Escape to the Italian Lake District, 32 Anniversary, 2007

Italy was our planned escape to the warmth we've missed during the Yorkshire spring of cold and rain.

We jumped up and caught our taxi and took poor george to the Red House doggie resort (better know as dog prison!). This was the first trip to the Leeds/Bradford Airport via the new bus service which leaves every hour on the hour. What a great way to go and only $34 round trip.

We flew Jet2 straight into the Bergamo Italy airport. The owner, Mario, of the bed and breakfast picked us up and then drove to the B&B click to see, La Valletta Relais, where we stayed. You won't meet a finer proprietor then Mario and family. We freshened up and Mario took us back to the old town of Bergamo for dinner.

We wandered about looking for the restaurant Da Mimmo one of the top four dining experiences in Bergamo. We were seated in the outdoor garden area after a glass of bubbly in their deli across the small lane. White table clothes, great smells, lots of people having a Saturday night out. As usual, we were very fortunate to even get a place to dine. Dinner was great, I ate a slap of meat that covered the whole plate. Ya'll may not believe this but I couldn't finish it. It was about two and a half inches thick. Bet dined on a local specialty, lake trout with italian veggies.

We ended our saturday night by walking back to the center of old town and had a gelato as we waited for mario's shuttle back to La Valletta and the 11pm bed call.

Bergamo is a splendid little hill town in northern Italy. Our sunday began naturally with a walk about on the perimeter of the hill top road. Everybody walks no wonder these Italian people are so good looking. They keep their shapes and legs by climbing up and down these hill roads on into their nineties. I had people older than me passing as if I was tied.

La Vellatta sits on the side of a hill above old town Bergamo. It over looks the city. The birds are unbelievable we even heard real cuckoos. That was a first for us. We stolled down the hill to town. We visited a hillside garden, a war memorial park and took a Funiculare up to the top of the hill for a castle look see.

We spent the whole day walking, looking, dining and broke up those tourist moments with gelatos. After so much fun we voted for a quiet night on the outside patio of La Vallatta. We went back to last night's Da Mimmo deli and purchased vino and delicious food stuff. That night on the patio we were joined by this english couple we had met that very morning. We told tales and drank the vino until mario and family retired for the night.

Monday morning Mario takes us to the train station for our trip to Varenna on Lake Como. It started out a cool and wet day. The train trip seemed quick even with a small lay over in Lecco. That Betty is an expert at figuring the foreign train schedules. We made it to Varenna and got off in the middle of a gully washer. We walked down the hill to the ferry station on Lake Como. Our hotel the La Olivedo, can be viewed by clicking Here!!!!

Our room was in a Villa, never stayed in one of those before. Man was it nice. The bed, although beautiful, we slept like it was a concrete slab. With all the fun the night before we took one of those rainy day naps till the 7:30 dinner of 3 courses for about $30 in La Oliveda dinning room. Laura who runs every aspect of the hotel and staff hit it off well with us. I think otherwise life at the La Oliveda may not be so nice. I just addressed her as Miss Laura and we got on good.

Our Italian lake tour started nicely with a grand walk through the Villa Monastero's Gardens. It was just a little overcast with periods of sun. We love lake Como. All the Europeans with the bucks owned and developed property here mostly the Kings and Queens of several nations. I can't explain the beauty of this place. I have come to know the unimaginable. We toured the properties of four of the finest gardens known to man. I'll never forget the side of a hill covered in roerdendiums the size of large oak trees. We usually spent half our days in the various gardens around the lake. We reached them via various means of marine transport.

Of course, we walked everywhere when we got to these little lake ports of call. We love Italy especially Lake Como. It has moved to the top of the list o places most likely to visit again and maybe again. The views around the lake were facinating to see snow caped mountians and palm trees all in one vista.

Our next Italy trip will be for some stop over time in Venice, everyone swears it's the best of Italia!

. . . . see ya,
j'bu