Italy, Lake Como

It was a good thing we decided to eat in last night. We had bought some ham, cheese, olives etc to have for dinner as we'd had a pretty decent lunch in Bellagio. We'd settled ourselves on the balcony and we're watching a storm build down the lake from us and we watched it make its way up to us. We only just decided to move everything in side just in time. It was pretty ferocious and we had a bit of trouble closing the doors against the driving wind and rain. Now I know what those external shutters are for!
We decided to drive to Varenna and catch the ferry port there for the days exploring. Leaving from a bigger ferry terminal gives us more choices and we can stay out longer. We had decided to visit Castello Di Vezio and a 40 minute pretty steep walk saw us to the top of a small mountain where it is located above the township of Varenna. It was a defensive castle and not too much remains, some rampart, the tower, some impressive olive groves, but it is definitely worth the visit. The views from the top were spectacular, having uninterrupted views of the three arms of the lake. From here we took a different path down to the ferry terminal and crossed over to Bellagio. We spent the day there starting off with a short walking tour that led us to the point of the promontory that Bellagio sits on. Found. Great restaurant here where we had lunch that was away from the frenetic tourist activity that characterises Bellagio. We visited Villa Melzi after lunch, lots of lawn and more of a spring garden by the look of it. The rest of the day was spent wandering the steep little alleys that make up Bellagio and a little retail therapy.Read more