it over my old favorite the GH Menaggio. One question, was the cabbage dish your son and husband liked so much pizzocheria? After having read about that in a food magazine before a trip to Como, I kept asking for it at restaurants. Of course I had a bit of trouble since my request was for Pizzo cherry and it's pronounced Peez zoch' ori. Thanks so much for a wonderful report with useful information and great memories.

Thank you for this trip report. What a wonderful, wonderful way to celebrate a 50th birthday.

It surprises me greatly some people have to be so negative about the prices of some of your meals.

It is a 50th birthday celebration, for heavens sake.

I greatly appreciate hearing about all of the restaurants - expensive and inexpensive.

You have definitely whetted my appetite for more of Italy. I suspect it is an apetite never to be sated!!

Again, many thanks for a wonderful report.

JulieVikmanis --
Thank you for all the kind words. The dish was not pizzocheria , but from what I understand. a similar dish. I think pizzocheria can be made with any type of winter vegetable, is that correct?

not sure. the only ones I've heard of are cabbage and swiss chard but certainly that opens up the field to any green like spinach or possibly fennel. Not sure I'd like it with rutabaga, though.