Following my Travels

My travels through Italy lasted three weeks, where we enjoyed staying out of the big cities and exploring the Tuscan and Lombardian regions of Italy.

Legion of the Accommodation where we stayed.

This a map of our travels, we stayed a minimum of 3 nights at our accommodation so we could get a feel for the area. We drove a maximum of 2 1/2 hours by car to get to our next destination, so we could take our time, stop if we wanted too and arrived in time for check-in.

This trip allowed us to experience the best of the areas in the time we had. With so many picturesque and wonderful regions in Italy, we decided to explore Elba's beautiful seascape, the rolling hills of Tuscany and the lovely lake districts of Lombardia.

I would recommend a trip driving through Italy; you do get a feel for the way the locals drive and start to understand what to do, once you do it's easier than you think. The roads are well signed and GPS works well unless you get one like ours that had no idea how many exits there were in a roundabout! A few u-turns and you're easily back on track.

It would be hard to try to choose which area I liked the most as they all were so different and had great qualities; I loved the views of Lake Como but my taste buds were in heaven in the Chianti region. Looking forward to going back and exploring more of this beautiful country, sometime soon.

The next part of this trip took us to the Baltic sea where we jumped on a plane from Milan and got ready to boarded a cruise ship at Copenhagen to explore Northern Europe and Scandinavia.

Lake Como, Lombardia Provence, Italy

Being our first time to Lake Como, we weren't sure where to stay. We knew that Lake Como, situated in the North of Italy in the Lombardia region, and it is the most popular lake of the three in this area, the other two being Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore.

We didn't want to be in the busiest area but still have easy access to the more popular spots. So we checked out the map and chose Menaggio for its position and its triangle with Bellagio & Varenna.

Menaggio

As mentioned in my previous post, this town is less hectic as Bellagio with a smaller town feel. The locals meet & greet daily over coffee in the piazza, and it has a more relaxed feel. The shoreline is lovely and at the end of the promenade they have their Lido - bathing pool area with a beautiful pebble beach. 

Menaggio marina

Bellagio

The town of Bellagio well-known tourist area and home of 'George Clooney', is an easy ferry ride from Menaggio.  The town lined with stores and restaurants that meet all different cuisines and budgets. You can explore the area and keep finding little gems hidden in this city. Having an affinity for water, we always tend to gravitate to areas, accommodation or restaurants that are over the water.

Bellagio has all of this and more, but for us on this trip too many people.

We had heard about a well-known local artist designer of silk scarves & handbags and sought him out. Pierangelo Masciardi designs are unique and in limited editions; his stylish ties have been worn by some the American presidents.

Varenna

Varenna is smaller the Menaggio & Bellagio and has a feel of a medieval fortress, with the heart of the town being behind the port & shoreline.  From the foreshore, you head up to the central Piazza that's towards the back of the neighborhood whereas, with the other places we visited, they were at the foreshore.  The laneways and alleys are narrow and have steps that lead up towards that Piazza. It's nowhere near as touristy yet has some beautiful villas and gardens. Villa Monastero is a must see, unfortunately, the villa was closed the day we went but the gardens where and open and worth a visit on their own.

Views of Varenna

Wherever you stay along Lake Como, you have a feast for your eyes with uninterrupted views of one of the most picturesque lakes in Italy. My recommendation is if you have time and are anywhere near Milan take the opportunity to head to Lake Como and relax over a Spritz (local aperitif) and enjoy the views.

Mennaggio Lake Como Italy

Driving from Tabiano to Menaggio took about 2 1/2 hrs via the Autostrada.  We took the scenic route along Lake Como after bypassing Milan.

Menaggio
Taking in the stunning views of mountains that dive into a beautiful lake with towns and villages perched on its edge made the drive enjoyable.  The road was narrow but comfortable to drive with stop lights in tight spots to allow one-way traffic.

Having decided to go to a less touristy town than somewhere like Bellagio but that was still a short ferry ride away, we chose Menaggio. There are quite a few different options in Menaggio, but we liked the look of the Grand Hotel Victoria Via B. Castelli 9/13 22017 Menaggio, Lago di Como Italia.

The Grand Hotel Victoria built in 1890 for travellers Summer vacation by the lake.  It encompasses a grand old style of class from yesteryear but still has all the modern facilities of this century. The onsite bar and restaurant have breakfast and dinner daily. The breakfast was an ample buffet selection, whereas the dining restaurant is a la carte. The meals were good but just lacked the Italian authenticity of the other local Italian restaurants.

Menaggio is a town on the western banks of Lake Como in the Lombardia Provence. It forms a triangle with Bellagio & Varenna across Lake Como.  The ferry regularly leaves for either passengers or car & passengers to cross. Tickets are easy to purchase at the ferry dock and can be bought per passage or day.

The Food
There are a few restaurants in Menaggio's piazza area that seem to rotate the days that they close. You can go from a top end restaurant to an osteria or a pizza/pasta place. We tried most but had to return to the Osteria Il Pozzo for their home style cooking.  After having many lovely dishes on our travel, we were looking for something simpler and asked even though it wasn't on the menu for a light pasta dish with Alio & Olio (oil & garlic). They were happy to oblige and brought us an excellent hand made pasta of Spaghetti Alio & Olio with a hint of chilli.

The Verdict

The Grand Hotel is a hotel of yesteryear with many British guests as it's on one of the Britain;s premier travel sites that caters for package deals around the world. Therefore, I found the hotel to be geared more towards that particular type of guest.

Menaggio is for the person who enjoys a quieter and more relaxing town with a lovely lake front and the convenience of being able to visit some lovely mountains for views, excellent hiking and Lugano Switzerland (a beautiful lake town) with ease. You can visit Bellagio, Varenna and some other cities quickly with the ferry, as well as get to Milan by train in an hour from Bellagio. A beautiful place to relax and yet be a short distance to the hustle and bustle of larger towns and cities.