We woke up this morning to crystal clear skies, snow-covered streets, and tempertures hovering around four degrees F. After breakfast at the Hotel Hauser, we headed back toward Italy. The drive back to Varenna was beautiful and took up about two hours.
Arriving at the ferry dock in Varenna we waited thirty minutes for the car ferry. The “cruise” across the lake afforded us with wide sweeping vistas of the surrounding mountains. Charlotte and I have fallen in love with this area!
Arriving at the ferry dock in Belliago we were met by a kind gentleman who pointeded us in the direction of our hotel. So up the hill we went. Having learned my lesson about driving on small streets in small towns (see “Too Much Room for the Road”) I parked before we entered the town gates and we walked in to explore. Belliago reminds me of many hilltowns of Tuscany… narrow cobbled streets lined with shops, steep alleyways, and a quaint ambiance. It was a bit wierd visiting here in the “off-season” because many of the shops were closed and the town was deserted except for a few hearty tourists like us and the locals.
We found a nice room at the Hotel Belliago and I went back to collect our luggage from the car and to find a suitable place to park. Our hotel room had a huge window with sweeping views of the lake and mountains beyond. We were able to lower the window to waist level which transformed our entire room into a balcony over looking the town and lake. A little prosecco and fruit just seemed to enhange the vista.
I don’t know what Belliago is like in the summer, I hear it is a popular place and often crowded, but the town is delightful for Charlotte and me right now. Belliago is definitly a relaxing destination with no museums or tourist attractions in sight. It’s worth a visit and is definitly Bellisimo!
Ciao, David
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I look forward to the future when I can travel at other times of the year other than summer.