My recent trip to northern Italy left me with so many wonderful memories. Day Trippin’ Italy Part 2 is the follow up to Day Trippin’ Italy Part 1 where I wrote about day trips to Sirmione on Lake Garda and the sweet town of Bergamo. Today I ‘m recounting trips to Lake Como and Verona. The day of travel to Lake Como it was frigid and grey. Day trippin’ in Verona proved to be a better weather day and I really want to revisit the town of Romeo and Juliet fame.
Traveling with my longest BFF who had never been to Italy was incredible for so many reasons. Watching her amazement around every corner of Italy delighted me. It felt like we were grounded in Italy, sharing morning cappuccinos with melt in your mouth, chocolate filled croissants and copious afternoons sipping Aperol Spritzes. The daily custom of cappuccino in the a.m. and apertivo in the p.m. is an easy one to fall into. OH! and the cost of a cappuccino and croissant a mere 3.60 euro. Can’t find a deal like that at Starbucks!
I was bummed that our day in Como proved to be downright chilly as well as grey and cloudy with strong winds. We never once let an imperfect day ruin our time in Italy. Truth is we had many more gorgeous weather days than we did inclement ones.
We arrived in Lake Como by train, taking about half an hour. A cool monument of hands met us at the bottom of the stairs after exiting the train station. “Monumento ai Caduti per Servizio”, a sculpture dedicated to disabled service people. It was the entrance to the main street in Como that took us past shops, cafes and office buildings to the lake. We ventured down to the lake for a view of the one and only Lake Como. FYI, regretfully there was no sign of George Clooney.
We walked the long dock to see the Life Electric sculpture on the lake hoping not to blow away. We agreed it might be a bit less windy if we ventured into town, so off we went. Enjoying the view of the lake, the beautiful park and a couple of Como mansions along the way.
When we headed out each day for Day Trip Italy we never had any concrete plans. We chose a city, hopped on a train and wandered with curiosity at what we might stumble upon. This could become my new way of travel! I’m sure some will say that we missed some important places, museums, sites, cafes, etc., but we consistently found a wonderful shop, eatery, bar or site to see.
The Roman Catholic cathedral of the City of Como, an omni-present feature of Lake Como’s skyline was our next stop. The Duomo di Como is powerful with it’s white marble facade and imposing dome and an equally elaborate interior. This cathedral is noted to be the last Gothic cathedral built in Italy and sitting adjacent to the town hall of Como, now used for conventions, art exhibitions and the like.
After viewing the cathedral and wandering the streets we decided to stop for lunch. We chose Caffe Duomo and had one of our most memorable meals and of course wine. I ordered lasagna bolognese, the first time I’d had lasagna at a cafe. Previously I’d had lasagna in Navigli at a private home. Giampaolo’s lasagna @Dinner At Navigli House was remarkable and you can read about that part of my trip at the post titled “Doors of Milan, Italy” . Bolognese is one of my favorites and the succulent beef, smothered with tomato sauce and spices did not disappoint!
After our delicious lunch we took a stroll along the lake to the funicular to be whisked up to the tiny town of Brunate. By now the wind was picking up and the temperatures were cold! Brunate looks down on Lake Como but on the day we visited the view was cloudy and grey. Still lovely and I am sure gorgeous on a clear, sunny day. We were able to take a quick look at the centuries old Sant’Andrea church before the rain began to fall. We popped open our umbrellas and hiked back to the funicular and headed down to the lake.
With drizzle dampening our umbrellas and chilling us we popped into a corner cafe for apertivo and to warm up before heading back to San Giovani Station to catch our ride back to our apartment in Milan. Aperol Spritz was often my chosen beverage for apertivo but not always as I am a wine drinker and I was in Italy! My BFF never passed up an opportunity to order one. We should have kept count!
Day Trippin’ Italy was definitely one of the best choices we made in our travel plans. We would discuss it over a glass of wine in our apartment the night before, check the weather and the train schedule. Some days we waited until we woke up and discussed it over coffee and then winged it. It worked out perfectly on every day trip we took. Did the weather always cooperate? Noooooo, but it never dampened our spirits or our trip!
Verona, you know of this town. Home to the 16th century star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. First stop coffee and food. We caught an early train to get to Verona and coffee was much-needed. It was a wonderful day to dine al fresco and we chose Olivo, a lovely cafe with an amazing view of the Piazza Bra and the Verona arena. It was here, at Olivo, that we first lunched on pizza. Now I wonder why we didn’t eat it more often.
After a satisfying lunch we set off to see Juliet’s balcony, a tiny balcony looking over a small courtyard. It was nice that we were only sharing the space in Juliet’s courtyard with a handful of other sightseers. Romeo and Juliet, of the families Montague and Capulet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare are a big tourist draw to Verona, but there is so much more. We played tourist for a while and also saw the Montague home where Romeo hung out when he wasn’t on Juliet’s balcony!
After playing tourist we set off with no destination in mind. Wandering the tiny, cobblestone streets past gelato shops, and the fashion houses of Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Prada, cafes and ancient apartment homes. I always wonder who lives behind those ancient doors. People like you and me. It is the intrigue of living in an ancient, romantic city like the jewel known as Verona.
The Verona Arena is one of the most well preserved Roman amphitheaters, built in the first century and still in use today. Sitting adjacent to Piazza Bra it is often a day tripper’s first stop. Sadly due to restrictions from COVID19 we were only able to view the arena from the outside. Another good reason to return to this beautiful town.
No Italian city or town seems to be missing a cathedral or two. Santa Maria Antica is around the corner from Romeo’s hangout, dating to 1185. A restoration at the end of the 19th century restored the original Romanesque interior. The present day church is the private chapel of the Scala family who built a family cemetery in the church courtyard. Cangrande an Italian nobleman, belonging to the della Scala family which ruled Verona from 1308 until 1387 is entombed right above the front door!
Meandering the streets of Verona I began to notice how many archways are in this town. Even the Ponte Pietra, the stone bridge over the River Adige has many arches. This bridge has spanned the river since 100BC and was most recently reconstructed in 1945 after the German’s destroyed it. Piazza Delle Erbe is lined with inviting cafes and gorgeous frescoed buildings.
Before discovering the Piazza Delle Erbe we ducked into one of my favorite stops for a glass of wine and apertivo. This my friends is why a day trip with no definite plans can be a wonderful thing! La Locanda, a tiny cafe and wine bar offered a quiet place to sit and ponder the beautiful city we were in. The waiter kindly offered to call a taxi for us but we had one more stop to make. Aperol Spritz were calling us to the Piazza!
The Pizza Delle Erbe was our last stop before hiring a car to take us back to the Porta Nuova train station. As we sipped our traditional Aperol Spritz and enjoyed a second apertivo the sun began to fade causing Verona to glow in the twilight. I will be back to Verona someday. I know it deserves more than a day trip to see all the beauty it holds.
I’d rather have a passport full of stamps than a house full of stuff!
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