It cost nearly 100€ to drive from Geneva to Como! Between the tolls on the autoroute and the cost of going through the Mont Blanc tunnel, it was an easy, but costly, drive. The scenery was incomparable!
Como is a bustling little town – the take-off point for many of the smaller towns around the gorgeous lake. Because it is so bustling, they have congestion pricing in the center of town – 30€ to go in and another 30€ to leave! Our hostess gave us the name of a reasonable municipal parking lot which we used the first day, but after that we took the bus.
Donna’s Italian is mostly a dim memory, but her accent is still pretty good. The downside of that is that when she was able to formulate a question she received an earful of Italian at about 200km per hour, of which she understood only a word here or there! Humbling!
Our first afternoon in Como we did our traditional cobblestone stroll around the Duomo and the old quarter. Next a stroll over to the lakeside to see a town that reminded us of Sausalito on a lake! We felt right at home!
The next day we did some house keeping in the morning – shoring up provisions and doing laundry. Then down to the lake for a one hour ferry ride to Moltrasio and Torno and back to Como. It was a lovely way to see the surrounding area. We had been thinking of driving around the lake the next day, but decided instead to take a day trip by ferry to Bellagio at the center of the two main legs of the lake.
That turned out to be a great plan, as a heat wave has settled in to Europe and it was about 94° the next day! We found a shady spot on the boat and settled in for the 2 hour ride.
Bellagio is quite a little tourist mecca. As soon as you disembark from the ferry, there are restaurants, souvenir shops, jewelry stores and gelaterias! After a delicious lunch, a walk up the hill led us to an amazing little jewel of a church, the Basilica San Giacomo. Built between 1075 and 1125, the mosaics are stunning!
Our last day in Como, we checked out of our Airbnb and headed for the funicular that goes up the hill from the lake. At the top is a little church and a light house, but for us, the main attraction was the ride. It was about a 22˚ slope up the hill. There are two cars and the counterweight is the car going in the opposite direction. Going up didn’t seem extreme, but going down was thrilling!
It should be mentioned at some point in the highlights of an Italian tour, that gelato and sorbetto are available EVERYWHERE. About every fifth doorway has a gelato cooler – often “artisanal” or “Fatti in Casa”. And of course with the heat wave, it is nearly impossible to resist! Donna’s favorite so far was the pink grapefruit sorbetto in Como. Sam found a dark chocolate that he adored . It really tasted like dark chocolate, not chocolate pudding!
We are headed for Treviso next. Looking forward to a smaller canal city, less crowded than Venice!
We miss you all,
Sam, Donna & LuLu
June 26, 2019
LuLu's Outta Town 
We’re signed in and caught up. Glad to see there’s still snow on Mount Blanc in June, even a June with 94 degree temperatures! All 3 of you look great, especially considering the rigors of the Grand Tour and all those nights of looking at IKEA furnishings. Thanks for the photos and your thoughts about what you’re seeing (and eating). Dan
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I’m all caught up. Lots of fun tagging along with you three. Keep ‘em comin’!
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