Lake Como Luxury (Cont.)

Life Electric in Como

Day 8

The next day, we didn't really have anything planned or pre-booked. On a whim, I decided I'd like to go visit the town of Como, and everyone else decided to come with. We got a ferry ticket down at the lakefront and boarded. But what we didn't fully grasp at the time was that there were *two* ferries from Bellagio to Como - a short one (an hour) and a loooong one (two hours, because that ferry makes a lot more stops in other little towns on the lake). 

So, off we went on the long ferry to Como. From the boat, we were able to see George Clooney's (former) villa, as well as the waterfall in Nesso. But it was a long ride. When we disembarked in Como, the weather was luckily nice. We walked to the town's glorious cathedral, which was the largest and most ornate we'd seen on our trip so far. Construction on the giant duomo began in 1396 and took about 400 years! 

Como cathedral

Then, we strolled lakeside, walking out to the Life Electric public statue and grabbing drinks and snacks at a cafe. We wanted to be sure we caught the SHORT ferry back, so we pre-purchased tickets for that and made sure we were on it! 

When we got back to Bellagio, I stopped in at a leather goods store to pick up a gorgeous leather duffel bag I'd been eyeing all week for hubs. (Honestly, I missed hubs so much on this trip! Lake Como is an incredibly romantic travel destination, and I saw so many flower-festooned corners that made me think, "Hubs could kiss me right there." I found myself calling him more than I usually do when I'm away from home, and I'd love to return to this destination with him one day.) 

Though the rest of my travel party stayed in town to eat dinner at Hotel Suisse, I was feeling tired from the long boat ride and went back to the rental to pack up and sack out. 

Ciao, Milano! Exploring the Navigli area. 

Day 9 

As we were flying out of Milan to return home, we'd decided to head to the city for the last few days of our trip to make our final departure an easier one. So on day nine, we had arranged for another private van to collect us and get us to our Milan rental for our final few days of vacation. 

We arrived in Milan ahead of check in time, but our AirBnb host graciously allowed us to drop our bags in the rental for safekeeping while the unit was being cleaned and readied. (It was a busy time in Milan, as we were coming into the city for the end of Design Week 2024, which is a huge event.) 

Locks of love!

We started by walking the Navigli area, which is crisscrossed by canals and full of shops and restaurants. We found a great cafe/wine store by the canal - Signorvino - for lunch. It's an Italian chain, but it hit the spot! Then, we split up - Caron, Shawn and Susan had booked a three-hour walking tour that included seeing da Vinci's The Last Supper. I'd opted just for a ticket to see The Last Supper, which meant I had some time to kill before my appointment with one of Milan's most famous works of art. 

I started by further exploring the area where we'd lunched - strolling the canal, poking into a few shops, and admiring the love locks that locals and tourists alike had affixed to the bridges. I also popped into another church (as I can't resist them), and then slowly made my way to my appointment to view The Last Supper. 

I arrived at the area early, which was fortunate, as it gave me some time to enjoy Santa Maria delle Grazie. The interior is a marvel, with a magnificent arched ceiling and intricate tile work, but even the outside of the building is beautiful. At the appointed time, I was allowed into the venue to view The Last Supper. As you stand in front of it, it's hard to grasp that you are looking at something Leonardo da Vinci actually touched. Moreover, something that has survived more than 500 years of war, weather, and general human ridiculousness. It's just fascinating to see and think about. 

The Last Supper, by da Vinci

After my viewing of the painting, I saw Susan, Shawn and Caron outside. Though they still had a good chunk of walking tour left to do, Susan was getting tired, so we agreed to walk back to the rental together while Shawn and Caron carried on. We later grabbed a quick dinner near the rental before hitting the hay!

Day 10

On our last full day in Italy, Caron and I awoke early and started with a lovely breakfast at Cucchi, an adorable cafe near our rental. We had big cups of coffee, gorgeous breakfast sandwiches, and a lovely fruit cup. (They served our fruit cup in a cut crystal pedestal glass, and my life changed. Right then, I decided I'd find some pedestal glasses when I got back home and serve myself gorgeous fruit cups in them at breakfast! Oh, the things I learned in Italy!)

Statue of Saint Bartholomew at Milan's Duomo

Then, we were off to Milan's famous Duomo! We'd purchased all access tickets (duomo, roof, and museum) ahead of time, and our timed entry was for 9:30 a.m.! We started with the interior. We'd purchased the audio guide, and you could select which areas you wanted to learn more about as you went. Aside from the ridiculously impressive arched ceiling, I loved learning more about the marble floor design/sourcing and the statue of Saint Bartholomew. The ornate stained glass was also gorgeous.

I loved this piece, titled
"Eternal Father" in the
Duomo museum.

Next, we queued up to walk the roof. We took a series of steps up, up, up to see the exterior architecture up close. It was a cloudy, rainy day, making this activity a little less enjoyable (and the views less expansive). In addition, a part of the upper exterior was covered with scaffolding, as they are working on restoring parts of the structure. 

If I were to visit Milan again, this is something I'd double-check before opting in for the roof ticket. What was cool about this (even in the rain) - On one side of the structure, the stonework had already been cleaned and restored. The colors were pinkish and light gray. On the other side, the work had yet to be complete, and the color of the stone was much more dark gray and black. It really made you think about what the duomo looked like when it was built versus how the stone has aged over time.

As it was still rainy and chilly, we were thankful to get back inside for our duomo museum tour. The museum is adjacent to the duomo and covers its history, architecture, and iconography. So many cool things to see here - lots of statues up close, and I loved the display of the various gargoyles! When Caron glimpsed the giant golden The Protection statue in a courtyard (a 1:1 scale copy of the golden statue at the top of the duomo), that sent us down another hallway to the perfectly pink San Gottardo in Corte, where they were clearly beginning to set up for an evening event we wanted to wrangle an invitation to! 

After fully exploring the duomo and its environs, Caron and I ended up at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II for a bit of browsing and noshing. We slid into a cozy booth at Savini for lunch. 

Amazing angles atop Milan's Duomo

That night, our group had a quick dinner at a local restaurant near the rental before packing up and getting ready to head out the next morning for home. We turned in fairly early. Sometime around 11:30 p.m., I heard a group of Italian men singing below my bedroom window. (We were on the third floor, I believe.) I thought, "Ah, Italia!" and rolled over to go back to sleep. But the singing turned into more singing. And shouting. And cars whizzing by, laying on their horns. And noisemakers. And on and on and on. 

"What on Earth is happening?" I asked myself, opening up the internet and doing some quick searches on Milan. Apparently, the Milan soccer team had just won a championship, and I could expect the revelry to last for a while. Luckily, I had ear plugs. I put them in and went to sleep!

The next morning, it was airports and home! Our flights went off largely without a hitch, and we made it home safe and sound. Though this was a different trip for me, I really enjoyed myself, and it was nice to let someone else sit in the driver's seat for a change! I loved Lake Como, and I completely understand why it's an international destination. 

Until my next trip! 

See you again soon, Italy!