EXPLORING NORTHERN ITALY’S LAKE COMO

The best part of long term travel is flexibility!
Lake Como was not part of my plan, but when a dear friend that lives on the other side of the world(Australia) tells you she is on the same continent as you, you have to make time to see her, no matter what!

Explorando el lago de Como, en el norte de Italia

La mejor ventaja de viajar por largo tiempo es la flexibilidad. El lago de Como no formaba parte de mi plan, pero cuando una gran amiga que vive al otro lado del mundo (Australia) te dice que está en el mismo continente que tú, tienes que hacer tiempo para verla, pase lo que pase.

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Lake Como is well-known as a summer destination amongst the wealthy, and some of the most visited towns are Como, Bellagio, Menaggio, and Varenna.
We can all agree that we know or at least have heard of Bellagio?? right? But the other towns I did not know.

El Lago es reconocido como un destino de verano entre las personas afluyentes y algunas de las ciudades más visitadas son Como, Bellagio, Menaggio, Varenna y otros. Todos podemos estar de acuerdo en que sabemos o al menos hemos oído hablar de Bellagio. ¿Verdad?

Kirra and her wonderful mother (Jen) invited me to join them for a few days, so I did. Thanks to them, I got to visit another part of Northern Italy.

Kirra y su maravillosa madre (Jen) me invitaron a unirme a ellos durante unos días, así que lo hice. Gracias a ellas, pude visitar otra parte del norte de Italia.

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Visiting a place like Como is to relax, have a break from your routine, forget about stress and the outside world.

If you would like to visit, here are a few facts and tips:

• Lake Como is only a 40 minute train ride from Milano Centrale Railway Station.
• It is the third-largest lake in Italy and the 5th deepest in Europe (over 1,340 feet). Crazy right?
• The Lake has the shape of an upside-down Y.
• There are more than 50 daily trains between Milan and Lake Como.
• Although you could go for a day trip, I would suggest staying at least two nights.
• The best time of the year to visit is between March and November. I was there in July, and it was fantastic!

Visitar el lago de Como es para descansar de la rutina, olvidarse del estrés y del mundo exterior. 

Si deseas visitar, aquí te comparto unos datos interesantes: 

• For accommodation, stay at an Airbnb, best towns with affordable prices: Menaggio, Varenna and Como. If budget is not an issue, stay in Bellagio 😉.

Para alojamiento, alójate en un Airbnb, los pueblos con mejores precios son: Menaggio,Como & Varenna. Si el presupuesto no es problema, quédate en Bellagio 😉.

• The most convenient form of transportation between towns is the ferry.
• It’s a fantastic destination for couples, girls trip, families, and solo travelers.

Here is my list of what you should do when visiting Lake Como:

• Take a ferry ride to all the surrounding towns, and enjoy the views from the Lake, it can be a bit pricey, but the best thing you can do is plan to take a full day to explore two or three towns in one day by purchasing a day pass. Another day, perhaps a single roundtrip to another city or villa you would like to visit. If you want a private experience, you can hire one of those gorgeous taxi boats to take you around, but please make sure to take a lot of pictures!

• Make a day trip to Bellagio, get lost in all its little pedestrian streets, grab lunch, in the afternoon, grab a coffee or/and an ice cream.

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• Visit at least one of the historic Villas, like Villa Carlota, Villa Monastero, Villa Serbelloni, to name a few

We visited Villa Carlotta, it’s currently a museum and a Botanical Garden. The property is over 300 years old and displays a vast collection of art and well preserved furniture from that era.

Nosotras visitamos Villa Carlotta, actualmente es un museo y un jardín botánico. La propiedad tiene más de 300 años y cuenta con una vasta colección de arte y muebles bien conservados de esa época.

Go for a walk in Varenna, visit the church, have breakfast by the Lake

Da un paseo por Varenna, visita la iglesia, desayuna a orillas del lago.

Visit Fiumelatte, the shortest river in Italy. Its name means river milk, Fiume means river in Italian, and latte is milk because the waterfalls look white as they fall.

Visita Fiumelatte, el río más corto de Italia. Su nombre significa río de leche, Fiume significa río en italiano y latte es leche, porque las cascadas se ven blancas al caer.

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The time spent with Kirra and Jen was priceless, from arriving and being surprised with Kirra’s pregnancy, being with her when she learned the sex of her baby while we were there, to being reminded that distance and time mean nothing when friendship is genuine.

Seeing them made me reconsider my travel plan, as they invited me to spend Christmas in Australia.

El tiempo que pase con ellas no tiene precio, desde llegar y recibir la sorpresa del embarazo de Kirra, estar con ella cuando supo el sexo de su bebé, hasta recordar una vez mas que la distancia y el tiempo no significan nada cuando la amistad es genuina.

Verlas me hizo reconsiderar mi plan de viaje, ya que me invitaron a pasar las Navidades en Australia.

Next stop…. Switzerland!

Próximo destino: Suiza!