Wednesday, April 17, 2024

We left Minneapolis late yesterday, and arrived in Milan around noon today. From there, an hour long bus ride took us to Malgrate, on Lake Como, where we will stay for two nights, as part of a pre-cruise package with Viking Cruises. The original plan was to stay in Como itself, but the hotels were overbooked due to other events taking place at this time. That was a disappointment, but Malgrate was a lovely place to stay.

Lake Como, or Lago di Como, is shaped like an upside-down “Y”. Malgrate is located at the southeastern fork of that “Y.” This side of the lake is actually Lake Lario, the other side is Lake Como. Lake Como is the third largest lake in Italy, with an area of 56 square miles. While that may not seem large to us Minnesotans, our Minnesota lakes are not surrounded by mountains, which gives this one an edge. The area has been popular with tourists for centuries. The shore is lined with magnificent villas and palaces.

Our hotel, the Hotel Promessi Sposi is named for a beloved 1827 Italian novel by Alessandro Manzoni – “I Promessi Sposi,” or “The Betrothed.” The novel is supposedly the most famous and widely read novel in the Italian language.

Thursday, April 18

We took a private boat tour this morning, stopping first in Bellagio, which is nestled in the crook of the lake’s “Y”. Lake Como was formed by glacial activity during the Pleistocene Era. The glaciers carved the lake around Mount St. Primo, resulting in the “Y” shape we see today.

The earliest signs of habitation in Bellagio date to 30,000 years ago, though little is known about the peoples who lived here then. Insubres (a Celtic tribe) and Gauls occupied the area when Romans arrived in 225 BC, and conquered them. The Romans established a garrison, and the soldiers were joined by colonists about 150 years later. These colonists introduced Mediterranean crops, such as olives, chestnut, bay laurel, and many other plants.

Called the “Pearl of Lake Como,” Bellagio is famed for its olive oil and silk. Around 1400 AD, the Duke of Milan imported mulberry trees from Asia. Silkworms feed on the leaves of these trees. Soon, silk was being produced, and it became a major part of the local economy. A school to train “silk masters” was even built here. Several shops in Bellagio sell hand made silk scarves, shawls, ties, and more, making for some great shopping opportunities for me.

Mulberry trees line walkways in the downtown area of Bellagio. Each year, they are pruned way back, so they will produce many leaves in the following spring. Right now, there are just beginning to leaf out again.

After leaving Bellagio, we sailed on to Como, passing several beautiful villas on the way, including the one owned by actor George Clooney in the Village of Lario. Clooney purchased one villa about 20 years ago, and has added four more since then, all along the lake. We stopped for a few minutes to “ooh and ahh,” and take photos. The Clooneys spend their summers there, and are said to be well-liked by the villagers.

While in Como, we enjoyed a lunch of prosecco and bruschetta – this is the life! After that, we had a guided tour of the old part of Como. There is a statue of Allesandro Volta, the Italian physicist and inventor of the battery, who was born in Como in 1745, and died there in 1827.

Como is a beautiful town, and we do wish we could have spent more time here. Perhaps we will return some day.

We took a cooking class this evening, then enjoyed the meal we prepared – six different types of pizza – delicious but way more than we could eat. Various members of the group were called upon to work on making the dough and adding the ingredients, including Mark. It was a delightful evening.