Italy 2010 - Travel Journal - Part VI

May 25, 2009

A typical crazy drive and some credit card problems, but we made it. Lake Como is spectacular. The captivating lake so calm and peaceful juxtaposed to the shear and dramatic alpine mountains that surround it. The narrow road that leads you here is a sign of the isolation that these small villages have enjoyed for centuries. That isolation is still here, geographically, but we found more tourists in the first 5 minutes in Bellagio than we saw in 5 days in Barolo.

Our hotel is in the hamlet of Pescalla within the town of the Bellagio. La Pergola is located directly adjacent to the lake with views toward the village of Varenna. We check in and have lunch at the hotel under the pergola that is at the lake’s edge. We find that the local cuisine features much more fish than the very meat-centric Piedmonte. We all have an insalata mista (mine with formaggi e olive) and then Chris and I have lasagna verde with salmone e spinaci while Dad got the ravioli pesce con burro e salvia. A nice Italian “summer beer” hit the spot.

After lunch we walk over the hill into the center of Bellagio. Dramatic views, steep shop laden streets (as narrow as they are charming), and a beautiful waterfront beaming with a flair not unlike Portofino. Dad takes us around to his favorite spots and we do a little shopping. Finally got a gelato, good but not great, so will definitely have to get another. We twice run into a German couple who stayed at Einaudi while we were there, not our friend from the pool and his admirable companion, but another couple who are quite nice. It is still very warm here and as we climb back over the hill to La Pergola, we are all very thankful to have air conditioning in our room. (Despite its inability to completely cool our room).

Enjoyed a bottle of Seghesio Barbera d’Alba** that we had picked up at the winery, on our balcony and then back over the hill for dinner at Ristorante Barchetta. Nice spot upstairs on a tiny street with quite a gradient (a definite regularity in this town). A lot of Americans here, but the food and atmosphere were still very good. Chris had a spaghetti Bolognese and then a misto fritto di Lago. Dad had a calamari with sweet peppers over pasta and then risotto in butter with local Perch. I had a local fish that was seemingly pureed on sliced heirloom tomatoes and then a risotto with local sausage which seriously resembled refried beans and chorizo con queso, but much better! Warm evening made the white wines go down very easily. Tocai Fruliano from Fruili** then an Arneis from Pio Cesare**. We sat near a very talkative and BMW enthusiastic British couple that were fun to talk with and kept us there fairly late. Then back over the hill on our now quite dark trek back to Pescallo.

0 Stars - No rating

1 Star (*) - Not of significant quality or interest
2 Stars (**) - A notable wine of legitimate interest
3 Stars (***) - Great wine that is worth searching out
4 Stars (****) - Fantastic wine that should not be missed
5 Stars (*****) - An absolutely mind-bending wine - beg, borrow, or steal to get your hands on some of this amazing juice!

Disclaimer: This rating is based on my palate and at the given time when tasted and may differ from yours. Also, I may catch a bottle in a dumb phase or it just may not speak to me at that particular time.