Bellagio

 Sunday

The pick-up at our Milan apartment and drop-off in Bellagio at Hotel Florence (where we stayed 30 years ago) went very smoothly. Hotel Florence is still a fine hotel right on the lake. Our balcony view was as great as it was before.

Our lunch at Barchetta started with bruschetta followed by fish tortellini with thyme and fried lake fish with sage and a bottle of Vicari Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2020.

After lunch we wandered along the water front through a crafts fair. Pat bought earrings and a cashmere scarf / wrap. Later we had a late afternoon aperitivo on the lake, one aperol spritz and one campari spritz. Our favorite is still Select Spritz but Select is really only something you find in Venice. Our evening meal at Babayaga was simple (a pizza with sausage, zucchini, and artichoke) with a Sa'les Rose (Terre Lariane Vendemmia 2019.) We finished with tiramisu and cafe.

Monday

We shopped up and down the narrow walks / stairways of Bellagio. Pat bought a blouse. (Clothes & jewelry are her kind of souvenirs.)  Along the way we found lunch at  Angelo de Vino. The Benaco Bresciano Rosso DOP "Il Nito" (Cabernet S, Merlot & Marzemino) went very nicely with the buckwheat pasta with cabbage, potato & cheese and the polenta with gorgonzola and walnuts. I'm getting hungry just thinking of this.

Later at Enoteca Cava Turacciolo a multi-course feast with Lombardian (local) wines:

• Rose: l'Aura rose of Schiava Gentile and a plate of mozzerella & prosciutto (Note: Schiava Gentile is described as a light-bodied red wine, like Pinot Noir,  with aromas of cotton candy, strawberry, bubblegum and lemonhead candy. Yet it was good, not as weird as it sounds.)
• Red: Pia de la Tesa (Barbera, Sangiovese, Marzemino, Schiava Gentile) with our main of risotto with saffron and sausage & shaved parmegiano
• Red: Gobbio (another Barbera, Sangiovese, Marzemino, Schiava Gentile) with a selection of cheeses with honey & jam as toppings
• Plus something sweet at the end (Biscotti and Sweet 'cioccolat salame' with whipped cream) accompanied by 2 dessert wines

Tuesday

The Central Lake Tour was an all day experience. A morning and lunch in Varenna, an afternoon cruise ending at a villa, and an evening walk in the gardens of another villa. 

In Varenna we first visited an old mill that is being restored for an olive oil and wine tasting accompanied by 3 cheeses including taleggio and 2 meats (salami, braesola). We bought wine & olive oil. Then we returned to the center and toured the narrow steep streets, got a sweethearts photo shot along the lake and visited a nearby church.

We had lunch at the Victoria Grill in the Hotel Royal Victoria. Bill had the veal with tuna sauce, with a side of potato gnocchi with zucchini, parmigiano, and mint with a red wine (Bardolino). Pat had the trout with lime yoghurt, accompanied by risotto with perch and a Pinot Grigio.

We crossed the lake to Tremezzo (home to Villa Carlotta and the Grand Hotel Tremezzo) and on to Villa Balbianello. Along the way we viewed lakeside villas and towns.

We toured the grounds surrounding Villa Balbianello. The lake views, church, and gardens were expected but not the Humming Bird Hawk Moth (left center). 

Then we crossed the lake back to Villa Melzi in Bellagio and finished the tour with a walk through the grounds of the Villa Melzi to the town center.

That evening we dined on our balcony viewing the lake while sampling local salami with our pepper cheese from Peck in Milan ...with wine we bought that morning at the Olive Mill.

Wednesday

We were off to an exciting start of the day. The top of our agenda: a laundromat. We followed this with Pat ironing clothes with the fresh air from the balcony windows and a view of the lake. Who knew that ironing could be such a pleasant task?

We lunched at La Grota on a Pizza Diavola (Tomato, mozzarella cheese, hot pepperoni salame. Yum!!). The Santarita Roso di Valtellina was a good choice.

After lunch we took a walk around Bellagio & nearby Porto Pescallo.

We chose to have dinner at the hotel's lakeside restaurant. A very fine meal and view over the lake.

• Amuse Bouche - Polenta, purée of dried tomato, wedge of fig, dab of crema
• Starter - Sea-scallops with bacon, in sweet pepper sauce with onions marinated in Campari
• Mains - One: Roasted pike-perch fillet with potatoes, vegetables and cumin butter; The other: Sea-bass fillet with zucchini, cherry tomatoes and olives
• Wine - Otella Lugana Le Creete, Trebbiano di Lugana

We spent the remainder of our time packing for a new destination experience - Torino.