45 minutes standing-room only, Como to Milan. Not the ‘Eat Pray Love’ commuter experience to Switzerland days ago. Weekend train to the Region’s big City. Steady, reliable & clean – just less Euro-glamour ‘packed in’ standing with your luggage. Ticket on the Express train.
Como San Giovanni ➩ Seregno ➩ Monza ➩ Milano Centrale
Arrived Track 2. Station abuzz, reminiscent of New York’s Grand Central. Old electric lines & diesel still in the States, but day’s trek super déjà vu of my 9 year-work commute, New Haven to NYC.
Pulse, pulse, pulse. Shop sounds, travelers racing, speaker-barked announcements. So much ENERGY. Transportation hub of Northern Italy’s Lombardy region. Metro transfer/travel ‘round Milan or other dream train connections: Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples. Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Taxi’d to my hotel digs, beautiful Italian-owned building steps from Sunday’s Marathon Start. Bag drop, mental regroup. Milan Day. Just a few gotta/haftas on the list but ALL happening today.
Teatro alla Scala. da Vinci. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Milano’s il Duomo.
Mini-break before attempting [marathon] bib pick-up. Nutella crepe & an outdoor cappuccino (new day, new city, same Italian diet). Metro ticket in-hand. No stopping. Go, go, go!
Absolutely anything is possible…with Nutella ❤️
-
- Como to Milan
-
- Stazione Centrale
-
- Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples
-
- the great Leonardo
-
- Opera House (1778)
-
- Duomo di Milano
-
- fifth largest Christian church (in the world) & the most statues
-
- 6 million visitors per year
-
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
-
- Prada, Versace, Vuitton
-
- Viva Italia 🇮🇹
-
- crepe & cappuccino
Stazione Centrale & Milan’s il Duomo
Second day belly-filling mid morning on Turkish kebabs & rice. Not very Italian but certainly more substantial than the native expresso & cigarette start. (People still smoke, seriously?)
Train Thursday, boat queue Friday. I heart European travel.
Purchased a hop-on hop-off day pass but arrived, settled on a single-stop destination: Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo. Y’all know I dig history. No tour of the 17th century villa itself (found myself indoor ‘done’ after 2 days of rain). Today’s OUTDOOR plan: the Villa’s extensive botanical garden.
Rhododendron & azalea. Roses, hydrangea & camellias. Trail-walked thru non-native bamboo, palm. A citrus grove of lemons & oranges. Personal fave? Rustico Pra di Oc, ‘the Rural House’.
Quiet. Peaceful. Located on the trail’s far perimeter, abandoned by old & youth ticket-holders alike. Slow-walked a mile thru the Villa’s olive gardens. Found beauty in the garden’s simple ingredients. The Villa’s tall native grasses, its Mediterranean roots. Bellissima ❤️
Completed the afternoon with another outdoor cappuccino. Two weeks before Easter (official tourist season start), happily secured a table overlooking scenic Lake Como. Perfecto. Check, done.
Concierge coordinated a private rustico dinner in Old Town (off-season perk). Raw fish appetizer, quail, risotto alla Milanese (saffron rice, nutmeg, marrow). Go BIG or go HOME, last nite in Como.
Local train, new hotel. Tomorrow’s memory: Milano.
-
- ferry to Tremezzo
-
- il Giardino Botanico
-
- Museo degli Attrezzi Agricoli
-
- Rustico Pra di Oc
-
- uliveto (olive tree grove)
-
- camellia
-
- Lake Como ❤️
-
- Oratorio Sommariva
-
- Citrusis Tunnel
-
- last day in Como
-
- risotto alla Milanese
Tempio Voltiano
Narrow back alley architecture, cobblestone, 14th century cathedrals & church bells ringing. First day in Europe. Late morning walk, misty spring rain. All smiles.
Stomach grumble. Missed the breakfast hour. Focus shifted to window shopping & statue gazing while awaiting restaurants to re-open. Remember the same experience in Chile – 18 hours ‘til I properly synched up. Probably why Europeans are so thin.
When you do figure it out – mighty amazing eats. Simple, fresh ingredients, homemade sauces. Even cappuccino seems to steep different in Europe. Bellissimo. Thoroughly enjoy the art of food (locate a local bodega, for those of us who snack).
Day highlight: Como Cathedral.
Dinner: (local catch) Branzino, capers, homemade butter & olives. Molto bene!
Forecast sunshine Friday. Best day for Lake Como’s hop-on hop-off cruise.
Tomorrow? More Spring rain. After looking at the map (& discussing with the hotel concierge), ya know — Switzerland’s just a short 9 EURO train ticket away 😊
-
- Villa Olmo
-
- ‘Swan Lake’ Como
-
- Statua di Alessandro Volta
-
- cobblestone architecture
-
- Como Cathedral
-
- circa 1396
-
- Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta
-
- WWI War Memorial
-
- dedicated to Alessandro Volta (inventor of the electric battery)
-
- fresh-catch branzino
Como Cathedral
