We were really looking forward to our trip to Italy as the forecast was sunny and hot - it was spot on. We arrived in Milan late Friday night and after a good night's sleep went straight in to the Piazza del Duomo as we were hoping to get tickets for a city tour which is pretty much the only way you can see The Last Supper if you haven't booked months ago. We were disappointed to find out that even the city tours were booked until the Wednesday. Oh well, there's still plenty to see in Milan.
So we had a quick breakfast (see pic below of me and my grande cappucino) and then went to have a look at the Duomo. The Duomo is massive and quite spectacular inside but I found the most impressive part to be the terrace and roof which you can walk around.
The Duomo terrace...
We walked and walked and walked, as you do when you are a tourist. We managed to cover a lot of Milan, went to see 10 Corso Como and in the evening went to the canal area of Milan for dinner.
Anyway, the real highlight of our trip was going to Lake Como. It's the kind of place that everyone raves about and it really did live up to expectations. It's so relaxing and peaceful, the scenery picturesque and the gelato abundant! There's not very much to do but that's just the point. Life seems to slow down a little bit and eating, drinking and watching life go by become the most important things to do.
The main activity is to catch ferries from town to town exploring. This is a picture of Varenna, a similar town to Bellagio in that there's only a few roads that cars can drive down due to the narrow laneways and steps between the buildings.
Waiting for the ferry in Varenna...
The water is beautifully clear and Nick couldn't resist a lake swim... it was a bit cold but very refreshing!
Bellagio was definitely one of the best places we saw on the lake (with Varenna a close second). We plan to go back at some point - probably late spring next year - so if anyone else wants to join us, let us know!
