Cal and VA | Adventures | Italy 2006

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italy2006 — Up early for the best light on the lake.

italy2006 — Called the "Pearl of the Lake", Bellagio's provides a place to soak up the lake's famous panorama. The village is characterized by century-old buildings, stone lanes and picturesque cobbled stairways filled with shops.

italy2006 — Already inhabited in prehistoric times, Bellagio was the residence of the Roman patricians and then of Lombardy's noble families, who built magnificent villas. In the past Bellagio enchanted artists, poets, musicians from all over the world: Pliny the Younger, Longfellow, Twain, Shelley and many others.

italy2006 — In 520 B.C. groups of Celts (coming from Gaul under the command of Bellovesus) invaded the region of the lake. In fact a legend makes the name of Bellagio derive from the name of this barbaric chieftain. It was in Roman times that Lake Como assumed an important role. Between the years 81 and 77 B.C. Cornelius Scipio brought 3,000 Latin colonists to its shores. However, it was Julius Caesar who was to recognize the strategic importance of the lake as a route to Central Europe he founded the city of Novum Comum (the present day Como) by the lake shore in 59BC.

italy2006 — Bellagio is not too big and easy to explore. It is fun walking up and down the narrow streets crowded with homes and shops.

italy2006 — To explore you need to get on a lake ferry. So off we went hopping from town to town. The first city after Bellagio is Menaggio.

Menaggio sits across from Bellagio. The town sits on the banks of a mountain stream feeding the lake - Sanagra river.

italy2006 — Next stop is Varenna.

Varenna is built upon a rock at the foot of a mountain which rises almost vertically above it, leaving the skeleton of a ruined ancient castle exposed to the sky. Its community dates back to the Roman age.

italy2006 — Virginia Ann on the shore of Varenna with Lake Como stretching out behind her.

italy2006 — Like Belliago, Varenna is not on level ground so there are many small streets almost alley size to explore.

italy2006 — Villa Monastero is famous for its garden that follows the lake shore line. This is the end of the garden. We spent a good hour simply walking through the garden and admiring the various species of plant. There is a line of fruit trees and each is a different type of fruit.

italy2006 — A "ten minute" walk was really a thirty-minute climb to reach Vezio Castle high above the city of Varenna. Virginia Ann was a good sport. The view was great - up and down the lake.

The medieval castle was built on the site of a Roman tower.

italy2006 — From Varenna we got back on the ferry and headed south.

This is the Villa Carlotta, built in the 18th century. Now a museum and botanical garden. Very impressive as you slide by on the lake.

italy2006 — Lenno is the next stop on the ferry. Here the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress were executed on 28 April 1945 following their capture the previous day.

italy2006 — Also in Lenno is the Villa del Balbianello built by Cardinal Durini in the 17th century. The garden is magnificent gardens that feature candelabrum plane trees. These trees are so strange that they were used in Star Wars.

We had to take a boat to the Villa as the footpath was closed to public traffic.

italy2006 — These arches are between the office and the library. Both rooms are in a building set above the house.

italy2006 — Virginia Ann at the Villa with the town of Lenno behind her.

italy2006 — Back in Lenno we sought out the octagonal baptistery built in the 11th century over a Roman building.

italy2006 — Church of Santo Stefano built next to the baptistery.

italy2006 — Then back on the ferry to Bellagio. This is a picture as we close on the docks.

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