Tuscany & Beyond Spring 2018 ~ Some Stats & Final Reflections

"Once the travel bug bites, there is no known antidote

and I know I shall be happily infected until the end of my life."

Michael Palin

Greetings from Raleigh!  I've been home from Italy for about ten days now and am slowly and happily returning to normal life ... with the help of afternoon naps and 10-12 hours of sleep each night.  Those busy, busy, busy travel days, limited hours of sleep and jet lag all add up to a lot of travel bug sleepiness!

On this final post of "Laurette & Friends in Tuscany and Beyond 2018" blog, here are a few STATS I'd like to share:

Number of Overnight Lodgings = 6

• Rome (3 nights): VRBO Apartment: https://www.vrbo.com/250871
• Southern Tuscany (3 weeks):  Sassaia at Chiarentana, Chianciano Terme:                     http://chiarentana.com/index.php?vedi=contenuti&id=21&m=chiarentana
• Assisi (1 night):  Residenza San Crispino http://www.assisibenessere.it/suites/brother-sun
• Florence (2 nights):  Florence Grand Tour B&B  http://www.florencegrandtour.com/
• Argegno, Lake Como (1 week): https://www.happyholidayhomes.net/view/982-Argegno-Fronte-Lago
• Milan (3 nights):  Airbnb Apartment: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3702057

Number of Italian towns and villages visited on day trips  = 19

• Region of Tuscany:  Chiusi, Montepulciano (x2), Bagno Vignoni (x2), Monticchiello (x3), Pienza, Montalcino, Radicofani, Cortona, San Querico d'Orcia, Vitaleta
• Region of Umbria:  Casstiglione del Lago
• Region of Lazio:  Civita di Bagnoregio
• Region of Lombardy:  Lezzeno, Lenno, Bellagio (x2), Tremezzo, Varenna, Menaggio, Pigra

Number of train trips = 10

• Rome to Chiusi
• Chiusi to Florence
• Florence to Chiusi
• Chiusi to Rome
• Rome to Fiumicino
• Fiumicino to Rome
• Rome to Chiusi
• Chiusi to Florence to Milan to Como Town
• Como Town to Milan
• Milan to Malpensa Airport

Number of ferry rides on Lago di Como = 12

• Town of Como to Lezzeno
• Lezzeno to Argegno
• Argegno to Lenno
• Lenno to Bellagio
• Bellagio to Argegno
• Argegno to Varenna 
• Varenna to Argegno
• Argegno to Villa Carlotto
• Tremezzo to Bellagio
• Bellagio to Menaggio
• Menaggio to Argegno
• Argegno to Town of Como

Number of great "climbs" = 5 (Views from them all were spectacular!)

• Climb to the top of St. Peter's Dome, Vatican City (with Paula & Mary)
• La Foce hike (near Gonzola), up past the Crete Senesi to the abandoned houses overlooking the Val d'Orcia (with Paula & Mary)
• Climb to the top of the Fortress of Radicofani (with Paula)
• Hike along the pedestrian footbridge to Civita di Bagnoregio (with Brenda, Jerry, Palmer & Jim)
• Climb to the top of the Tower of the Castello di Vezio, Varenna (with Palmer)

3 Favorite Museums:

• Galleria Borghese, Rome
• Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Florence
• The World of Leonardo 3, Milan

Number of minor technical difficulties = Just 3

• My watch battery died Week 1 ... I apologize for frequently asking everyone what time it was!
• My iPhone battery gave out mid-afternoon every day ... was I taking too many pics?!
• Could not figure out how to insert photos in this blog  (Since I've been home, I've been able to do so.)

Number of Miles Walked = 116 miles
Number of Pounds LOST = 5 (!)
Number of espressos, macchiatos, cappuccinos enjoyed = Many, Many!
Number of small (!) cups of delicious gelato consumed = Too many to count!

Number of new friends I made on this trip = 8 ... Carolyn & Hank (Week 1), Anna (Week 2) and Kathy & Fred, Richard & Allyson and Amy (Week 3).  Mille grazie for joining our happy group of Tuscan travelers and for being so much fun!

Number of old friends I reconnected with on this trip =  21 ... Mary & Paula, Jesus & Gladys, Ann & Mike, Melanie & Lary, Maryanne & Bob, Peg & George, Joann & Tim, Ann & John, Brenda & Jerry, Jim, Palmer and Margie.  Mille grazie to all of you for being such terrific travel companions!

It's been fun researching quotes to begin each of my blog posts.  I'll end with one of my favorites ... with which I hope you'll agree:

Happy Travels, everyone!

From Milan to Raleigh ~ A Long Trip Home!

"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home

and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow."

Lin Yutang

Time to bid a very fond farewell to Bella Italia and head for home and family!  This will be a big travel day ... a walk to the Cadorna Train Station from our apartment with Palmer (his flight to Atlanta leaves about the same time as my flight to Paris), then the Malpensa Express train to Milan's airport, then an Air France flight to Paris, another Air France flight to Boston, and finally a Delta flight to RDU!  

The Malpensa Express was quick, easy and at 14 Euros, very reasonable!  We opted for it as soon as we found out the taxi fare from our apartment to Malpensa Airport would have cost 90 Euros!  Malpensa is a HUGE airport and Palmer and I parted ways soon after we arrived there - he for the Delta terminal, me for the Air France terminal ... which was a considerable distance from where the train deposited us.  (In fact all the airports I visited today were huge ... my STEPZ app logged a total of 5 miles, just walking through them!) 

Time for a tasty breakfast before heading to the gate ... my last Italian cappuccino and a delicious crisp waffle slathered with chocolate and fresh strawberries. (Good thing I was getting some walking exercise in between flights today.)

I lucked out and got a window seat on the flight from Milan to Paris' Charles deGaulle Airport and could see the ground the entire way.  Views of the Alps were spectacular ... at one point the pilot announced the Matterhorn was on the right side of the plane (my side!) and Mont Blanc on the left.  Soooo beautiful!

Another (37 minute) long walk through the Paris airport still allowed me enough time for a lovely Chicken Caesar Salad for lunch.  I've finally picked up my Kindle and have gotten into the novel (Elizabeth George's latest mystery) which I ignored the entire rest of my trip ... too much else to do!  Really enjoyed having something to read today with all the waiting and sitting around airports and on airplanes. 

Air France flight was MUCH more comfortable than the cramped Alitalia flight over in May.  More leg room, more seat room and I was fortunate to snag another window seat which always makes you feel less hemmed in.  Food was delicious ... we were even offered champagne before dinner ... which I happily accepted.  Smooth flight, on time, I slept most of the way.

Landing in Boston was smooth and easy ... great to be back in the U.S.A. and to hear all those wonderful Boston accents.  They have this new U. S. Customs procedure at Logan where you step up to a computer terminal and answer a series of questions.  Then they ask that you remove your hat and glasses and TAKE YOUR PICTURE which is then printed out for you to turn in with your passport to a Customs agent.  Yikes ... I looked REALLY exhausted in that photo!!  Retrieved my luggage and re-checked it for 8:30 pm flight to RDU.  

Sunset departure from Boston's Logan Airport ...
for the final leg of my journey home

Slept ALL the way through that final flight ... since my body was definitely still on Italian time and thought it was almost 5 am the next morning.  Sorry that today's post is just all walking, sleeping and eating ... but that's really all it was!

Allan was there at the curb to meet me at RDU - WONDERFUL to see him and to be home after a wonderful, wonderful five weeks in Italy ... my very favorite place besides home.  That old, familiar pillow on Calais Court felt just grand as I fell into a very deep, very long sleep!

Tomorrow:  Some STATS and some final reflections on the trip!

Last Day in Milan: The Duomo Rooftop & the Leonardo Museum

"The Milan Duomo:  What a wonder it is!  So grand, so solemn, so vast!

And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful!

A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems ...

a delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath!"

Mark Twain, 1867

I slept the latest I have the entire trip ... until 9:30 am!  The Foldesi Group was ready to continue our exploration of the beautiful city of Milan and so was I! Jerry had researched how and where we could buy tickets and hop on the historic Tram #1 for a ride into the historic center of the city.  Against the backdrop of Milan's 19th c. stone architecture, a fleet of nearly 90-year-old trams contribute to the feel of another era ... and remind me of the trolley cars in Boston.  

La Scala

Jim photographing the Concordia

Our quick ride on the old wooden benches of the tram brought us within a block of the famed La Scala Opera House. Walking there we had a chuckle when we passed a digital sidewalk billboard advertising the historic (1926) lake ferry "Concordia" which had rescued us a week ago on Lake Como!  

We split up for a while to do a little window shopping at the beautiful Galleria Victor Emmanuele ... Palmer & I each enjoyed an espresso macchiato at the famed Campariani al Galleria, gazing up at its lovely mosaic-decorated walls as we stood at the bar and sipped our coffees.  Then we met up with the others for tasty salads and gelato at a little sidewalk bar near the Martini Building. 

After lunch ... on to explore the roof-top terraces of Milan's spire-laden Duomo, a truly amazing experience that I've been hearing about from other travelers for years. The Duomo's thousands of spires and statues are a fabulous sight from below, and even more so up close!  From the roof, we could just barely make out the outline of the Alps in the far northern distance.  We'd  purchased "Skip the Line" passes which included elevator rides up/down to/from the roof top, the inside of the Duomo and the archaeological excavations of a pre-Christian basilica located under the Piazza del Duomo.  

Back down on ground level, we visited the inside of the Duomo and starred in awe at its massive columns, magnificent stained glass windows, enormous paintings which seem to float in the air above the altars, the replica of the gilded bronze Madonna statue which sits atop the Duomo's highest spire, The Flayed San Bartolomeo by Marco d'Agrate (1562), and the entrance to the crypt of Saint Charles Borromeo (patron saint of my neighborhood parish church when I was growing up in Syracuse, NY).

The Foldesi Group headed back to the apartment after our terrific tour of Milan's Duomo, but I still had a little energy left so told them I'd be back to join them in time for dinner.  I headed to the "Football Shop" behind the Duomo to pick up some t-shirts for Thomas ... and then to the Leonard da Vinci Museum at the Galleria, which Federica had recommended highly.  The "World of Leonardo Exhibition" was very well done and very interesting, devoting several rooms to Leonardo the artist and inventor, with working models of his machines and digitized restoration of his paintings, including The Last Supper, Mona Lisa, Vetruvian Man ... and also many displays of his handwritten "codex" (notebooks).

The Leonardo Museum, Milan

Walked back to the apartment, feeling very comfortable and familiar with this beautiful city ... so glad we decided to add a visit here on to the end of our trip.  Time for a glass of wine on the terrace, overlooking that beautiful castle one more time ... then off for our last dinner on Via Dante!

Checked in with airlines, have my passport,
ready to head for home!

Tomorrow:  BIG travel day home!

The Foldesi Group waving to me
from our beautiful Milanese stone balcony!

Leonardo's Cenacolo & More of Milan

"It's better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times."

Asian Proverb

Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

Santa Maria delle Grazie

I'm quite certain that over the seventy years of my life I probably have heard about ... or seen photographs of ...  or read about Leonardo's iconic Renaissance masterpiece, The Last Supper, at least a thousand times, so it was completely amazing to gaze upon the actual painting with my own eyes!  Between 1495 and 1499, Leonard painted what would become one of history's most influential works of art, and he painted it here in Milan, in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie, part of 15th c. renovations to the church and its convent buildings by Leonardo's patron Ludovico Sforza.  In the painting, Leonardo depicts his visual interpretation of the reactions (horror, anger, shock) of the twelve apostles in the moments following Jesus' announcement that one of them would soon betray him.  Each figure is memorable and unique.

Our guide, lovely young Milanese, Antonia, did an excellent job explaining the history of the painting, all the deterioration and restorations it has undergone (the most recent restoration took place between 1979 - 1999), the perspective, symbolism and details of the work.  The painting has struggled to stay intact over the centuries ... Antonia shared that the "bombardments of the second World War" destroyed the walls adjacent to Leonardo's work ... and the roof of the refectory; amazingly, the wall on which The Last Supper was painted did not collapse.  Our small tour group was allowed 15 minutes in the refectory which went by very quickly.  

Biscione - Symbol of Milan
& Alfa Romeo

After departing Santa Maria delle Grazie, Antonia led us on a very interesting 3-hour walking tour of the historic center of Milan ... down broad boulevards lined with beautifully ornamented buildings (so many lovely stone balconies, so many flowers!), past the Piazzale Cadorna (where Palmer and I will catch the Malpensa Express train on Tuesday) with its modern "Needle, Thread and Knot" sculptures, symbolizing Milan's fashion industry.  We walked in and all around the Castello Sforzesco, built between 1360-1499, one of the largest citadels in Europe. In 1494, Ludovico Sforza became Lord of Milan and employed numerous artisans to decorate the castle, including Leonardo da Vinci.  

Next we walked down the lovely, wide, vehicle-free Via Dante (where we had dinner last night), past the historic Postal building (which Antonia told us has been purchased by STARBUCK'S (... the first Starbuck's in Milan!), past Piazza della Scala with its famous opera house ... Piazza Leonardo ... and into the beautiful Galleria Victor Emmanuele.  There she pointed out the historic Art Nouveau classic Caffe Camparini al Galleria as the best place to have coffee in Milan (we did so later that afternoon) and the floor mosaic of a bull on which people spin around three times for good luck!  She also told us that the designer/architect of this gorgeous glass-ceilinged structure plunged to his death from a scaffold, in 1877, one day before the Galleria opened!  

Our last stop was Piazza del Duomo and Milan's amazingly beautiful cathedral, which took nearly six centuries (1386-1965) to complete.  It is the largest church in Italy (St. Peter's is larger but is located in Vatican City) and the 5th largest in the world.  Capacity = 40,000!  3,400 statues, 135 gargoyles, 52 huge interior columns, one for every week of the year!   Constructed all of pink-hued white marble from Candoglia near Lake Maggiore.  Antonia gave us info on how to purchase tickets to ride an elevator up to the Duomo's rooftop terraces ... which we plan to do tomorrow!

Back at the apartment, I had a lovely three-hour nap (at last, a nap!!), and then headed back down to Via Dante with the Foldesi Group for yet another delicious Milanese dinner and some yummy gelato.  

When we got back, I snapped this pic of  Brenda & Jerry, Palmer & Jim in our "scary" ancient elevator!

Tomorrow:  Our last full day in Milan ... and in Italy ... and we have lots of interesting things planned for it!

Farewell to Argegno ~ On to Milano!

"Once a year, go someplace you've never been before."
Dalai Lama

Another bittersweet day ... the day we must say "Arrivederci, Lago di Como" ... but also the day I get to travel to an Italian city I've never visited before:  Milano!

The Girls (Amy & Margie) are up, packed and gone before the rest of us arise ... they have only one day in Milan before flying home to North Carolina, so wanted to catch the very first ferry to Como!  The rest of us (The Foldesi Group and I) take our time, enjoying breakfast on that beautiful terrace one more time ... packing up and checking out at 10:30.  I stop for a quick visit to the church next door ... and find it beautifully decorated for a wedding.  We toss (very stale) bread to the ducks and loons as we cross the little bridge to town ... they are most appreciative!  

Last cappuccino in Argegno 

Our ferry doesn't leave until 11:43 ... so we have time to park our suitcases at the bar across from the ferry landing ... and enjoy a cappuccino!  There's also a chance to wander around the little streets and alleys of Argegno one more time.  Such a beautiful little town ... so grateful that Jerry Foldesi's Internet search months ago came up with our beautiful apartment here!

Another perfect day for our non-stop ferry ride back to the town of Como ... all our eyes scanning the western shore for a peek at George Clooney's villa, Oleandra.  No luck with that, but we did see plenty of gorgeous villas and gardens along that stretch of the lake shore.  When we reached Como, we easily found a couple of taxis to transport us (and our luggage!) to the Como San Giovanni train station ... where we purchased tickets to Milan Centrale at a friendly "kiosk."  Short wait on the platform and we were whisked off to Milan ... quick 25 minute train ride.  The Milano Centrale train station is very beautiful ... and one of the largest in Europe.  Built in 1931 by Mussolini, it really is a spectacular edifice inside and out!  

Milano Centrale

Amazing interior of Milano Centrale train station!

Quick wait at the taxi stand outside the station and then we were on our way to our Airbnb apartment where we were met by the owner's representative, a handsome, friendly young Sri Lankan named Ranga.  He showed us around the apartment, how to operate the interior and exterior door locks (tricky!!) and answered our questions about nearby grocery stores, public transportation and restaurants.  

View from my bedroom!

One of the greatest things about this trip has been the amazing variety of places we have stayed:  Walter & Natalia's cozy apartment in Rome, the spacious and beautiful Sassaia farmhouse at Chiarentana in Tuscany, the just 5-year old, sleek and modern apartment on Lake Como ... and now here in Milan ... an apartment in a building from the 15th century!  The views of the Sforza Castle from all the windows were to die for ... the 14' ceilings, the antique (and I do mean antique) elevator, three eclectic bathrooms, typically Italian, all three completely different.  (We five had this amusing conversation one evening at dinner:  Jim:  "When I sit on my commode at night, I can see the Sforza Castle completely illuminated!"  Laurette:  "Really?  When I sit on my commode, all I can see is myself ... in a big mirror."   Brenda:  "When I sit on my commode, I see the washing machine!"  

Jim's bathroom view!

After we settle in, Brenda and Jerry go out in search of something to eat (empty fridge syndrome once again), promising to bring back some food for the rest of us.  I was feeling sleepy and thought a nap was in order, but first I "WhatsApp'd" my former Italian tutor, Federica, who now is back living in her hometown of Milan, asking if we might get together sometime during my three days in her fair city?  Just as I was dozing off, her "WhatsApp" response came in:  "Sure!  Let's get together this afternoon!"  I was a little nervous setting out on my own to find her suggested meeting point of the Teatro Piccolo ... having never been in Milan before and NOT knowing my way around at all.  However, thank goodness for Google Maps and iPhones who can take you where you need to go!  Met Federica with no problem ... just a 10 minute walk from our apartment.  It was delightful to see her again and she took me on a terrific 90-minute walk all around the historic center of the city:   Brera, La Scala, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, Galleria Victor Emanuele and close to the Piazza del Duomo (where throngs of young people were lined up to go thru security for a huge outdoor concert).  

Federica and I stopped at a pretty sidewalk bar for a "Spritz" (a delicious and refreshing Italian aperitif made with Campari, Prosecco & orange slices) and then she was off for dinner with friends and I found my way easily back to my friends in our 15th c. building ... I managed the key to the HUGE exterior door ... but opted to do the 90-stair steps up to the 3rd (our 4th) floor apartment ... rather than testing that scary old elevator!

At nearly 9 pm (the sun was just setting!), we headed to the nearby, bustling Via Dante for a delicious dinner at Caffe Sforzesco Bistrot, a spot we would frequent often in the next couple of days.  Chicken "Milanese" was delish.  It's been a great day ... very, very fun already exploring this new (to me!), historic Italian city.  Milan is MUCH more beautiful than I expected ... wide boulevards, beautiful architecture, balconies on almost every building, and very clean streets!  

TOMORROW:  Leonardo's Cenacolo (The Last Supper)!

Five-Town Progressive Tour Around Lake Como

"Un giorno senza un sorriso e un giorno perso."

(A day without a smile is a day that is lost.)

Charlie Chaplin

(Written on the wall of Ristorante Il Sorriso (The Smile), Argegno!)

As on every day this trip, there were lots of smiles!  After devouring Amy's delicious frittata (which she created from the week's leftovers in the fridge ... zucchini, tomatoes, eggs, avocados, etc.), we were ready for our final day of exploring bella Lago di Como!  One of the guys (Jerry? Palmer?) had suggested that we do a PROGRESSIVE all-day tour, seeing as much, stopping at as many towns, riding on as many ferries as possible.  We all thought that was a great idea ... and so we began:

Argegno Ferry Landing

Villa Carlotta

10:10 am ferry from Argegno to Villa Carlotta where we wandered about the magnificent gardens and statuary-filled villa for a couple of hours. 

After we re-united with Palmer (he has a way of wandering off and then magically reappearing!), we strolled along a short segment of the Lake Como Greenway ... from Villa Carlotta, past the very fancy and extremely grand "GRAND HOTEL" ... with its swimming pool floating on the lake and its guests lounging on beach chairs ... to the Tremezzo ferry landing where we ...

Bellagio Lakefront

Hopped on the ..... ferry to Bellagio ("The Pearl" of Lake Como) which was bustling with many, many visitors, especially along the lakefront Via Giuseppe Garibaldi.  Time for lunch!  We chose a pretty restaurant, close to the water ... great for people watching ... the Hotel Suisse.  Our waiter looked just like Morgan Freeman and was every bit as classy and dapper.  Food (and vino bianco) were delish ... I had an insalata mista (the fresh greens and veggies are so tasty ... served just with local olive oil and balsamic) and baked onion soup in a pretty copper tureen.  The

restroom was one of our nicest ... real cloth towels at the sink! After lunch, we split up for a while ... some off to shop, some off to take pics, I strolled down the oleander-lined walkway toward the grounds of the lovely Villa Melzi.  Soon it was time (I kept sneaking peeks at other people's watches ... remember my watch battery died back in mid-May!) to meet up at the Ponte #1 for our 4 pm ferry to ...

Menaggio

Menaggio!  This was a new town for me and we were a bit unsure where to go when we left the ferry dock ... we followed the steam of other visitors and eventually wound up at Menaggio's lovely waterfront park, shops and piazza.  Believe it or not, vendors were in the process of setting up yet another town market ... an evening one along the lakefront ... no food this time, but lots of handmade crafts, jewelry and linens.  We saw people eating gelato and asked them for directions to the local gelateria ... since having our daily gelato was on the itinerary for Menaggio!  Gelateria Edo did NOT disappoint!  On the way back to the ferry landing, we visited two churches (located practically next door to each other) ... The Church of Saint Martha and The Church of San Stefano ... both plain on the exterior, both beautiful inside. Then it was time to head back to the ferry landing for our final cruise of the day ....

Took the 6:00 pm ferry back to Argegno ... it stopped at several other towns along the way, but we had the luxury of just staying on board and enjoying the ride (and our gin and tonics!) all the way back to Argegno.  I took my drink to the upper deck where I found a lovely bench in the shade ... the perfect spot to watch the beauty of the lake, mountains and sky pass by ... and contemplate the delightful week we have enjoyed here. It has been such a wonderful gift!

We'd planned our "Farewell Dinner" for 8:00 pm ... but since we didn't get back to Argegno 'til after 7 pm, I stopped by Il Sorriso and asked our friendly server, Willie, if we could move our reservation to 8:45 pm.  NO problem!  So, we all had time for a brief rest (and some attention to my hair which has been covered by my La Foce Gift Shop hat all day)!   Have I mentioned how bright it stays in the evening here?  The sunset

was just beginning as we strolled to the restaurant at 8:45 pm..  Mid-June, so close to the summer solstice, is the perfect time to travel in Italy ... you have so many hours to enjoy before it's time for dinner!

And our last dinner in Argegno dinner was wonderful ... lots of local seafood ... lots of kind attention from Willie and the lovely female owner of Il Sorriso.  They took this pic of us to add to their wall of happy, smiling customers ... and we definitely fit well into that group!

Tomorrow:  Farewell to Le Vele and on to Milano!

An Italian Beauty Parlor ... & A Mountain-Top Cable Car Ride

"The Argegno-Pigra Funivia cable car (about 300m north of Argengo's Piazza Roma) makes the five-minute climb to the 860m-high village of tiny Pigra every 30 minutes. From the square where the cable car arrives and from the grounds of the tiny Chiesa di Santa Margherita, the views back down over the lake are quite striking."

Lonely Planet

We awake to the church bells ringing next door and to bright sunshine. Today we plan to ride the Argegno-Pigra Funivia (cable car) up to the top of our mountain!  But first ... Brenda's made an appointment to get her hair done at the local Argegno beauty parlor and I've volunteered to come along to help "translate" the discussion of what she'd like done with her hair!  We arrive at 10 am and are greeted warmly by Paola, the Italian gal who will touch up Brenda's hair color and give her a shampoo and blow-dry.  I use Google Translate to look up "hair words" that need to be exchanged in Italian ... like "roots" (radici) and "bangs" (frangia) ... and have great fun doing my best to chat in Italian with the local ladies who come in to get their hair done while Brenda's colore is processing! What a very fun experience this was ... and Brenda's hair turned out beautifully!

We head back to the apartment and snap a pic of the Jerry, Jim & Palmer on our pretty terrace.  Jerry's checked the schedule for the funivia and it starts running again at 2:30 pm ... which means we have time for lunch before we head to the funivia station just a few meters from our apartment.  We decide to check out Il Sorriso (The Smile) ... a restaurant we pass by every time we walk into town.  It turns out to be delicious and our (Egyptian!) waiter is delightful ... especially when he shares the interesting tidbit of info that George Clooney has eaten several times at Il Sorriso ... he stops by on his Harley-Davidson!

After lunch, we're off to the funivia station where we wait a few minutes with some other tourists from Scotland and the U.S.   The "car" holds 12 people standing and we all are mesmerized by the amazing views of the lake as we rise quickly and smoothly up the mountain.  My first cable car ride ever and I loved it ... felt like I was in a James Bond movie.  Views from the top were indeed quite striking ... in fact, glorious!  While Jim, Jerry & Brenda headed to the little Pigra church and cemetery, Palmer and I spotted a signpost pointing to a path leading to another  "Bellevedere" (beautiful view).  It was a longer hike that we'd both imagined (I was wearing sandals and hadn't brought my trusty hiking pole!) ... up and down rocky paths and steps through pretty heavily forested areas ... Palmer gallantly found a big, sturdy tree branch and fashioned it as a hiking pole for me ... which really helped!  After about 30 minutes, the woods cleared and we could see the lake again ... from a point much father north.  We could see all the way to Bellagio!  Absolutely breathtaking and well-worth the hike.  

Jim was cooking his specialty for dinner tonight ... Pesto Shrimp Pasta.  We all set to work being his sous-chefs ... Palmer with the salad, Brenda with the green beans, me peeling all the shrimp out on the terrace overlooking the lake ... such a beautiful spot to accomplish that usually tedious task!  It was such a perfect evening, we enjoyed the delicious dinner out on the terrace ... under the stars.  (Funny thing, though, we never seem to see the MOON on this trip!)  

After dinner, our Monopoly Deal tournament continued.  Trouble is ... Margie is SO good at that game that Amy and I have an awfully hard time beating her!  Current score in games is 7 (M) to 2 (L) to 1 (A) ... but Amy and I are determined to win at least a few more games!  This leads to a late night ... and then I post my blog ... and then I fall into a deep, deep sleep beneath my big white, cozy, comfy duvet ... listening to the boats outside my window gently moving on their anchors.    

Tomorrow:  Our last full day on Lake Como ... and we have a very interesting and enjoyable itinerary planned for it!