Bellagio, Italy

We left you last with a few teaser photos of our great place

in Bellagio, Italy.

Perched on the side of the mountain overlooking Lake Como, its hard to believe

that tomorrow we move on after 9 days of some great relaxation.

It seems like we just got here and I never even got to swim!

What's even harder to believe however, is that Tuesday will mark 2 months since we boarded

the Queen Mary 2 in New York to embark upon this whirlwind odyssey.

We've enjoyed some great outdoor dining....

Bruschetta ala Greg in Bellagio

We've met some of the neigbors

We have some real asses for neighbors

Kate comes back from the doodles morning walk.

Lake Como has an estensive ferry system.

It operates at the regions waterborne public transport system.

It's a mixture of ship types including some Hydrofoils.

We get to see them all going into Bellagio just a couple of miles down the lake

A hydrofoil skims across Lake Como

A couple of times we took the ferry from the dock in San Giovanni which

is just down the hill from us - into Bellagio.    A 7 minute ride.

The small harbor at San Giovanni

Our ship has come in.

Lake Ferry arriving at San Giovanni Dock

The ferry is a great time killer, plus a scenic and cool way to spend an afternoon.

Leaving San Giovannie - we head north to Bellagio located on the

peninsula in the distance.

Getting closer to Bellagio

Arriving at the Dock.

Bellagio is one of the more well known towns on the lake and has both a passenger

dock as well as a car dock where the carry ferries arrive and depart.

We'll take the car ferry tomorrow when we leave.

Ferry dock in Bellagio Italy

In Bellagio - there are basically two directions...

UP

AND DOWN

One day we had a nice lunch along the waterfront.

While at lunch we could watch the ships arrive and depart at the near by docks.

Below is the ferry to Varenna.

We will be taking that one tomorrow when we leave.

Bellagio to Varenna Cary Ferry on Lake Como

One day - rather than taking the ferry back to San Giovanni - we decided to walk the

1 1/2 miles back home.

The conventional way is back up the main road...

A narrow, winding, thoroughfare - often with stone walls on both sides of the road,

leaving nowhere for a pedestrian to get out of the way of the speeding drivers 

and motorcycles that appeared at any moment flying around the blind curves.

We did however learn that we could get a pass to the Melzi Villa and Gardens..

That would give us about 70% of the walk along the lakefront, thru beautiful gardens

on a palatial estate.

So.. we headed off along the waterfront towards the Melzi Estate.

Walking along an Oleander lined street with cool lake breezes.

The waterfront in Bellagio

Paying our entry fee, we enter the gardens into another world! 

Melzi Gardens Bellagio

The estate was constructed between 1808 and 1810 for Francesco Melzi d’Eril 

who was the Duke of Lodi and vice president of the Italian Republic under Napoleon. 

The plants are imported from all 4 corners of the globe.

Melzi Gardens Bellagio

From the Japanese gardens we break out into a more wide open

space with large terraces along the lake front.  

Rather than fighting our way up a narrow two-lane highway....

Lots of cool places to sit down and reflect.

Lilly pad at Melzi Gardens Bellagio

And by request...  yes we are still here!

Walking by the mansion - looking back from where we came.

At the north end of the estate is the family chapel...  Mausoleum?

The Duke of Lodi is interred here along with a few other notables of the family.

Below is the tomb of his step son and heir Lodovico Melzi.

The shroud around the tomb is amazing.

A closer look.

The hard stone almost seems as if it would blow in the wind.

The fringe flying in the breeze!

Well that pretty much wraps up our visit to Bellagio.

There is so much more here that we could have done but that will have to wait for another day.

It's better to taste some and be left wanting more.

Tomorrow we head north and will travel thru the Alps to visit our great friends

in Richterswil Switzerland for 10 days.

Marcel gave me some great tips on taking an off the beaten trail road north.

So we will go over the Alps on the "Old Road"

Following a path taken since Roman Times.

The road crosses the Alps from Italy into Switzerland over Splügen Pass.

At one point it climbs a sheer cliff wall of the valley - up thousands of feet

with dozens of switchbacks on a road that is only one car wide at points.

 The photo below, lifted from the web,  is one spot along the way.

Spluga Pass Rd  SS-36  Italy

It should be a fun Sunday Drive!