DAY 4 (27th November 2023) – Lake Como via Lecco
Ever since I was introduced to Brahim’s ready-to-eat-meals on one of my camping trips, having packs of these are essential for my travels! If only to remind myself what home food tastes like! Anyway, the preparation is as simple as it gets, since most hotels, homestays and AirBnBs would provide you with a kettle – so just put your water to boil and soak the aluminium packs for a few minutes, and walla a simple meal (Bro Ray: I am not a brand ambassador of this product, and there actually are many other brands to suit your taste buds). Here is a sample of the pre-packed food and what it looks.
Having already covered the touristy places of the city of Milan, our itinerary on this day would take us several hours outside of Milan to the famous Lake Como. A quick look at the map and you can see that Lake Como is shaped like an inverted Y; it’s two ‘legs’ pointing southward. There are many small quaint towns dotting the entire perimeter of the lake, and we decided to pick the three towns that are located at the intersection of the three legs of the “Y”.
There are ferry services throughout the daytime between the towns of Varenna, Menaggio and Bellagio.
Lecco
This was an unintended stop. We had to get off the train at this town called Lecco and our connecting train was more than an hour later. What better way to kill time than to just walk around and see what we could come across. There was a rather convenient signboard near the station which pointed us to some historical spots in the town, some of which were just nearby, especially Location No.1, the Palazzo Municipale. Just round the bend from the train station, barely 20m from the signboard.
First stop on our proposed route was the Public Library “Uberto Pozzoli” (Location No.3 on the sign board), which wasn’t exactly the biggest library we’ve ever been to. Next up was the Chiesa di Santa Marta (Location No.4) and we took a few pictures inside the church before walking to the Vallo delle Mura (Location No.2), which was an ancient fortification for the town of Lecco. The perimeter of the walls was triangular in shape, perhaps due to the Lake being on one side and the hills almost immediately behind the town.
Varenna
With the view of Lake Como and the opposite bank being always within view of our train window to our left, our train made its way pass several other small towns and suburbs before we disembarked at Varenna. The first sight that greeted us was this odd-looking tree that lined many of the main streets in the centre of the town. I tried to ask someone what the tree was, but I think we are a little too far away from the big cities to the point that not many people here speak English.
From the topography, it kinda looks like the entire town has been squeezed between a tall hill on one side and Lake Como on the other. Along the lake, there was a long concrete walkway which snaked right beside the lake’s coastline, and every so often, flights of stairs appear between buildings leading to more buildings and homes. Since it was already noontime when we arrived here, we looked around for a place to have our lunch.
We found our way to Bar II Molo, an outdoorsy-type restaurant with white tables and chairs, with a perfect view of the lake and the hills on the opposite bank. The chocolate milk shake with icing was to die for. Even though it was probably 8⁰C outside, we had to try it. The food was good too, but in this weather, best be eaten quickly before the food got cold!
After lunch, we walked to Villa Monastero, which was supposed to be a waterfront villa with a botanical garden – but silly me, the garden is closed until the summer. Back in the town, we came across this church building and a clock tower with stone façade. But, even Google Map couldn’t help me with its name. Then it was time to look for our ferry to cross Lake Como to the other side.
The ride on the ferry took less than 30 minutes. We were not the only ones to have made that short hop, many of them tourists like us. Once we disembarked, we walked along the shoreline on a well paved broadwalk. Our aim was the Monumento alla Tessitrice, the Weaver Monument, erected in 1990 as a tribute to the silk weavers of the area.
Since Christmas was just a month away, we saw this lovely Christmas tree as we walked back into town with all its lights and decorations, erected in a square at the other end of via Calvi. The street itself was lined with shops and cafes, giving it a very classic look and certainly lends a magical charm to the town. And right behind where I took the photo of the street was a unique looking church Parrochia Santo Stafano with pink coloured walls.
Bellagio
By the time we boarded the ferry to Bellagio and disembarked there, it was already dark. It was winter in the northern hemisphere, after all. Most businesses were closed except for this lovely souvenir shop that sold unique things I have not seen anywhere else – comes with certificates of authenticity, too.
Can’t remember the name of the shop – the chess pieces are handcrafted with their own unique themes
Summary of Day 4
We took almost the last boat out of Bellagio back to Varenna – the connectivity from Varenna back to Milan was much better than any other way by public transport. We had a quick dinner in Varenna, and then the rest of the way was reasonably uneventful. We got back to our AirBnB at almost 10:30pm. So glad we made this journey out of the city to visit the outer areas of the Lombardy region. I suppose the many other small towns along the coastline of Lake Como would have their own history and attractions, too but it would take a whole lot more days to cover them all.
Anyway, back at the AirBnB, it was time to pack up, as we will be leaving Milan the next day.
