Our luggage had to be tagged and ready for pickup by 7 AM. By 8 AM we were on the bus heading toward Lake Como with our final destination Stresa on Lake Maggiore. The Villa Carlotta in the town of Tremezzo was our first stop.
The Villa was built at the end of the 17th century by the marquises Clerici of Milan. It is now known for its botanical gardens. We took a quick look at the artwork inside and the home’s elegant Neoclassical interior. One of the most important pieces was the the Magdalena Penitente statue by Antonio Canova. Unfortunately with only one hour to see everything, we really only got a quick glimpse of what was inside.
Every path took you to a different garden. The map shows 12 gardens to explore, but we saw only a fraction of them. This was rather frustrating because I happen to love visiting gardens, and the few we saw were beautiful.
We then boarded a private boat that took us across Lake Como to the town of Bellagio, the self proclaimed ‘pearl of the lake.’ It was a charming small town that we had the chance to explore on our own. We stepped into the church on the Piazza Della Chiesa, the Basilica di San Giacomo.
According to the tour books, the church is one of the finest examples of Lombard-Romanesque with an intact apse. While the parish dates back to the 12th century, the structure underwent restorations during the 17 century. Our wanderings eventually took us along the edge of the lake looking across to the Swiss Alps.
Before we knew it, it was time to board another boat for a cruise to The Grand Hotel Des Iles Borromees in Stresa. On the way we sailed past villas of the rich and famous, including that of George Clooney.
In Stresa, we checked into a beautiful room with a balcony overlooking Lake Maggiore. The hotel was built in 1863 and has hosted some of the worlds most famous personalities including the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and Morgans and now Dermers. One of its most famous visitors was Ernest Hemmingway who stayed in a suite at the hotel while recovering from shrapnel wounds in his legs. Apparently he returned frequently. There is a suite named after him, and the bar bears his name.
We had a lovely dinner at the hotel and we were able to turn in earlier than usual. Another busy day was on the schedule for tomorrow.
BY THE WAY WITH WENDY & DAN 