Day 117: The Great Pre-Alpine Lakes

When we chatted with German engineer Tobias in Bulgaria, he told us we need to go to the Chianti wine region and the northern lakes in Italy. Neither were on our radar, but it was an excellent recommendation as the Great Pre-Alpine lakes were breathtaking.

We hiked for two hours around the San Thomas church and had views of Valmadrera and Lecco. Next we ventured down to the water to catch a bus north. The service was reduced during non summer months so we opted to hang around the lake, especially with storm clouds and gloomy scenes feeding Mary’s desolate soul. Needing coffee, we hiked up what google maps said was a walking path which really was a road with no shoulders and blind spots.

This was all worth it though as we found an espresso bar that really was a bar bar. We got some beers and chatted up the bartenders as they fed us little snacks and more drink recommendations. This included a coffee with anise vodka and then a Campari made extra strong. Mary had been looking for an Italian local happy hour she read about online and we finally got it. We ran home and enjoyed our last delicious Italian dinner.

Restaurants:
Caffè Pari Parè
Ristorante Pizzeria Osteria Le Bocce

Food:
Bruschetta
Ravioli with Burrata and Langoustine
Tagliolini Con Vongole
Complementary Lemoncello

Spots:
Piana di San Tomaso
Lungolago di Malgrate
Lungolago Valmadrera - ParéRead more