GranthamMommy

Rome – Sunday

Agenda: Flea Market and the Appian Way

We scratch the Sunday morning flea market off the list. Shopping didn’t sound like fun this morning. We wanted to see Rome and all the sites.

Staying in the Centro Storico area makes you central to everything and I think everyplace was walkable. We headed off to see the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

The Trevi Fountain was beautiful. We got there about 10am and there was already a throng of tourists jockeying for the best picture. Thank God for digital cameras. I got to “cut off” all their heads and it looks like I had a perfect view.
I’m glad to have seen it. I can check it off the list. Maybe at night on a romantic
trip without Jack……..

Off to the Spanish Steps. Okay, this was a HUGE disappointment. Where were all the pretty flowers I see in all the pictures? The scaffolding along the back certainly makes a nice shot out of the question. It’s hot, but I make the climb to get a better view. Check it off the list. My opinion – don’t feel bad if you miss the Spanish Steps.

We’re braver now. Off to the Appian Way. We take the Metro and the bus and head to the Appian Way. They close part of the Appian Way to traffic on Sunday which makes the sightseeing better.

I chose the Appian Way and the Catacombs because of my mother. She passed away seven years ago, but I could feel her presence on this trip. She would talk about the Appian Way when I was little, so here I am.

I wasn’t sure if we would enjoy this part of the trip, but it’s one of the better parts of our stay in Rome. Bill and Jack enjoy it – big Gladiator fans. I mis-understood
someone and got off the bus a bit early. But we had a lovely walk. The city felt a million miles and 2000 years away. Follow the map in the Rick Steves book.
We got to the Catacombs of San Callisto too early, so we kept walking. There are lots of ruins and beautiful private drives. Make your way to the Casa Dell Appia Antica café and bike rental.

Go around the back of the café and have lunch. I had a simple sautéed spinach and foccacia sandwich. It was heavenly. Bill had a mortadella sandwich and Jack had the lasagna. While it might be touristy to have cappuccino in the afternoon, they offered it.

After lunch, Bill relaxed in a chair while we rented bikes. We didn’t have too long, but took 15-30 minutes to ride. Jack wanted to very badly. When you find teenage friendly activities – go with it. Let them burn up that energy. Jack took off over the giant cobblestones – no helmet like a mad man. I haven’t ridden a bike in years and take off in the opposite direction. Pure heaven. I was in Italy, all alone on a quiet road and taking it al in. It was beautiful.

We kept the bikes such a short time they gave us the rental for free. Which reminds me, carry identification to leave behind (other than your passport) I left my drivers license as a “deposit” for the bikes and again for audioguides.

Rome – Monday

Today we toured the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s. We booked an Expedia tour for $65 per person. The tour met at 7:45am in front of the museum entrance
and got us in early without waiting in the hot sun. The tour was okay and I learned a little. I thought an expensive tour wouldn’t be worth it for us. We’re not art majors and I knew we wouldn’t be able to absorb too much information.

I wish we had a more in depth tour. We didn’t realize how much we would like it
And all the history behind it. The Sistine Chapel, again a bit of a disappointment.
If it’s really important to you, you may want to pay for one of the private evening tours. The lights are dim inside the chapel and it’s full of people. Every few minutes they announce “loudly” to be quiet. And I just can’t look up at the ceiling for very long.

On to St. Peter’s. I pictured the inside like my Catholic Church at home- a big altar with pews throughout. But instead it had many little chapels all around the edges. I thought about stopping for confession, but there is only so much time I have for vacation! I could never do St. Peter’s the justice it deserves. Just go. Try to be there when there is a mass. I was walking around and heard voices that sounded like angels in heaven.

Monday evening my husband was tired. He got McDonald’s and went to bed early. Jack and I are night owls and set off to enjoy Rome at night. We wandered around and ended up at Baffetto sharing a table with an older Italian couple and many locals. It was loud, fun and we felt part of the city. Rome was winning us over. No camera, no guidebook. Just stopped someplace that looked fun. Jack loved the pizza. I had spaghetti with clam sauce.

I’ve neglected to mention our daily (sometimes twice daily) trips to Giolitti for gelato. You pay at the cash register and get your little slip. Then work your way to the front of the line like the locals. Catch the server’s eye and your golden.
Know what you want. Try new flavors and combinations. Frutti di Bosco (wild berry) and Cocco (coconut) was my favorite. A tropical vacation happening on your tastebuds. I’m forgetting my other favorites. I’ll have to find the thread with all the gelato flavors.

Wow, I’m tending to go on and on. I was hoping to get through Rome tonight, but I can’t type any more. I am enjoying reliving the moments and having them to share with you, friends and family. I’ll write more tomorrow. Besides someone is leaving in 53 days now and wants more. Good night..

GranthamMommy

Rome – Tuesday

Tuesday morning was my Mary Tyler Moore morning. I went out on my own in the big city. However, I did not have a hat to throw high in the air.

I had a 9:45 am Scavi Tour reservation at the Vatican. Jack wasn’t old enough
(you have to be 15) so he and Bill had a leisurely morning at the hotel. I made the reservation for the tour in March and received the confirmation in May. I paid the next day and got a receipt within 24 hours.


I was a bit nervous, so I left early and made it to St. Peter’s Square before all the tourists. Like the bike ride, I really appreciated this quiet time alone. I sat near the obelisk and wrote postcards and just felt good being there.


The Swiss Guards let me through the gate. Don’t forget your email confirmation.
The man in the tour office seemed a bit cranky and told me to come back 10 minutes before the tour began. So I waited outside with the others.

Only 12 people get to tour the excavations at a time. We had a wonderful tour guide named Laura. She was Italian, spoke English with a beautiful accent and had a wonderful sense of humor. I learned a lot about the necropolis, Constantine and St. Peter’s.

I am claustrophobic, but this tour did not bother me. It was warm and humid. One woman, maybe late 60’s in age, was having a slight problem. We made sure she had plenty of room around her.

I cannot do the tour justice with my writing. But if your Christian and want to hear a beautiful story and see history, please apply for a reservation. I also stood in line to pay my respects to Pope John Paul II.

Jack and Bill met me at 11 and we were off to the Coliseum, Forum and Capitol Hill. We took the subway and grabbed sandwiches as we exited and ate lunch before getting in line.

It was very hot and the ticket line for the Coliseum was long. The lines were a bit confusing. I tried to follow Rick Steves’ recommendation. We did get in the right line somehow for “not having a ticket, but wanting to rent an audio guide”. We got inside relatively quickly. Did I say it was hot? Bill and Jack just loved the place, big Gladiator fans. I was bored after about 15 minutes. Lots of walking and stairs.
I enjoyed taking pictures, but you can only take so many. There are so many pretty views when you look “out” of the arches and back towards the Forum.

A terrible chlorine smell started to really bother us. There was a fire somewhere in the city. For a moment I was worried about a terrorist act, but that passed quickly. I never saw or read anything about the fire.

Hot and tired won. Jack and I took a quick walk up the Via Sacra and snapped a few pictures. The Forum and Capital Hill would have to wait for a return visit.

Rome – Wednesday

Our last day in Rome. We went to the Borghese Gallery. I made reservations two weeks before on line. I guess I’m not a big art fan, but I loved the Apollo and Daphne. We couldn’t find a cab back to the hotel and the cranky factor took
over. We finally did make it back.

Poor Bill had blistered feet and decided Wednesday afternoon would be for resting. Jack and I walked to the Vatican this time. We wished we had the other
visits. We wandered down the little streets with antique stores and felt like we were in a Harry Potter movie looking for magic wands.

The Castel Sant’ Angelo appeared in front of us along with the bridge of angels.
A great photo op taking pictures of the angels against the blue sky. They come alive. We didn’t take a tour but just soaked in the view on our last day.

Restaurants - Find a place you like and then go back again. We went to
I Fratellini. It’s off of Piazza Navona. Find Tre Scalini, then head up that street.
We had a sidewalk table on a little narrow street. Mr. Mario (waiter) sang to us.
Everything was delicious, especially the grilled vegetables for the appetizer.
we ate there twice. We also loved Armando’s al Pantheon, near the Pantheon.
It was the nicest meal of our trip. A little pricey, but wonderful service and food.
everything was perfect. I loved the way the chef watched over his dining room.

I have to mention my son Jack here. Another one of those special memories that
make your trip unique. My husband Bill did no prep work for this trip and was a bit timid. I had done a lot of planning, was sure of myself, but was a tiny bit afraid of making a few of myself.

Jack on the other hand was magnificent. He would buy stamps, talk to the concierge, and bring the laundry to the front desk, whatever. Now most menus come with an English translation, but Jack would order in Italian. The waiters and waitresses just loved him. He had a great attitude “Mom, if I mess up these people will never see me again!” He is going to make a great traveler.

One last stop at Giolitti for gelato. We also got some pastries for our train trip. Even the pastries made us feel special. They put them on this little gold foil tray, and then wrap the tray in beautiful paper and a bow. We need to outlaw white boxes in the US.

Tomorrow: Cinque Terre

Jean

Your son must be my mom's great-grandson-separated-at-birth. We travelled a lot as kids, and she would always tells us, "Don't worry if you make a mistake or look foolish because you'll never see these people again!" So, that's been my helpful mantra for 50 years, but the older I get the more I wonder whether people in some parts of Europe are still laughing while telling the story of when that girl....

KellyCenca

enjoying ... leaving next Tues. for Rome, Tuscany, Cinque Terre w/ hubby & 16 yr old son. interested to read about CT!
Kelly

GranthamMommy

Typos....embarrassing...........sigh.

ComfyShoes

Very nice. Don't worry about typos. I think you should have confessed to something at St. Peters. May be that you were about to eat at McDonald's?

GranthamMommy

Comfy Shoes--

I didn't have anything to confess until the Como McDonalds the following week!

The only pomodoro we wanted was ketchup on a familiar burger.

Hubby broke down in Rome, but he's not Catholic!

GranthamMommy

Travel to Cinque Terre

Thursday morning we were up early to travel by train to Cinque Terre. We bought our tickets through Pantheon Travel, near our hotel. Nice man helped us, spoke English! If you have a choice, I would pick 1st class tickets.

We got to the train station early since we had no idea what to expect. There was some stressful moments, but we figured it out. And there is always an American close by to help you out.

We were at Termini. Locate the big board with all the trains. The track will be listed as the time gets closer. Punch your ticket in the yellow machine near the track.

Once the train arrives, be ready to move. Locate your car and hop on. This is the biggest reason to travel lightly - the ease of train travel.

We located our car (2nd class). It had it's own "cabin" if you will with six seats. All were full and it was warm.
There was a food car, but expensive and not so great. But good to know about. We had our goodies from Giolitti's to enjoy as well. There were some little seats in the corridor. Jack and I sat there alot because it was cooler.

We had about a 4 hour trip from Rome to Monterrosso. We had to switch trains in La Spezia. La Spezia has local trains to all the CT stops.
No first or second class, just open sitting. Lots of people hopping on and off to the different beach towns.

You could tell the tourists by the ooo's and ahh's as the different beaches came into view. I love the beach and couldn't wait to get settled.

Finally, Monterosso. It was still very hot and I was ready to lose the luggage. You can drag your suitcases down the stairs. Or if you're on track one, don't go through the station. As you face the station, go to your left and just walk do the road below. Trick we learned from cab driver when we left Monterosso.

Depending on the amount of luggage, the heat and the location of your hotel, you may or may not need a cab.
I think there might be something like 3 taxi's in the whole town. If you are going to need one when you leave CT, make sure to arrange it ahead of time, especially during busy periods.

Rick Steve's recommended a cab and we got one very quickly. I think it was something like 5 euros. We stayed at the Hotel Villa Steno in the old part of town.

Just what we needed. Some down time. No museums, no real sight seeing. We were here to get rejuvenated after the busy days in Rome.

We had a triple for 170 euros a night. We paid cash and had the Rick Steve's book and they lowered it to 160. The room was clean but sparse. A small bathroom with a shower, hairdryer and bidet.

But we had our own private patio, high on the hill with a view of the water. Priceless. It had to lounge chairs, a table and chairs. Lemon trees everywhere and beautiful flowers.

The place was very quiet and you hardly knew anyone else was there. Breakfast was included. The served homemade foccacia and brioche. They use their lemons and apricots for wonderful marmalade and fillings. They had cereal, salami, hard boiled eggs as well. Coffee to start the day.

We had planned to do laundry there. Whether they did it or on your own, it was 13 euros a load. I gave them three bags of clothes. Two hours later they were all washed, dried, and folded on my bed. 26 euros and every penny was worth it. We had them do another load at the end of our stay. I love the hotel.

You will not starve in CT. We loved the food here more so than in Rome.
We settled in to our hotel, then began looking for food. It was dinner time.

The hotel recommened Ristorante Belvedere, a short walk away at the edge of the beach.

http://www.ristorante-belvedere.it/en/index.html

Pesto is the local sauce of Liguria. And we had it all the time. Jack and I order the spaghetti with pesto. It's served with boiled potatos and green beans tossed all together. Oh my. Delicious. The Cinque Terre wines are wonderful.

Now about Bill. The rule was, let Bill order his meal first. Then order anything else on the menu because it would have to be better.

Besides the pesto, I had grilled prawns and Jack had stuffed mussels. Both wonderful. Bill had stuffed anchovies that looked odd, smelled odd, but tasted wonderful. We called them anchovy "balls" and I'll leave it at that.

The other restaurant we at ate (twice!)
was Il Posso, again in the old town. The food was wonderful. The waiter even better. Bill was worried about his next seafood meal, so the waiter brought him into the kitchen so he'd know exactly what he'd be getting.

We had pesto again, this time served with trofie, the local pasta specialty.
Again, delicious. I've decided I'm going to learn to make a good pesto sauce.

I had marinated anchovies for an appetizer. They had been cured in oil and salt, but nothing like you get out of the little can. Very delicious on bread with butter. MMMM.

We also had a Florentine Steak that night. I thought we were going to bust. It must have been a foot wide and three inches thick. Think John Candy in the movie where he orders the huge steak....It was delicious. As usual, Jack and I share a wonderful meal. We did leave about 1/3 of the steak though.....

Monterosso has the best "beach" area of the CT, but it's more gravel and rock than sand. We rented lounge chairs and an umbrella at the private beach in the old town for 30 euro for the day.

Great place for a teenager(s) to let off steam. Jack and I went swimming and just relaxed. Bill sat high on our patio reading Angels and Demons and watching the view

Our second day we took the boat to Riomaggiore. Take the Via Dell Amore hike to Manarola. It's a very easy 20-30 minute walk (we stopped to take lots of pics) Try the different foccacia for a snack/lunch. I liked the green olive. The onions are so sweet there, Jack's favorite. We visited all the towns but Corniglia. We took the train from Manarola to Vernazza and then back to Monterosso. Buy the Cinque Terre card and it includes the hike, the train and some other perks.

There was more to see and do, but we just wanted to relax, swim and rejuvenate.

We had been in Italy just over a week.
It's Sunday and it's time to leave for
Lake Como....

Cheryl

Bunny1

Great trip report! I can't wait to hear more!

jrandall

bookmarked...thank you

annhig

hi, cheryl,

thanks for posting this report- it's bringing back so many memories of our roman trip last year.

I like your Jack's attitude - very similar to our DS who was 15 last year when we were in rome. with no Italian at all bar si and non, he'd go out in the morning to a nearby cafe and buy breakfast for us all, then bring it back to the apartment. DD, aged 18 and having by then done 2 years italian at college, wouldn't say more than "una cola"! You should have let Jack ask for the bill, as he'd got it quite right.

looking forward to more,

regards, ann

GranthamMommy

Sunday - Como

Sunday morning we enjoyed our last hours in Monterosso. I know I will be back one day, so I'm not sad. I could definitely see me with my posse (other grantham mom's) renting an apartment, walking the beach and drinking limoncello. I didn't try any there, but I have a bottle chilling to share when we get together next.

Now that we are experienced travellers, we're excited about our train trip. It was direct from Monterosso to Como, so we didn't have to worry about changing.

We had first class seats in a very cool cabin. We brought along focaccia for our snack and sat back to rest for our 5 our trip.

The 5 hours flew by. We sat next to Ed and Rita from Oregon. They were headed to Como as well. They were coming to an end of their 3 week vacation. They were wonderful and we all shared stories.

The best part of the trip. Okay, I said some people might cry. Well, I can finally share the story with friends and family without crying...

No Plans Are Good Plans

While I had planned Rome and Cinque Terre, I was pretty clueless and had no plan for Lake Como. Bill would ask a question and I would just shrug.

I come from a large Italian family. Three sets of great grandparents and both my grandfathers were born in Italy. So pretty much I'm 2nd generation American.

In the first installment of this (now) novella, I told you making it to Mello was my life goal. If you travel to the northern most point of Lake Como, and head east maybe a 1/2 hour you might find Mello on the map. Morbegno is the closet "big" town. It's pasted on the side of the alps.

Let's go back about 5 years. Jack is young. You know the age when they get ready for school and there isn't any arguing and you can relax for 15 minutes before the bus comes?

I had that 15 minutes one day. The computer is on so I decide today is the day to start my family tree research. I google on my mother's maiden name and I find a link to an Italian Surname page. I see the family name and click on it.

The link is only someone's email address, so what the heck. I send a short email. Guido writes me back. He's from Morbegno. And that's about it. Life is busy. I have no plans to go to Italy and that 15 minutes was the end of the family tree research until the summer of 2006.

Last summer I really got into the family tree research. My grandmother and mother had saved every card from every wake and every obituary for anyone remotely related. Quite quickly I got the family tree together. My mother's generation and mine have both lost any connection back to Mello.

We were getting rid of our old computer and cleaning off any personal information before we recycled it. We found Guido's old email address. Hey, now we're going to Italy, let's email Guido.

Guido remembers emailing. He'd be happy to answer any questions. This is last September.

For some reason I just couldn't plan this part of the trip. I had no idea where to stay, how to get to this little village (we don't want to drive)
or even where to stay on the Lake.

I choose Como, because. Just because. No good reason. I heard my greatgrandmother was from Como, but it could have been from LAKE Como. I make the reservation at Hotel Metropole Suisse through Expedia.

I email Guido late in the winter again. Guido lives in Paris, but his sister and mother still live in Morbegno. His sister will help me with my family tree research. How wonderful is that. I give him some information.

By the way with the help of the officer in Mello, they traced back to my great great great grandfather and the office is a relative of mine.

Still no plans for how I'm going to visit this little town.

Susiedq (see above) has done family tree research in this area and tells me about her driver and gave me his email address. That was special enough. Small world. I was going to have him help me out....but....

Guido is going to be on holiday in Morbegno when we're in Como. He offers to pick us up at the hotel (90 minutes away) bring us to Mello and Morbegno for a tour and then out for good food and wine.

Reality check here. A strange man on the internet wants to know my exact plans and will pick me up at my hotel to take me to a tiny village in the alps.

AM I CRAZY or what? I have to believe most people in this world are good. I have to believe that I'm blessed enough to have all the suns, stars and moons align so we can be in the same place in the world at the same time. And I "met" him in the first 15 minutes of my family tree research.

I've decided a few things:

Yes I'm crazy.

No, I'm not that good for this to happen to me.

The world is good and I have to believe this is a good thing.

Leave a note in the hotel room. If I'm not back by Saturday, call the police!

Now I haven't had any contact with Guido since before I left home. It's the morning he's going to pick us up. He said he wanted it to be our last day of vacation - icing on the cake . I'm thinking, I just hope it's not our last day.

I have no clue what Guido looks like. We're looking out the windows for "Uncle" looking people. I knew he had three kids around Jack's age. But our emails were always so polite that I had no idea what to expect. We were looking for someone in his 50's, tweed jacket, balding...sort of a polite professor maybe....

The phone rings and it's Guido. He's in the lobby. Okay, here we go. Bill is not here. He's out getting espresso and pastry, his new favorite pasttime.

Jack and I head to the lobby. It's small, but no one catches my eye. I turn the corner and this man is smiling.

Okay! "Cousin" Guido is younger. I will find out soon he's 41. And very good looking. So far so good. Things are looking up. But still an internet stranger in a foreign land.

Anyway we had the most wonderful day. He piled us in the big car and drove us through the mountains to Mello. Mello is pasted on the side of the mountain. I was a bit nervous during the drive. I hate tunnels, but hey, he was driving really fast so I wasn't in each one long. Then there were the switchbacks up the side of the mountain.

And there I was. My life dream, in Mello. A little town. One hotel that bears the family name. My mother had told me there was one in the family, but when Guido had previously made contact, they didn't show interest. The town office was on vacation so I couldn't meet with him.

But there I was. The church where my family had been baptised. The WW monument with last names that I recognized.

Usually you can't shut me up. But this day I was overwhelmed. I didn't know what to say. I didn't ask much. How could everything happen to bring me and Guido to the same place, at the same time and to achieve my dream? I say my prayers every night now. And Guido has to be the most generous man in the world.

There wasn't really much more to do. We took photos of course and headed down into the valley and Morbegno. I had brought along a postcard from Morbegno my uncle had sent in the 60's.
We walked a bit, then Guido took us to a lovely lunch. I could barely eat and was just, i don't know what....I met my dream...okay...now I'm full of tears again.

It was time to go. Guido asked if we wouldn't mind take the boat home. Of course we wouldn't mind. He's already driven 3 hours and given us a tour.
He drives us to Colico at the north end of the lake. We have a while before the rapid boat arrives.

Now that we're in a safe place I tell him that I was happy he hadn't killed us and we had a laugh. And he reminded me that people are mostly good. He gave me a hug good-bye that felt like a 100 years of history had passed between us. We may be related somewhere along the line, or maybe not. But for now "we're family."

And that's all for today. I'll write more about our visit to the Lake later. Too much emotion again....

SRS

GM - What a beautiful story! Wow - that must have been so fantastic. I too would have thought about the possiblity of being offed getting into a car with a total stranger, but I too would have done it. This report is really fantastic - I've enjoyed every bit of it! We are doing a similar trip to this next month but we are starting in Varenna, then CT and ending Rome! It's our second time to CT and I don't know 4-5 to Rome, but Lake Como will be new and I am sooo excited. Anyway, looking forward to the rest of you "novella".

Italybound07

Thanks for sharing!

Italy08

Ok, I am sitting here laughing and crying all at once!! I love your trip report. You have the ability to allow the reader to capture your emotion. I am also filled with emotion planning my Italy trip as my family is from there as well. You have truly touched my heart. Oh, and great tips for travelling!!!!

GranthamMommy

Thank You Italy08. I'm happy my emotions are coming across. What I learned on this trip is that travelling isn't about checking things off the list, but the little things like Jack reading off the menu in Italian and realizing how grown up he's getting, or the generosity of a stranger from across the ocean.

The world is good. We have to remember to just "be good" and remember to say thank you. Then the world will be a better place....

This trip has changed me all for the good.

Trying to write the Como portion now....

GranthamMommy

Como –

We arrived in Como on Sunday afternoon. The train station was a 15 minute walk to the Hotel Metropole Suisse on Piazza Cavour. It was right at the imbarcadero
With a beautiful view of the lake.

We had a corner room on the 5th floor (highest floor). The beds and pillows were way to firm. We asked for more pillows at the desk. I guess we weren’t the only ones. We got something like sofa pillows in a pillow case, but they were very comfy.

Beautiful windows opened for a beautiful breeze. However, if the windows were open, the a/c would shut off. We had a huge storm the first night. The windows were blown open. A/c shut off. Lightning was hitting the lake. Sadly too tired to watch the storm.

The bathroom was large, but a small tub but no shower. Kneeling in the tub with the spray “thingy” wasn’t pretty, but I got the job done.

We really enjoyed our time in Como. Besides meeting with Guido, we had NOTHING planned. Breakfast wasn’t included. This city is where Bill turned into the leader. Bill and Jack would venture out for coffee and pastry each morning so I could have some time to get ready. Tasty treats each day. My yummy salami sandwiches in Rome and the brioche in CT were distant memories already.

Everyone was out on the Sunday we arrived. Different stages were set up (I saw at least four) with concerts going on everywhere. There was a great jazz concert in front of our hotel. We walked along the park and there was a rock n roll stage.

Como isn’t quaint like Bellagio, but it was pretty, clean, had some department stores and a beautiful duomo. Plenty of people were out jogging around the docks. Jack was happy with the paddle boats (although we were scared while in the path of the ferry’s) and mini golf. After 10+ days on the road, we were ready for things that seemed a bit more familiar.

Monday we decided to explore the lake. First stop, Cernobbio to find George Clooney. We basically ate at the little harbor at Miralago. I learned that I love osso bucco that day. I grew up loving my mother’s risotto. I didn’t know it was
Risotto Milanese. And my mother’s was better than I had anywhere. But that’s a happy memory.George didn’t stop by, so we were off to Bellagio. It was a rainy day on the lake. We timed our boat ride poorly and only had ½ hour in Bellagio before the last rapid boat left for Como. We had time for gelato, then back to Como. Bellagio will have to wait for another trip.

We were chilled and tired. This was the McDonald’s pig out night. We got a big bag of burgers and fries and got a pay per view movie at the hotel. Order the ketchup with the meal, it costs extra. The sodas are expensive.

We went to a grocery store to get beverages and snacks. I look at food and put on weight. I ate everything I wanted, gelato twice a day and lost one pound on this vacation. If I had only stayed in Rome, it would have been ten pounds lost.

Tuesday we take the train to Lugano, Switzerland. We “experts’ now and want to add another country. We loved Lugano. Jack wanted to buy Swiss Chocolate, Swiss Army Knife, Swiss Watch and Swiss Cheese. He didn’t know what Swiss Chard was. Again I was proud of him. We skipped the knife and the cheese.
But my kid didn’t buy any junk on this trip. We told him we’d give him $100 toward a special gift. He shopped for a watch at Christ Jewelers in Lugano and bought a $300 watch and paid for the difference. He’ll (hopefully) have his “bling” for a very long time. He is so proud of that watch. Very grown up for a 13 year old.

We shopped at the little market in the middle of all the stores and bought lovely olives, artichokes, breads and meats for a picnic by the lake. Como was upscale, but Lugano was elegant. I just loved it. Definitely take the time to take the train. But don’t try to stamp your ticket in the yellow machine. You’ll just look dumb. I don’t know what the machine is for, but you don’t punch them in Switzerland. I’m sure people were laughing somewhere.

Back to Como. We ate outside at La Riva, right at the imbarcadero. Everyone there was eating pizzas. They were wonderful. Pack a sweater/sweatshirt.
It was chilly at night.

Then we witnessed our one and only crime. We were standing on the corner waiting for a light to change to get gelato, a biker sped across the piazza and
ripped the purse out of a woman’s grasp. Jack was totally freaked out. The bike was right in front of us so you could feel the wind. If we had reacted fast enough we could have pushed the rider over. Jack had a hard time getting to sleep. He wished he could have helped. We all held onto our belongings a bit tighter after that episode.

Oh, our favorite gelato. I don’t remember the name, but next to the tabachi in Piazza Cavour is a small gelato place. I like it better than Giolitti’s in Rome.
Frutti di bosco and cocco are still my favorites. The flavors were more full and the gelato more rich. Mmmm….

Wednesday was our trip with Guido, Thursday we leave to spend our last days
In Milan. We loved Como. It felt like home. There is a lot more to explore and I know I’ll be back. Tomorrow I’ll wrap up Milan and my final thoughts. Enjoy

jrecm

Thanks for the report. I am looking forward to your last installment. I am heading to Como in November. I know it will be cold but it is the end of our Italy trip.
I have really enjoyed reading about your travels.

GranthamMommy

Thursday - Friday Milan
We left Como on Thursday morning for Milan. We were flying home from there.
We took a local train to Milan. We appeared to be the only ones doing that.

The other tourists were on a specific train with assigned seats.
We found our train would not be stopping at Milano Centrale, but another. They don't call out the stops along the way. And we didn't have a schedule with us. In fact for most of the trip we were the only people in the car. Some stops at larger depots and listed the stops so we just watched and got off at our assigned station. We made it, whew. We got a cab right away and made it to Hotel Brunelleschi.

The hotel was nice. Seemed to cater mostly to business people. The amenities and room were all nice and comfortable. Their breakfast buffet was very good and should please everyone in your group.

With a family, I might stay somewhere else, especially if you were there to sight see and shop. But we were very close to the Duomo and Galleria for shopping.

Il Dollaro was wonderful for lunch. Rick Steves recommends it and it was close to (and recommended) the hotel.

The Galleria is beautiful, but like the Piazza's in Rome, don't eat there.
We ate at the Si Bar at the Galleria. It was the most expensive and worst meal we ate in Italy.

All in all we didn't like Milan. It was hot and "just a big city". We were really only there for a day and half.

We walked to the Leondardo Da Vinci Science Museum. Bill is an engineer. No tour, boring, no explanations. Luckily Bill had enough of a background to do some explanations.
Set up more for school groups following a program. Lots of walking for a disappointing hour.

However, get to the Duomo. It's under renovation, but still beautiful. Stand at the back of the plaza and face it. Behind you is a gelataria that sells wonderful ices. When you're hot, tired and pick me up get a medium
1/2 limone and 1/2 fragola. The sweet with the sour are wonderful. We did this three times in our short stay.

Jack bought a silk tie (in his school colors) at the Galleria. All silk, made in Milan and reasonably priced.

I made it to the D & G "discount" store. On my personal list of to do was to buy something from D & G. I bought a cute little summer purse for $220 dollars. Considering that and a Milano sweatshirt were my only purchases (okay, some wine in CT) I didn't feel like I was breaking the bank.

We skipped the Last Supper. No desire for more artwork. We were ready for the big old jetliner to the States.

We got home without any problems. Make sure you behave all the time on your trip. You never know who you'll meet. We had a lady on the plane all the way from Milan to home. Her sister is my next door neighbor.

Well --that's about it. I'm going to review my notes at home and see if there is any important detail you all need to know. If you have any questions, please ask.....

My husband has several times "when we go back..."

And since Guido lives in Paris, well I have a separate thread asking for help planning that trip....

Ciao

Cheryl

msdotliz

Loved your report. We too, just returned from a cruise and the CT was by far my favorite excursion. I told my hubby I wouldn't mind spending a week in Monterossa. I think we may have eaten at one of the restaurants you mentioned. I bought some beautiful silk scarves there.

Lake Como is on my list as well. Next trip for sure!