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Uncovering the spendours of Lake Como (con't from home page)
Five days at VinItaly and some 400 wines later, we make our way west on the autostrada from Verona "direzione Milano". A little less than two and a half hours later we entered a setting more serenely stunning than any magazine photo could express. The historic centre of Como lies on the banks of its namesake Lake and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding alpine peaks and villa studded shores. Famished, we settled in for lunch at Ristorante il Gabbiano, its large windows framing the picturesque lake views. The rain begins to fall, but it only adds to the magic of this tranquil oasis. We lingered over slightly chilled red wine and pizza topped with patatine fritte (french fries). As we took our last sip of espresso, we questioned the familiarity of the baseball capped gentleman passing by the window. Was it...? Sure looked like him. We paid our bill and headed out to the street, but the passerby was gone. Oh well, it probably wasn?t him anyway.
Having arrived without a hotel reservation, we lucked out and found a relatively inexpensive spacious room at the majestic Albergo Terminus, which offered a turn-of-the-century building, a panoramic view of the lake and proximity to the lively Piazza Cavour, which happened to be the site of a local market that weekend. I could already picture George and his buddies hanging out in the restaurant of this elegant member of the Charming Hotels group. Nah...they would probably just hang out at his villa instead.
We headed out in the evening to the outdoor market in the piazza. Local merchants showed off their cheese, meat, sweets, snacks, and crafts. We sampled liberally, picked up a handmade sweater for my nephew, and continued our passagiatta. Strolling down one of the narrow, pedestrian-only streets we caught a glimpse in the distance of the man in the baseball cap.
We picked up the pace, but I suddenly swivelled around, uncontrollably attracted to the happening scene in a wine store on our path - I am physically incapable of passing by a cool looking wine store without entering to check it out. Inside, we found stone walls with shelves packed with wine, grappa, liqueurs, and scotch - the rustic, but hip Enoteca Da Gigi. A bar in the corner held a modern, stainless steel, automatic wine-dispensing unit which allows staff to offer samples to the young professionals crowding the dozen standup tables. To accompany the wine came a plate of assorted stuzzichini (hors d?oeuvres on crostini). The shop has been in the family since 1930, and the owners have seen the town evolve over the years into a playground for the two comma crowd. Hmmm, I wondered what George might have in his wine cellar...
The next morning brought sunshine and heat - a great day to cruise the lake. The desk clerk at our hotel suggested we take the boat, quite literally at the hotel?s doorstep, to Bellagio. Bellagio?? Wasn?t that the Las Vegas hotel featured in Ocean?s Eleven starring... The town, after which the Sin City hotel is named is famous for its setting at the intersection of the three branches of the Y-shaped Lake Como. Nestled on the northen tip of the peninsula separating the lake?s two southern arms, this tiny town of 4000 is commonly referred to as one of the most beautiful towns in Europe.
We meandered through the narrow cobbled streets, past shops, caf?s, and glorious lakefront villas and came upon La Punta (the point) Ristorante at the town?s northen tip, where the lake?s three arms come together. Words cannot express the magnificent views experienced. Truly a sight you have to see for yourselves. Ravioli in sage butter, Frito Misto di Lago (fried mixed fish from the lake), and the fresh strawberry torta were all simple, but very tasty, seemingly to compliment our stunning surroundings rather than striving for the starring role.
Making our way back to the dock, a motorcycle zipped by and its curiously familiar blue- jean-and-white-T-shirt clad rider stopped at a shop a few streets down. The tall and well-fit rider removes his helmet to reveal...
Boy, it sure looked like him from back where we were. We continued up the street, but the rider was gone by the time we reached the shop, which is now abuzz. The small crowd was eagerly waiting for the owner to finish printing something. He pulled the page off the printer, revealed the photo to the crowd and pinned it up on the bulletin board. By George, it was him, stopping in to pick up batteries! Picking up his own batteries? Don?t most movie stars have somebody to do that for them?
Back in Como, dinner time was approaching; at the suggestion of our hotel clerk we walked fifteen minutes to Osteria L?Angolo del Silenzio ("restaurant in the corner of silence"). Brothers Luigi and Moreno Ruggeri took over this space in 1997, on the site of Como?s oldest restaurant, opened here in the late 1800s. Antipasti of Carpaccio di Polipo (thin slices of octopus) with boiled potatoes and basil oil and speck d?Anatra (cured duck) with pears poached in red wine were followed by Filetti di Cinghiale (wild boar tenderloin) and deer done two ways; this ranked as one of the best meals I?ve ever had. The food combined with the cozy room, the impeccable, yet casual service and the unmatched graciousness of the brothers: you could not ask for much more of a dining experience. I wondered if George has eaten here. If he hasn?t, he really should - but he probably has: it?s his town after all. |
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