DAY THREE...Quick tour of Milan and then off to LAKE COMO!
To no one’s surprise, we were not very energetic this AM and the “self guided walking tour” we had planned to see the top sites of Milan quickly morphed into the “let’s at least say we saw LA SCALA” and we headed out.
http://www.teatroallascala.org/en/season/2017-2018/opera/index.html
LA SCALA is definitely not the most impressive Opera House to be seen \240(of \240course we only glanced at the exterior) but we know the history and magic is inside, so another visit to Milan is obviously in order☺️. We did at least spot a super cute Alfa Romeo outside while there, and we later drove by the Alfa Romeo manufacturing site/museum on the way out of town, adding it to the list for next time.
https://www.museoalfaromeo.com/en-us/Pages/MuseoStoricoAlfaRomeo.aspx
LA SCALA has a little plaza out front where they honor DaVinci...
This is also where artists gather to perform...we were treated to a nice cover of “Stand By Me”😂
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Off the Plaza, we stumbled into the entrance of GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II (my new happy place😍)
Lucky for Kent we discovered this with about 5 minutes to spare before leaving Milan🙄
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Met our driver, Roberto, back at the hotel and upon hearing we’d never been to the city before, he refused to let us leave without seeing a little more, so he drove us past quite a few highlights on our way out of town.....
First up, THE DUOMO😱
Pretty cool pic considering we were in a moving car😎
Next...the ARCO DELO PACE
We then drove by \240SFORZA CASTLE which even has a moat! \240I showed my European ignorance asking whether or not there is still \240an Italian monarchy...FYI, there is not.😉 But I did confirm that the Royal Family (which only stopped ruling after WWII) is still around and prominent. Always Royal-watching😎👸🏻
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About 45 minutes later we were entering COMMUNE DI COMO (Como City). Roberto pointed us to the lake where we found a great little place to stop for lunch - RISTORANTE LA DARSENA . We timed it perfectly as the boat races had just begun!
http://www.la-darsena.it
After lunch we took a quick stroll to see a little more of the city centre. Como is a small city, but a lot is packed into it and it’s beautiful...taking more notes for next time as this would also be a great spot to stay.
Pictured below is the \240main square in the City Centre. In the far distance is the Como Cathedral. Unfortunately, we were out of time and this is as close as we got to it☺️
One quick selfie attempt before getting back on the road...
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It was another hour to Bellagio and all of it was along the winding NARROW lakeeside road. It was as gorgeous as we’d imagined, but the drive did not play nicely with the wine from lunch😬
Fortunately there were breathtaking distractions like George and Amal’s little pad...VILLA OLEANDRA
They invited us over for drinks, but our time in Bellagio was \240brief and their villa is in Laglio, much closer to Como, so “drinks with the Clooneys” \240will also have to wait until next time☺️
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We soon arrived in BELLAGIO ...and fell in love♥️
HOTEL FLORENCE is basically ON the water, right in the midst of all you want to see and do, \240and stands next to the ”Grande Dame” of Bellagio, VILLA SERBELLONI. While I had originally dubbed Florence the stepsister hotel, she’s got a lot going on for a fraction of the price and is in our opinion, by far the better value. So much charm, only 30 rooms, and the same family has owned/operated it for generations. But even if the charm of a good bargain was missing, we’d stay again just for this view😍
Our room shared the terrace with another room, but being the end of season, no one was staying there so we had it \240all to ourselves😍
Here’s a peek into the first floor (technically the second, but Europe☺️) where breakfast is served and access to our room, #3
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Kent went to the hotel bar for a cocktail and returned to the room with reverse sticker shock! His drink was only 5E (roughly 6 bucks!) The food and drinks elsewhere also proved to be incredibly reasonable during our stay in Bellagio...adding that to ever growing long list of reasons to go back☺️
“I don’t always go to Lake Como, but when I do, I wear Sketchers!”🙄
We watched the sunset from our balcony then headed out for drinks at BAR ROSSI waterside before risking the daunting stone steps leading to dinner al fresco at RISTORO FORMA E GUSTO.
https://www.ristorantebarchetta.com/ristoro-forma-gusto/
Dinner outside in the fall is as lovely and romantic as it sounds...but the imagery doesn’t take into account the FALLING LEAVES. Our little table for 2 was perched just right so that every time the wind blew, the leaves rustled...and then DUMPED right onto us, along with everything on the table! We thought it was happening to everyone else until a sweet couple from Atlanta stopped on their way out to say we were their dinner entertainment and they loved watching Kent debate with each wind gust whether he should protect his food or his wine😂
Hard to see but those are leaves on Kent’s head☺️
My entertainment for the night (other than my charming, leaf-fighting husband, of course) was watching a woman leave the restaurant in 4 inch stilettos and proceed to descend that stone staircase😱
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After dinner, we opted not to walk down those same steps post bottle of wine, so instead we finished the climb up and found a little road. Heard some music and activity (which was odd, off season late at night) and stumbled into the locals’ sports bar, CAFFE BAR SPORT☺️ Again with the cheap drinks, and dogs who as Kent pointed out “don’t speak English” so didn’t understand “sit”😂
Quick stroll and we were back at Hotel Florence ready to call it a night but the bar was still open...barely. Love me a bar that serves gelato!
Perfect ending to a perfect day♥️
