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Yet another summer and yet another vacation. This time we choose Italy and I, over the course of 15 days..

..eat a lot



..learn some Italian



..Enjoy some family time



.and almost get mugged



As before, a link to my Tlog on Worldee is available here for all you TLDR folk.

Allora* , rest of you.. do hang around.

* Allora - universal Italian filler word. Once you hear it, you can't ignore it.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=FHgn1Dc6...pbDDBeBCB__JBR

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Planning - The worst part of any vacation.
What to do?
where to go?
where to stay?
how are we commuting?





Readers of my other threads may have noted that planning is not my best strength. Especially when the girls have different expectations from Vacation than mine.
Quite Naturally, that is what I started with - Expectations.

Wife - Relaxation - No rush rush, Not much of commuting, Good food and good wine.
Daughter - Amusement Park, Beach.
Me - Good food, good wine and some car museums.
We all agreed on one thing - Avoid over-crowded destinations.

So be it.




And so, a plan was made back in Jan '24. This time around, we planned for a back-pack holiday which would liberate us to take trains. With that, flights and Hotels were booked.



As we got closer to travel date, the expectation list was revisited and soon, what started out as an easy travel on trains and a few destinations to relax in became as complex as it always gets.



I was back to the planning board with 2 weeks left for travel. So much for planning 6 months in advance.



Eventually, I rented a car via rentalcars.com since I got a discount and booked up Hotels, BnB’s..whatever available at destinations that showed up last minute on my itinerary.

The Route Map



The Car – a stick shift Seat Ateca Diesel. Very mediocre. Had Adaptive Cruise Control & Android Auto to ease my drive..a little.

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Day 1 : Gardaland amusement park on Lake Garda

This was daughters demand and had to be done. Better to start with her demand for effective Tantrum management.

Gardaland is Italy's leading amusement park resort, located near Lake Garda. It is filled with the usual roller coasters, water rides, live shows and themed areas. In general, a fun-for-family destination. Beyond the main park, Gardaland Resort also includes a Sea Life aquarium, a Legoland Water Park, and several themed hotels for an immersive experience.

We chose to spend only 1 day at this place and didn't go to Sea Life Aquarium or Legoland Water Park.










































Ended the day with a happy little girl dancing away even after spending a tiring day walking from ride too ride and standing in lines.
Good start to the trip I'd say.

Moving on...

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Day 2 : Sirmione on Lake Garda

Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy, renowned for its crystal-clear waters and stunning natural beauty. Nestled between the Alps and the Po Valley, it offers a diverse landscape, from the mountainous north to the flat plains in the south. It competes with Lake Como, which is more famous in Instagram, for its beauty and as abode for Celebrity Millionaires. Being historically important, there are several Roman ruins, medieval castles, and historic villas to see.

We had a lazy start to the morning post a heavy breakfast and reached Sirmione a little before noon. However, it would only be much later in the noon for us to reach the Historical town of Sirmione. Seemed everybody had suddenly discovered this town and choose the same day. Perhaps it was only me that was a first timer. Eventually found parking 3 kms away and took a shuttle bus to reach the location. Quite a hassle since the bus too landed in a traffic jam by parking seekers.

Anyhoo, reached the old Town which, thanks to no cars being allowed (except for folk with Hotel reservations), it was quite nice to walk around.





























Turns out, even the Royal family of the Principality of Monaco had reservations at the resort within the Old town. How do I know it was the Royal family? Simple- As soon as clicked a pic, somebody from the support staff of the Monegasque folk came and told me to delete it. I took a close-up of the plate anyway if not the humans in the G.



It was quite a charming old town to wander through narrow streets, admire the architecture, and indulge in delicious Italian cuisine.

Overall, Sirmione is a delightful place to unwind and soak up the Italian charm.
On to the Next one.

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Day 3: Venice

about: Well, why bother. Pretty much everybody knows enough about Venice.

I used to travel to Trieste, a city close to Venice, on a monthly basis and Venice was the Airport I used all the time and I ended up staying in Venice Mestre in Marghera (Mainland Municipality of Venice) pretty much all the times I have travelled to that city. Went to Venice, the touristy bit, pretty much every time for Dinner and some Photography walks. Suffice to say, I was bored of Venice and so was my wife who has seen Venice twice before.

However, daughter's curiosity about a city on Stilts and canals for roads had to be satiated and we visited Venice.
It is still a city that has it's own charm what with its narrow alleys, old buildings with Roman designs and waterways crisscrossing all over. One can easily get lost in its alleys and still find something interesting.

We stayed at a hotel in the mainland which had a convenient bus stop to take us to the Island. Parking on the island, near the central station, is a bit a mess.
Took a 20 min bus-ride to the island next morning.

The main POI's for most tourists are the Rialto bridge and San Marco - a Church which is where most of the tourist crowd is. Of course, if you ask the Tourist help desk, they will point out to 20 other locations.





All alleys from the Station to San Marco are always crowded. Thankfully, we still remembered some less-crowded paths and visited some Cafe's we had loved from previous trip.







Myriad of Canals for all commute - Tourist and residential.















We eventually met up with the crowds at a market place near a bridge.





..and soon enough we reached San Marco. That's as far as we had planned to go on the Island.





It was too hot a day and we had to find a place to relax. Found some cafe's which had live music being played. Picked one and volunteered for being robbed in broad day light - 70 EUR's for 3 ice cream sundaes. 70 EURS !!! 60 EUR premium for AC, Live Music and nicely dressed waiters !!
as James May would say - Bloody Nora !!





Ended the day with a dinner by the Grand Canal. We came to Italy to enjoy nice Food and Wine which is exactly what we did.




..and soon found our way back to the Bus Stop.



Thought we'd take one of the Gondola's as memory of Venice but I wasn't prepared to get Day-light Robbed again. So was the case with the Taxi Boats. Took the Public Transport boat ride to the central station.





and back to Hotel for our overnight stay. This destination is now ticked off for good. Done. Finito.
I can't find anything impressive about it anymore.

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Day 4: Maranello



It had been more than 9 yrs since my last visit to Maranello. I was told by folk that went there recently that much has changed in the museum. I was all the more curious since there have been been some exciting cars from Maranello in the recent past.

I can confirm - Much has indeed changed. It has shrunk.

It has much less floor space than before and artefacts are spaced out much more. Perhaps I should start a thread of my past visit to compare.



Reminder of the next race.



The museum starts at the first floor which is dedicated to Ferrari Super Cars which are all legendary in their own ways.

Starting with the 288 GTO.



The F40.



The F50



The Enzo.



La Ferrari.



SF 90 XX



812 Superfast



and an example from their Icona series. the SP 8 which was made for a Taiwanese client. This, of course, is a styling Mule and not the real deal.







The exhibition then moves to the ground floor which is dedicated to Motorsports.

I went straight to the F1 hall of fame which I enjoyed. The details on each car and the evolution of Aero is totally worth appreciating.



The 268 SP



The 750 Monza



The 365 GTB4 Daytona



The 330 P4 which was the inspiration for the Daytona SP3. Charles Le Clerc owns one.





The 499P



2018 SF71.



There is something strange I noticed on this car though. My current employer, HCL, started its sponsorship deal with Ferrari F1 in 2023. I see it here on a 2018 F1 car.
Strange are the ways T&C's work.


Random 296 GTB outside the Museum hall.



Ending with a F1 Simulator. Had my daughter try her hand at it.



Ended my Tour without buying anything from the exorbitantly priced brand store. Absolutely nothing is affordable.

Parting note: Frankly, I found this museum underwhelming from an enthusiasts point of view. There were so many cars that I was eager to see but couldn't. There is just so much history to Ferrari with so many legendary cars which could've been on display but alas, was missing from the the museum floor.



Anyhoo, the tour must go on. Thought I'd make up for the underwhelm-ness (is that a word??) with the next 2 Museums - Pagani & Enzo Ferrari.

Just then...



The wife started to feel under the weather and couldn't carry on museum-ing. Perhaps the allure of the pool at the upcoming nights stay was stronger and, regrettably, had to drop the visit to next 2 museums and grumblingly..





The property I had booked was outside Florence amidst wineyards.



Reached earlier than previously planned and chilled out by the pool. The dinner at this restaurant run by a local chef was mind-blowing and was a good soother of pains.





PS: I have way lot of pix from the Museum. Will create separate thread for the same.

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Day 5: Positano on the Amalfi Coast.

Left the hotel after a sumptuous breakfast on our long way South. It was going to be a long one. Although we were staying right next to Florence, we didn't bother to go there. We had been there once 9 yrs ago and it is good but didn't see much worth to go back again.

Destination - Amalfi Coast. Frankly, this was an after thought. Previous evening's Instagram Browsing inspired us to take a detour from the planned stop in Naples. Technically it was doable but then, another POI per my original, Mount Vesivius, had to be dropped.

Mount Vesivius is a (currently) dormant Volcano outside Naples whose Eruption once destroyed several Roman cities including Pompeii. My plan was to drive as far uphill ( it is allowed) till about 200 meters from the top and hike the rest. Would've been a good educative tour for the daughter but Instagram won.

Anyhoo, we reached Amalfi coast by late noon and it was a pretty sight all along the coast.









Social Media spoke highly about Positano being the most beautiful village and so, having been 'influenced', that's where we planned to stop. Parking is a bloody disaster and there is a lot being spoken on the 'net about the same with guidance of where to park etc. Most also suggested parking up the hill and hiking down or taking buses. Given that the wife wasn't in her pink of health, choose not to make her hike uphill and picked one of the 'park here and get robbed' kind of parking lot down the hill.

Walked down from there to the beach.









To be honest, it was nowhere close to what Instagram's super edited photo's suggested. Heck, it was a bit too irritating due to the crowds and the associated 'tourist' traps. The beach was over crowded with the mafia run beach clubs that have literally taken over the beaches and the views out to the sea filled with boats for some tour or the other. It is total Chaos.







Hung around a bit hoping the crowds would reduce but we gave up. Stepped into one of the Ristorante's around there for dinner..







...Strolled around a bit more and climbed back uphill...



..picked up the car and left towards our hotel Destination in Naples.

Sunset view of Mount Vesivius.



Parting Note: Amalfi coast is indeed beautiful. However, one needs to stay there for a few days and pick other villages. There are several expensive properties one can find all along the coast. I'm sure the experience in those properties will be a lot better than what we had. We have put a pin on this destination and may visit again on another day.

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Day 6 : Capri

Capri is a stunning island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the Sorrento Peninsula in the Gulf of Naples, Italy. Known for its breathtaking landscapes, Capri has been a popular destination since ancient Roman times. It is also famous for its upscale shopping, delicious cuisine, and vibrant nightlife.

It is a 1 hour Ferry ride away from Naples. The accommodation we chose was a Affittacamere (Its like a Bed and Breakfast like AirBnB but no breakfast. Just the beds) bang opposite to the port. No breakfast in the accommodation meant we had to eat at a local cafe. Typically I don't like this but in this case, I'm glad.

We got to eat some of the best of the Sweet breakfast that Naples is known for. We had....

• Sfogliatella
  
• Filled Brioche Buns
  
• Babà al Rum.
  
• Breakfast Pizza
  
• and of course, Cappuccino.

While the Island is certainly a beautiful place, we knew that the 1st thing to tick off would have to be the Grotto Azzurra - Blue Cave. This famous sea cave is known for its mesmerizing blue light, created by sunlight passing through an underwater cavity. Booked a ride as soon as we got there and we left to the Grotto in the next boat with 15 other folk. We reached the cave in about 20 mins or so and waited..



The entrance to the cave is really small and only small rowing boats with 3-4 people can go in. Even then, everybody on the boat need to duck down to avoid banging head's at the entrance.



The color blue comes from how the light bounces off the floor of the cave and is mesmerizing to see. It is certainly one trip I would strongly recommend if in Italy.









Lets pause. Need to spend a few lines on how all this works.

The rowing boats, of which there are about 10 at anytime, are part of an organized business. The bigger boats that take us there and the smaller ones coordinate with each other to ensure the big boats leaves on time back to the next scheduled pick up.

The smaller boats pick up people in batches of 3-4. not more. They then row out to another medium sized boat which is a floating Cash Counter post which the smaller boats take you inside for the ride.


We then went walking around the hiking paths for the islands stunning views of the vista's. The clear water is certainly alluring.















Lazy Holidays on a Catamaran are not so difficult. Works out cost effective if in a group but gets booked out very quickly.




Walked around the island for Food, Wine, Gelato and some shopping..










Capri is clearly for the Rich. Famous or not.

House on the Cliff, like this one I spotted on Google Earth, are abodes of the super rich.





Then there are the yacht's. The Katara, seen below, is a 400 MUSD Doha flagged Yacht belonging to Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani- The former Emir of Qatar.





Then there was the 100 MUSD Limitless owned by Les Wexner -a Businessman who is the chairman of L Brands which owns, amongst others, Victoria's Secret.



This beautiful boat, I think, is a Riva. It is a support boat to ferry people and supplies between Yacht and shore.

Riva's are known for their craftsmanship. Or so I'm told. @Jeroen is our in-house expert and he, and a few others may confirm.



..and then there are myriads of these smaller leisure yacht's dotted all over.



Thought we'd spend some time on the beach but it wasn't much fun. Its a pebble beach which means walking on it needs a special skillset. Also, its a small beach which gets crowded very fast.



took the ferry back to Naples and headed straight to a Pizzeria in the neighborhood.
As the legend goes, Pizza's are originally from Naples. Neopolitan Pizza's have a genuinely different and distinguishable flavor which we absolutely love. Naturally, we had to have a Pizza and a Margherita at that. Nothing else.



The place where dough goes in and magic comes out.



Parting Notes: Naples, for us, has always been about Pizza's and a stopover before going to Capri since hotels on the Island are extremely expensive. If one chooses, there are many more things to do in this city including hiking up the Vesivius, Ruins of Pompeii etc. One can easily find 3-4 days of things to do. We haven't done that thus far and could if we come back to Italy for a holiday some time in the future.

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Day 7. Monticchiello & San Gimignano in the Siena region

Plan A of this travel, as was planned around Jan '24, was going to be a simple one which included staying in one of the many Villa's around Tuscany for a few days with wine-tasting being one of the daily activities besides laziness.

Plan B become a total opposite of it. However, we still wanted to squeeze in visits to some Tuscan villages enroute to Cinque Terre since we had cut through Tuscany anyway. My neighbor, whose recommendation was the Tuscan Villa's, had also suggested some good driving roads too.

Left Naples and it's cruise crowd behind after a sumptuous Napolitan breakfast and head out of town soon enough. First stop, Monticchiello.



I've heard Google Maps has taken people on some horrid roads leading to disastrous results too.

When I set my Navigation from Naples to my first stop of the day, which was Monticchiello, I used Seat's in-car Navigation. For some weird reason, it threw me on a dirt road. It was quite confusing but I did see milestones too leading the Monticchiello. Looked up navigation on GMaps which too, weirdly, pointed me to continue.

Didn't trust either and I was trying to ask a person from the house next to where I had stopped. I was trying to break the language barrier and just then, 2 cops arrived for whatever other reason they had to be there. With the hope that one of them would speak English I asked for directions. He replied and I quote -

''Allora, how do I say this...ahem...ahem..this is the first time that I am coming on this road. I know I yam a police but I have no idea if this is the road to Monticcchiello. I have never been there''. For those familiar with Italians and their body language, I suggest you imagine Italian hand Gestures too. It was amusing to see.




After some more ''Allora'' led conversation, I chose to drive back where I came from to force Navigation to point me in a different road. It did take me to another dirt road but it was smaller. Stuck on it anyway to reach POI 1 - Monticchiello.


Monticchiello - A very silent 13th century village with a population of only 200. Yet, it has great cafe's and restaurants doling out great local food and wine. We went there post noon on a very hot day which meant Siesta time for all the folk in the village. None on the road.











The views and Vistas of Val D'Orcia.















We then headed out to the Hotel for the night in a town called Poggibonssi which is a 30 min drive from San Gimignano which was our POI no.2 for the day.

San Gimignano is a 13th Century small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany. It is a picturesque town renowned for its medieval architecture and iconic towers.

Walked around the streets...





..and found our restaurant of the evening for dinner. Turns out, it is by reservation only and had a dress code. We were ignorant about both lol. The views from the table and the dinner were fabulous.






For desserts we headed to Dondoli who is said to be the worlds most famous Gelato. It's another matter that, till date, I can't make out the difference between Gelato and Ice Cream.



It had some unique flavors though which I loved.



More walking around the town...





















Called it a day and drove back to our hotel.

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Day 8. Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

Left from our hotel in Poggibonsi rather late having had a lazy start. It was alright since the drive to Riomaggiore was only 2.5 hrs. We took it easy and reached Riomaggiore around evening.

Much like all cities in the Cinque Terre region, Riomaggiore is a tiny hillside Village that was never meant to take in the traffic of today. They were all fishing villages with wineries on the slopes. Suffice to say parking in the village is extremely tight and is allowed only if parking is paid for with the hotel that one is staying in and driving to the hotel and the multi story parking building, the only one for the village, is all access controlled.

It is a gamble for day visitors to park by the street side along the main road.



Our hotel was on the top most road and was accessible by road. It is a big deal as most other don't have direct access and one has to walk up long stairways with baggage. Pack light I'd say.



View from the Balcony.



Nice little surprising that there was a Folk festival that was underway which brought local bands to Riomaggiore. Bands so local that their songs are in Ligurian Language. What is Ligurian now? well, its a local dialect of Italian spoken in the Genoa region where Cinque Terre is located in. Genoa used to be Republic of Genoa in the past.



We were really hungry by this time and we went restaurant hunting. Rio Bistrot, a Michelin starred restaurant, got very high recommendations and that's where we went only to realize, what should have been apparent, that they are booked



A little more walk later, we found Trattoria La Grotta. Now, this is a restaurant that has earned some flak on Google reviews. These reviews are usually a go-to for most when in unfamiliar places but this time around, we were glad it wasn't what the Google reviews say. We loved the food and the recommendation of local wines so much that it became the only restaurant we ate at 2 nights in a row. On the last day, we were even thrown a pleasant surprise - a tasting menu of special dishes as compliments from the Chef. Italy, in general, is not known for it's service unless one is in Osterias like Francescana by Massumi Bottura in Modena. LaGrotta pleasantly surprised us.





Sat by the sea taking in the pleasant breeze...





..and joined the Music performance. Now, Music, as they say, has no language. We enjoyed it anyway.



and walked uphill back to the hotel.

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Day 9. Vernazza, manarola, Monterosso @Cinque Terre

The best way to enjoy the region is to take the trains. Each of the 5 cities are within minutes of each other by train which are quite frequent too. We took 2 day passes for unlimited 'hop on/hop off' commute.

Started the day with a visit to our favorite place - Manarola. This is the 3rd time in Manrola for us and is that one place in Italy where we don't mind spending many lazy days. There is some appeal. @vb-saan has been there around similar dates as I and I'm sure he'll concur too and so will the many others who have been there.





The little beach, if one can call it so, is a favorite amongst many for diving and swimming in general. We too had our fair bit of fun in the water given that it was quite a hot day.














Sat on the rocks and watched the crashing waves and got lost in thoughts.



Got back to reality and took a walk around the cliff for some great views.











Took the train to Vernazza. Skipped Corniglia since it is up on a hill and doesn't have the sea access.

Compared to Riomaggiore and Manarola, Vernazza is a bit of a let down.



It is merely our opinion since the 1000's other seem to be enjoying their time there.



The beach was a bit dirty and unappealing.



We then moved on to the next destination of the day - Monterosso.

Frankly, the only reason for us to go to Monterosso is the beach. Daughter had been missing her idea of fun for some days and the beach was going to be that. It is quite a big beach and is right next to the train station and hence in very easy access. Looks kind appealing in this Google Earth screenshot...



...But, unfortunately, it is 90% covered by Sun loungers which are run by the local Mafias and are expensive to rent. Given that there is no room at all on the beach, we had to rent one anyway.







Our beach-time, however, was short-lived. While daughter and I were enjoying our time in the warm water, we didn't notice that most of the people and left the water and there were some coast guard boats going around slowly looking for something. Some said it was due to Jelly fish outbreak and we did see 2 big Jelly fishes too.

However, it soon became clear that it was a skull of an animal. a Dog perhaps. This demotivated us and we left from there sooner than planned and headed back to Manarola for an evening stroll and dinner...













..couldn't get reservation at the restaurant we were looking for and we headed back to Riomaggiore to Lagrotta who, by this time, knew us well and gladly accommodated without reservation.

We saw an interesting sight outside the restaurant - some people were dancing on the streets all by themselves but no music was to be heard. I only noticed headphones later and I was then told it was something called 'Silent Disco'. Certainly very interesting.



Retired for the night from a very long day..

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Day 10 - Vernazza & Riomaggiore @ Cinque terre

The next day was a late start for us and we went straight to Vernazza for a hike. The one from Riomaggiore was a rather strenuous one that my daughter wouldn't have enjoyed.







Ek Lemon Tree....



..anek Lemon Trees.



But soon, we got distracted by a signage that said ''Wine tasting''. Made an unplanned visit and tasted some really good wines from the local vineyards. Last time we were in Manarola, we went on some 'planned' wine tasting visits on a group hike where the highlight, besides the wine itself, was hand-made Pesto on lovely freshly baked Sour Dough bread. It was one of the tastiest ever and was made right in front of us.

This place, however, was a bit more touristy and a lot less authentic feeling.



Headed back to Riomaggiore and sat by this amazing viewpoint...









..and soon got back to town..



...for some fresh fish fry...



Even though this is small village, it does it's best to bring in music of all kind to entertain the visitors. We missed this event though as it was the day we'd be checking out.



Lazy day done with a dinner at Lagrotta...again. This time around though, there was a surprise for us. The waitress bought out some 'Chef' Specials as compliments as well as some amazing wines to pair. Loyalty does pay. sometimes.

Sadly, no pix. We had decided that, as a family, we will keep technology away from the dining table and have a fun family time. Fun Family time it indeed was but no food photography.

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Day 11. Genoa & Bellagio

Plan of the day- Drive to Bellagio on lake Como. But first, Pesto. Genoa is famous for it's Pesto, which, roughly put, is nothing but Basil chutney. It was first made in Genoa and is still made the authenticate way in most places in Genoa which was, technically, on the way to Lake Como.

The hilly roads from Riomaggiore to Genoa are truly amazing and a joy to drive. I'm sure bikers find it equally good too.

We had identified some traditional Pesto shops, as suggested by Lord google. Unfortunately, we reached there during their Siesta time and, for some reason, maybe due to mood swing, they choose not to come back and open shop. We were waiting there like fools. Anyway, picked another place in the city center and drove over to Pestobene where the Pesto is made with Mortar and Pestel.



the only difference is, as we discovered, the pestel is operated with a machine.



Nevertheless, the Pesto was indeed amazing and the freshness was evident. I make Pesto pasta, with store bought Pesto, for my daughter once a week and she thoroughly loves it.

Unfortunately, as we soon discovered, fresh pesto needs to refrigerated. We had a few more days till home and the Pesto wouldn't survive. Had to abandon the idea right there.
As solace, we had the favorite snack of Genoa, the Vada Pav of Genoa if you will - Piesta.



Strolled around a bit more...



and were soon enroute to Lake Como.



Destination of the day- Bellagio



Drove across town and checked into our accommodation - An apartment outside of the town of Bellagio but still walkable.
Chilled out a bit and walked down to the city for dinner at Restaurant Suisse



..which was famous for it's Pasta alla Ruota aka Cheese wheel pasta.



Walked around the lakeside and back to the apartment..

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Day 12. Bellagio and Menaggio @Lake Como

As had become the habit, we had a late start to the day and went straight to a cafe in Bellagio for breakfast....



..and walked around town.









Spotted a rare Lotus Eletre in a garage whilst on our walk.



..and took a boat to Menaggio on the other side of the Lake Como which stopped at Varenna mid-way







..and eventually reached Menaggio where we strolled around aimlessly around the lake while downing Gelato's.













Saw a Swedish car in Menaggio making me kick myself for not having driven down the Brit Bloke which, sadly, has only seen one long drive in my hands from Helsinki to Kolmården in Sweden. That's it.

Next time.



Holiday properties on sale in abundance. The languages the real estate company operates in is an indication of the buyer communities.



passed by Varenna again..





..and returned to Bellagio.



..to eat at this beautiful lakeside restaurant. It wasn't even open when we got there.



Narrow streets of Bellagio with a traffic jam !
Rush hour perhaps.

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Day 13. Varenna @Lake Como

Plan of the day - Drive to Tirano in the east. It's a town bordering Switzerland and 2-3 hours drive away from Bellagio.

Checked out from the Apartment and its beautiful view...



..to another part of Bellagio called San Giovanni. It is popular for a church but that is not why we went there...



..this is why we went there. it is called The house of Flying Bicycles.



..and ate our breakfast in this beautiful cafe on the small streets. It literally had a hole in the wall. It did have a main door too.



..and soon took a boat ride with the car to Varenna and, after an arduous search for parking, took a walk around the lake. As @vb-saan mentioned in his thread, Varenna is a very beautiful town and thorough joy to walk around in. In fact, it has much more prettier trails than Bellagio in my opinion.

















took a walk in the magnificent gardens in Villa Monastero.



























There were far more trails to walk on but we had to soon start walking back after a brief stop for lunch and reached Tirano by evening and were promptly greeted by the Bernina Express which passed by right in front of the hotel we stayed in..



walked over to a neighboring restaurant for dinner and called it a night...