Bellagio Italy… Day Two

Belliago lake como colors

Where are we: Italy

Day One: Bellagio, then on to Triano.

Distance: 130 miles

Riding time: Five hours, one long stop in Bellagio, one pit stop.

Weather: Fluffy clouds 85F, with a cool breeze coming from the lake.

Where we stayed: Da Rita. B&B, A fully equipped simple apartment sleeps four people in the owner's house.

Cost B&B: 50 euro, with breakfast.

Dinner: Walking distance from Da Rita– Il Bracere, simple fare, inexpensive, lively locals.

First Impressions: Lake Como, glorious water, stunning mountains that pierced from the ground and reached to the sky, sneak peeks on the Alps that caught my breath and pulled me up. Houses that made my mouth drag on the ground and cry, "I could live in their dog house, pump shed, garbage can and be happy!"
People all along the lake frolicking, swimming, playing cards, picnics everywhere! For those rich in heart and spirit and also those rich with money. Something for everyone.

Bellagio Hotel

When on a motorcycle the advantages are that you fill like you are part of the scenery, your senses are heightened, you can feel the temperature of the air change, tunnels are cool and damp, along the lake there is moisture, the smell of the BBQ, the scent of flowers, you can smell the vegetation, the ever changing landscapes holds you and makes you take mental snapshots over and over again. Parking is a snap, and most of all… I feel like I am flying.

The disadvantage of a motorcycle is when you do stop you have to carry an army of stuff with you…

I notice other bikers, their bikes, their gear, the saddle bags, and they notice me. Instead of noticing Prada, I noticed the red mark on someone's forehead who has had a helmet on.

Bellagio lake como

Bellagio has tiny passages with cobble stone steps, ivy covered walls, color splashes against the facades as evenly as the water splashes against the shoreline. Relaxing, stunning in simplicity and style.

Bellagio life

Imagine her view: Lake Como a stone throw away, and the alps embrace. But nothing was more  enchanting for me as seeing her in her apron; an Italian Mama, and the knowledge that this was Sunday lunch she was preparing and looking out maybe for her family to come and eat.

Fountain bellagio

A fountain next to the church. We filled our water bottles.

Bellagio street

One of the many, narrow, cobblestones step streets, that lead throughout the enchanting town of Bellagio.

Bellagio urns

Urns galore line the streets, columns, doorways, walls, and they are always overflowing with flowers.

House with a view Bellagio

Homes are tucked high in the mountains and I felt like I was on an Easter egg hunt finding them. Each and everyone I pointed to and sighed, Oh Wow!

Bellagio Lake Como View

After hanging out in Bellagio, we loaded Willow onto a ferry and went sailing across the lake. You can town hop this way, it is worth doing, you can take your car, or bike, or just hop on. The boats are extremely fast, and are every thirty minutes. Inexpensive, it cost us 11 euro altogether.

…..

I'll post more at our next stop, this evening…. I hear the roar of Willow and that means I gotta get get!!!



Comments

55 responses to “Bellagio Italy… Day Two”

  1. oh my lord Corey.. this is breathtaking.. I love being on the back of the bike.. I get in a zen state and solve the problems of the world.. the smells are amazing.. everything smells so vibrant.. and i feel as if I am part of the Earth, like you say..
    enjoy your ride!!

  2. I’m enjoying traveling with you.
    hugs,
    Gail

  3. Karen C

    We stayed at Lake Como on our magical ‘once in a lifetime’ trip to Europe in the most idyllic hotel and fell asleep each night to the sight of the lights flickering around the edge of the lake and the water lapping under the balconey under our room.
    Without doubt Lake Como is our ‘forever’ place.
    A bit of history. Here in Melbourne, Victoria we have a famous grand historic home named “Como” which was apparently given its name by the couple that built it as he proposed to her at Lake Como in Italy. How romantic.
    Safe riding!

  4. Kathleen

    god corey the photos are fabulous!i bet you are having the best time!Bellagio looks stunning,lots more to come please!stay safe,kathleen

  5. I love the Italian Mama looking out for her family to arrive for dinner! I’m surprised you didn’t end up at her dinner table!

  6. welltraveled10

    I am so happy that you stopped at Bellagio..Heaven on earth.

  7. oh to be in italy right now…ahhhh

  8. beautiful corey…you make me fell as tho i am there with you…

  9. It all sounds lovely….I went to Bellagio a couple of years ago with my Italian friend = and to his niece’s first communion in Como – beautiful! My parents are going to stay in Cadenabbia for a weeks holiday at the start of September – on the western shore of the lake across from Bellagio! I will need to let them read your post!

  10. Lake Como – did you look for George Clooney anywhere? I would have held up a sign that said, “I’m here for George and I won’t leave until I find him;)” Or maybe wandered the streets by the lake hoping to find his home and then I could just live in his shed or trash can or whatever!! Obviously, I’m a bit of a George stalker, but it’s ok, my husband knows:)

  11. Nancy from Mass

    What a way to start my Monday Morning at work…looking at your incredible pictures! How I wish I was there!

  12. Beautiful! Did you see beautiful George Clooney?

  13. Oh Corey, you have no idea how much I am enjoying beginning each day traveling along your trip with you! You are making me want to visit Italy again – to see these places that I had heard of but had no reference as to how beautiful they were. I am looking forward to each leg of your journey and excited to see more!!!
    Safe travels,
    xo

  14. Michelle, you beat me to the punch re George Clooney. I had the same immediate reaction as you, because he’s on my “kitchen pass” list!
    I’ve known about Lake Como ever since I saw a B&W photo of it in my 8th-grade Latin textbook [Jenney]. The book features a photo or other full-page illustration that’s in some way relevant to the Roman Empire at the end of each lesson (this one’s on p. 105, just before The Passive Voice). The scene in the picture shows what I take to be an arm of the lake, with a dozen or so pine trees planted along the point of a promontory extending into the lake. I’ve yet to see Lake Como in person, alas — but thank you, Corey, for bringing us some of your own vistas of it to us!

  15. Annette

    I think you have found a new avocation for you and FH… the traveling travel narrators. Wonderful stuff!

  16. Hi Willow Road Warriors, Italy looks so delightful! Enjoy the ride.

  17. lovely!!!
    (can you please also post in celcius….i’m lost with fahrenheit…)
    xx

  18. martina

    This is so much fun! Your descriptive and obsrevant writing makes me feel like I’m right there with you. The Italian mama photo is a treasure.

  19. Lizbeth

    Thanks for sharing, Corey! The vicarious fun is most enjoyable.

  20. oh my word Corey, you and french husband are certainly speeding around Italy 🙂
    I love Bellagio, my husband and I stayed in Argegno just across the lake for 10 days in 2007, and we used to go over there on the foot ferry !!

  21. Michelle M in KY

    Oh Corey…I dream of Italy all the time and this is exceeding my expectations. Perhaps my dreams tonight will bein brighter colors after seeing your photos. You do know that George Clooney has a home in Lake Como…be on the lookout. ha ha. ENJOY my friend…I am loving traveling with you.

  22. Thank you so much for this ‘virtual trip’, just what I needed!

  23. This hurts. This physically hurts. I’m dying … *
    *All the above in the positive sense.

  24. Bellagio is rediculous- as in so gorgeous it’s rediculous! I think I just added another place to visit on my very long list.

  25. Thanks for taking us along on your trip. Lake Como is beautiful! On my list of places to see. Enjoy the ride!
    Marilyn
    in Oregon

  26. Beautiful! The closest I’ve been to anything close to the word “Bellagio” is Vegas!

  27. Deborah P

    What fun, Corey! Thanks for taking us along on your travels. The pictures are beautiful!

  28. We stayed in the town of Varenna, Lake Como, for a few days on our honeymoon. I loved Lake Como! Such beauty. I hope you’ll some day get to Cortina D’Ampezzo some day on Willow because you’ll be mouth-agape at the mountains and not be ABLE to fall asleep! Safe travels, looking forward to more!
    As for us, we’re in SF on our way back to Vancouver. Eating at all of our favourite places like the Cole Valley Boulangerie. I am buying their cookbook before we go! French pastries, I shall master you!
    Tamara

  29. Visiting Italy has been my life-long dream… and one that my hubby has promised me. We will keep that promise together one day, but until then I love seeing it through your eyes! Thank you~ Vicki

  30. Sublime summer perfection!

  31. Such a wonderful, gracious adventure. You’ve given me a moment to slow down and breathe deeply today.

  32. Just lovely…thank you so much for taking your camera along for the ride!!!!

  33. Julie Ann Evins

    You bring this to life in breathtaking beauty honey ! Jx

  34. Someone (gosh, I wonder who?!?) posted the following inquiry on the Washington Post’s weekly online chat with its travel writers this afternoon, which was answered most informatively (I thought) — BTW, I assume the Lennon Wall is spelled correctly, and not a Lenin Wall 😉
    “Q. Prague by motorcycle?: European friends are currently en route to Prague by motorcycle, and keeping in touch via blog. What can you or the chatters recommend they not miss while in Prague?
    “A. Zofia Smardz [travel writer]: Prague was virtually untouched in WWII and is a living, breathing gem of history in the heart of central Europe. A truly beautiful city. Be sure to see the Old Town, the New Town and Wenceslas Square, the Charles Bridge. Prague Castle, the largest in the world. St. Vitus Cathedral, the Golden Lane. Josefov, the old Jewish quarter, with the Jewish Cemetery and the synagogue. The graffiti-covered Lennon Wall is fun, and reminds you of the underground dissent of Communist days. There are wonderful museums, too, and beautiful architecture all around…”

  35. Juliette

    I am following your adventures, Auntie and Tonton… Love
    Juliette

  36. Thanks so much, Corey, for your beautiful descriptions and pictures!
    The Italian mama photo is wonderful and I love the fountain what appears to be beautiful fresco painting.
    Reading about your senses reminds me of a movie I saw many long years ago with Elizabeth Taylor. I believe it was called Scent Orama, or something similar. There were pipes attached to each seat and scents would come out of them at various points in the movie. The one I specifically remember is when she walked into a perfume shop, but there were many more.
    I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to read about your journey!

  37. I am enjoying your writing and pictures sooo Much! I love the picture of the Italian Mama on the balcony in her apron! Beautissimo!! Judy

  38. Bramble

    What a glorious trip you are having already!
    A special thank you for taking all of us along! This post reminds me of the setting for the movie Enchanted Aoril” which was also somewhere along Lake Como. You are habing an “Enchanted Vacation”, non?
    God speed and travelling mercies, be well and ENJOY!

  39. chelsea**

    hey it looks like budings are colorful where you are too !!
    how’s your butt? lol..
    today martin & i took a bus to teotihucan (pyramid place) and oh my god the road was so bumpy that my butt and head hurt lol !!! i’ll probably add pictures later today on facebook
    Have fun!! xoxoxox

  40. Aah, the clan of the ‘the red mark on the forehead’. They are everywhere and good folk too.

  41. Corey~
    I am so excited about this trip… I am right here along with you every breath you write! How beautiful! AND you filled your cups with holy water! Oh my gosh!! Guess what? I give away all my magazines to friends and keep one with images I love. I went through my small pile of keepers to try and get rid of them. I cam upon one and flipped through and saw the most beautiful home. I realized why I couldn’t let go of this one. As I restudied each picture my eyes caught YOUR NAME!!! OMG Corey this is your house! I never knew until today!!! IT is SO SO Sacred to me. It is all plus more of everything I love and feel. I am so proud to have found you my friend from far away but so close to my soul~
    xx’s
    Have a fun fun time with French Husband and Be Careful~

  42. Thank you for sharing your latest chapter with us Corey! You guys are marvels, I so envy your stamina and energy, I’m not a good traveler at all & five hours on a bike would kill me. Dead. Done for. That’s all she wrote.
    Looking forward to tomorrows travel guide. May you have continued fair weather, good food and fluffy beds and not have to take out those rain pants!

  43. Now I can add Italy to the places I would someday like to visit. Beautiful…

  44. Thank you for the beautiful motorcycle tour.
    I feel like I’m there and that would be a great place to find myself this summer.
    Gorgeous!

  45. Pure perfection! Blessings on sunny skies and safety as you travel.

  46. I echo Franco’s comments. It’s painful but keep sending the photos so we can pretend we’re there. The economic version of a European vacation.

  47. Hooray, I’m in Italy! I’ve been away for a few days and I just caught up on the adventure you are sharing with us. I am looking forward to seeing Salzburg from your eyes. I was there a few years ago and enjoyed everything about Austria. Be safe.

  48. Good golly those photos are gorgeous! Thank-you for the vicarious thrills vacation you’re providing us!! I suspect your blog has been flooded with even more drool then usual as of late, haha

  49. How I envy you this trip! It’s so stunning in the pictures! I can only imagine how it would be to be right there in reality. Just breath taking.

  50. OHhhhh this is so exciting … thank you, thank you Corey. xo

  51. Michelle in KY

    Corey…I know you may not believe this…but George Clooney is from my hometown in Augusta, KY. His parents live right up the street from me. I see his Dad walking their dog almost nightly. It’s funny. George was in town about 6 weeks ago for a family reunion and was just sittin’ on the front porch watching the sun set on the Ohio River. I think that view would pale in comparison to the views of Lake Como though. Next time he’s in town, maybe I will hunt him down and take a pic. LOL…too funny! Be safe my friend

  52. allison

    We stayed in Lugano on the lake and traveled to lakes Bellagio, Como and Maggiore. Such a gorgeous area! Like you, spotting the villas tucked into the mountainside was a favorite of mine. I’m enjoying your photos.
    Safe travels,
    Allison

  53. Wonderful pictures, Corey. Its a long way from Willows to Lake Como! I stayed at the Hotel du lac and I’ll never forget the views or the church bells chiming away. I remember buying beautiful silk scarves and eating truffles for the first time. Thanks for the memories.

  54. On my long, solo trip to Europe many (MANY) moons ago, at one point I took the train from Zurich to Lake Como…it was one of my favorite stops of the trip…gorgeous.

  55. Bad timing. You were there and the marvelous George was not home……..

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