Dear Yachties, Stinkboat Drivers and Lovers of All Things Acquatic,
First a correction- Peck Foodstore is in Milano and has been supplying gorgeous foodstuffs to the Milanese since 1883 not Florentines. I may have been a bit weary when writing the last blog!!!
Well we took a taxi from our Milan hotel to the central railway station. It is a beautiful piece of architecture that would rival Grand Central Station in New York according to Siobhan. It's national rail system sits atop it's metro underground system and there are fashion shops everywhere. Natch.
In just over 30 minutes we reached the township of Como at the base of Lake Como, or Lago Di Como, a lake system of some 146 square kilometer body of water shaped like an elongated letter Y with Como being at the very bottom of the letter. There is the western side where the Y veers to the left and the esteem side where the Y veers to the right.
We caught the bus at Como (50mins) and travelled up the center of the Y and then veered to left at the fork of the letter Y which is where Tremezzo is where we were staying. Just a few kilometers earlier is a) Moltrasio, where Gianni Versace is buried in the village cemetery and where his villa is still owned by the Versace family and b) also passed Laglio where George has his little villa down on the lake. We were intending to stop in for a Nespresso but figured we might run into him at The Post Office anyway so no biggie!
We stayed at what is really a wonderful hotel right on the lake. Most are on the other side of the road to the water. Hotel La Darsena proved to be a brilliant find that we had come across in a book written by an Australian, Peter Moore, who had travelled through Italy on a vesper. "Vroom with View" and "Vroom Vroom by the Sea" . Our first impressions just kept being improved upon as we saw our room with two balconies over the lake, a huge bathroom with a bath and a restaurant that served the most exquisite food!
Chucking down our bags we headed for a wander along the lake. Everywhere you looked was breathtaking. It was as if we had been dropped in the middle of a live postcard. Beautiful architecture, soaring mountain ranges and a shore line that was superb. We sat down at a place for a chicken salad and the most amazing cheese platter ever. For just 7€ you get a selection of five or six cheeses (two significant portions of each) we couldn't get over how beautiful it was, a mild blue, a creamy goat, a hard cheese, a bitta (like a fetta), a smoked and a hard cheddar like cheese. Just amazing. We sat and let the surroundings wash over us. The pace here is slow and leisurely And the water has this calming affect as it laps against the shore line. Beautiful water craft pass by at responsible speeds and volume so nothing disturbs your enjoyment of the surroundings.
We changed for dinner and what an amazing revelation. Whilst still "Italian" the choices provided more meat focused dishes of lamb, beef and duck so after an exquisite entry of risotto with peaches, Siobhan had a beautifully presented grilled prawn dish and for main, herb encrusted lamb for Siobhan and lemongrass skewered chicken for me.
Ezio, Tizianno and their staff had set a very high bar indeed.
Smooth sailing everyone
Kelly & Siobhan
Xxx
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