Tag Archives: Tremezzo

Bellagio, Castles, Como, Family Stories, Food and Drink, Friends, Happy Hour, Humor, Photography, Restaurants, Sipping Espresso, Travel - Europe, Travel - Italy

The Perfect Recipe – Great Friends, Food & Tons of Fun

November 4, 2013 Greg

Sometimes living abroad is hard. Like when you miss a good friend’s wedding in upstate New York – an event that turned out to be the social gathering of the year (according to Facebook pictures and word of mouth). Thankfully Dave and Jill completely understood when we declined to come. Or when one of your best friends tells you that he’s planning on “popping the question” via email, because there’s really no easier way. Those are the types of conversations that should be reserved for a late night in a neighborhood bar, complete with lots of back pats and free rounds for the groom-to-be. Thankfully, Josh was great about keeping me in the loop, sending us pictures of his wonderful proposal to Abby in Charlestown earlier this year (and even calling us via FaceTime shortly afterward). So, yeah – living abroad can be hard when you miss these special moments in your friends and families lives. However… when we’re able to host our friends and family here, we are always grateful for the experience abroad.

Abby, Josh, Jill, Dave, Jen and Julia

For that reason, we were absolutely thrilled when we heard that Josh and Abby were going to come visit us. We coordinated the timing of their trip so that they would be visiting during a beautiful time of year and the start of Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. As soon as they booked their airfare, I reserved our train tickets to Munich, which I’ll write about in the upcoming post.

Josh and Abby in Varenna

Shortly after learning of Josh and Abby’s visit, we got even more good news. Our friends Dave (aka, Dr. Dave) and Jill were also going to be in Europe at the same time and wanted to spend time with us here in Como. I mentioned that we would also be going to Oktoberfest and they were able to arrange it so that they could join us there too! While they didn’t stay with us in either locale, they coordinated close quarters so that we could spend time together.

Dave and Jill in Brunate

When Josh and Abby arrived in Italy, we opted for a new strategy. We decided to be “low-key” for the first day. We even allowed them the option to take a nap, if they wanted. In the past, we have cooked massive meals, whisked people immediately to downtown Como and forced them to stay awake in order to stave off jet-lag. However, we’ve learned that visitors often forget their first day – it’s simply too much, too fast (especially in a comatose state). So when I got them home safe and sound, we simply walked across the street to one of our local favorites, Quattro Staggione. Even though the food is Italian (shocker), the restaurant is fashioned after a German beer garden. Jen and I decided that it would be a good start to get us in the mood for our upcoming trip to Germany. We capped the night off with more food and drinks and they hit the sack early, ready to begin their world-wind trip freshly rested.

The plan the following day was to meet Dave and Jill at our place, before heading to Antichi Sapori – the best pizza place in all of northern Italy. They were driving down from Switzerland and ended up getting lost – opting instead to meet us at the restaurant. When they finally arrived, we rushed through our meal so that we could reach our next destination quickly… an activity that had me as giddy as a nerd at Comic-Con. I had arranged for something that I’ve wanted to do since we moved here – a privately rented boat to drive around Lake Como. I’d looked into it in the past, but only found prohibitively expensive companies or boat operators that drove you themselves. I wanted to be the one to get behind the wheel and really open’er up . On a previous visit to Tremezzo, I discovered a company that was not only reasonably priced – but also gave you free reign of their boats (with surprisingly little information in exchange. Luckily for them, I do actually have my boating license). Josh grabbed some wine and beer and we got on the water ready to enjoy the sights and sounds of Lake Como from the middle of the lake itself!

I pull the boat away from Tremezzo – Josh and Abby settle in for the ride

Julia loved the wind in her hair

The towns along the lake are even prettier to see from the water

I stop driving to pose for a picture with Jen

Josh and Abby enjoying time aboard our boat

Dave and Jill on Lago di Como

Julia gives us a smile

Family photo in front of Bellagio

The “girls”

The “guys”

Isola Comancia – I’ve never been so close

Julia decides to hang out with the boys and helps me drive

I relax in the back with a beer and my girl…

…who promptly lost interest in me when Josh took over driving. Guess she likes men with power

The entire crew on the dock after we returned

After a fun-filled day on the lake we made it home with enough time for Jen to cook a wonderful meal. We had all the usual suspects (cheese, salami, olives, salad, bread, etc.) with osso buco served over a risotto milanese as the star of the show (Abby had her first taste of veal and her first taste of bone marrow all in one sitting). We also had several bottles of wine to accompany the meal. After the food stopped coming, we broke out the traditional grappa. Usually, grappa signals the end of the meal and drinks – but not with this crew! After grappa, I took the guys down to my cantina (wine cellar) and brought back a special bottle of whiskey I had gotten in Scotland earlier this year. The girls opened another bottle of wine and the party continued. Eventually, someone decided it was a good idea to go to the bar next door and close the place down… it was not a good idea!

The late night started out innocently enough…

…and then turned into this…

…and some of this!

After breakfast the next day, Dave and Jill came back to our place and we all went into Como together. We walked around Como for a bit and then took the funicolare (cable car) up the mountain to the small town of Brunate. We had a phenomenal lunch overlooking the lake as well as Como. Later that night, it was another favorite for us – Ristorante Simposio in Inverigo Hotel, a four-star hotel near our home. We were excited to order the zuppa di mare – a mixed seafood dish that [at this particular restaurant] is absolutely huge. The six of us shared the dish as an appetizer, couldn’t finish it and were full before our entrees arrived. And they claim that this dish is for two!

We relaxed in the restaurant’s garden with some vino rosato while we waited for our table

The group enjoyed a wonderful lunch with a great view

Photos compliments of Julia

Hanging out at one of the panoramic spots in Bruante

The zuppa di mare that we’ve always wanted to order, but never had enough people

Dave ordered branzino arrostito al sale (branzino roasted in salt)

The following evening we would depart for Germany on an overnight train (Dave and Jill drove separately in their rental car). But we had all day to fill, so we formulated a plan to go hiking in Switzerland. Our home is close to Lugano, Switzerland – a wonderful city surrounded by beautiful Swiss mountains. Dave and Jill researched a popular climb and so we set out for a vertical ascent that would reward us with wonderful views of the Lago di Lugano and the city below.

Lago di Lugano – the city is on the left of the lake

Josh and Abby along the hike

Dave downplayed the vertical climb of the hike – both Jill and Josh have recently had major reconstructive knee surgery

Of course, the next part of this adventure was our time in Germany – but that warrants it’s own post. So, I’ll conclude this portion of blog with the remainder of Josh and Abby’s trip. After we all returned from Munich, they ventured off on their own to Venice and Verona before returning home to Como. We wanted to spend their last couple days exploring towns along Lake Como and made the decision to discover a new town together (we’ve been to many of the popular lake towns, but there is still so much for us to explore). I’m glad that we agreed to explore together, because Josh and Abby helped us find Varenna – one of our new favorite towns along the lake. We spent all day exploring the town and the castle, Castello di Vezio.

Varenna is a beautiful new town that Josh and Abby helped us find

Josh and Abby cuddle for a picture

Family photo by the water

Josh shares his bench with Julia and she shares some gelato with him

“Mom, smile like this!”

Good place for a photo

“You guys go on ahead, I’ll just hang out here”

Vivid placard on the wall of Chiesa di S. Giorgio

“Cheese!”

“On top of the world!”

Even though Castello di Vezio is privately owned, it is open to the public all year round. The castle, which dates back to 1169 – boasts a wonderful collection of collection of birds of prey, including a fantastic horned owl and some magnificent hawks. There is a garden of wooden statues and totems carved by local artists such as, Luigi Gambato. But most interesting were the “ghosts” that greeted you at the gates (a shocking image as you round the corner) and adorned the caste’s walls and towers. They are made from white chalk each summer by using the frames of willing tourists that sit and allow the artists to sculpt around them. We spent our final day in Como and then bid Josh and Abby a fond farewell as they boarded their plane headed back to Washington DC.

Julia helps Josh pick his final outfit – she models one of his shirts

A tower of Castello di Vezio

The castle was in amazing shape for being nearly 1,000 years old

Beautiful doorways and walls

The trees on the castle grounds were stunning

The ghosts of Vezio offered a strange and haunting welcome

Everywhere you turned, you were being watched

Josh tests the sturdiness of an ancient walkway

Julia ascends the stone steps of a tower with me

The fortress was located with an open view of the lake – located centrally across from Bellagio

The main tower of Vezio

Oh, who’s that poking out on top of the tower?!

I embarked on a climb to the top alone

Looking down I saw a couple of familiar faces

They had an impressive display of birds – this falcon put on a demonstration with a Falconer

This was another Falcon in a different part of the castle

Looking down on the town of Varenna from high atop the cliffs

We discovered the castle’s ancient prison

Josh descends into the depths

Julia is having way to much fun in jail

The prison was just carved out tunnels in the stone

Julia borrows a free ride on their last day in Como

I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing a bit about some of the great times we had with close friends. Keep an eye out for the upcoming Oktoberfest post – the fun we had there wasn’t quite so innocent…

Como, Family Stories, History, Landscape, Sipping Espresso

Villa Carlotta’s Beautiful Gardens

October 8, 2013 Greg

There is a wonderful town along Lake Como, called Tremezzo. Most people have heard of Bellagio, which sits on the exact shore opposite Tremezzo, but the lesser known town is a true gem with far fewer tourists crowding the streets. Tremezzo is home to a couple of our favorite restaurants and gelaterie (ice cream parlors). It is also home to Villa Carlotta, a 17th century treasure that has been beautifully restored and maintained.

Villa Carlotta

Jen and I have been wanting to visit Villa Carlotta since we moved to Como. The beauty of the villa and the gardens are well known in this area and attract thousands of visitors each year. We had planned on going in March when my aunt and uncle were visiting, but the villa is not open to the public until the 15th (just a few short days after they departed). Since the gardens are the main attraction, the preservation society wants to ensure all the flowers are in full bloom. Jen and I decided that since my mom is a big fan of gardens, we would visit while they were here (read about the first part of their trip HERE).

Julia peeks out from behind her Grandma and Pop-Pop

We had planned a drive along the lake to arrive in Tremezzo just in time for lunch. We took my parents to one of our favorite restaurants, La Fagurida that we had discovered some time ago (blog post HERE). Their specialty is rabbit – and once again, we were not disappointed with the food.

Jen and Sonny outside of La Fagurida

Julia was all kisses after lunch

After lunch, we drove back down the long and windy mountain road toward the center of town. We parked and got our admission tickets to the villa. We spent some time walking through the villa, but the real beauty was in walking through the elaborate and seemingly endless gardens.

Villa Carlotta, Museum and Botanical Garden

Impressive stairway leading to an impressive facade

The ornate gardens begin the moment you enter the grounds

Julia stops for a photo with her grandparents, Stefani and Sonny

She was amazed by the turtle pond

There were half a dozen of these little guys

View from the front of the villa’s terrace overlooking Lake Como

A mom and a grandma snap pictures of our little Julia

They had oranges growing in the trellis that Julia wanted to pluck

Julia strikes a fashionable pose on the terrace

The villa was positioned to overlook the town of Bellagio, across Lake Como

Priceless works of art adorn each room in the villa

Jen and Julia stop for a picture in the villa

I have copied a brief description of Villa Carlotta directly from the brochure, if you are interested in a bit of it’s unique history:

Villa Carlotta is a place of rare beauty, where masterpieces of nature and art live together in perfect harmony in over 70,000 square meters (17 acres) of garden and museum. The beautiful villa was built at the end of the 17th century in a natural basin between lake and mountains, facing the dolomitic Grignas and the peninsula of Bellagio. The architect created for the Clericis – a noble and powerful Milanese family – an important but somber building, with an Italian garden decorated with sculptures, stairs and fountains. In 1801 Gian Battista Sommariva, famous politician, businessman and patron of arts, bought the villa. Thanks to him, the villa attained the summit of its splendor and became one of the most important halting-place of the Grand Tour with its collection of art (masterpieces of Canova, Thorvaldsen and Hayez) and its fascinating romantic garden. In the second half of the century Princess Marianne of Nassau bought the villa and gave it as a present to her daughter Carlotta in occasion of her wedding with Georg II of Saxe-Meiningen. Georg was passionate about botany and made a lot of improvements and new additions to the park that became more and more famous for its botanical richness and the rhododendrons’ and azaleas’ spring flowering.

The beauty of the gardens did not disappoint, we all enjoyed each moment of the self-guided tour.

Overlooking Como and Bellagio

Julia couldn’t get enough of the rhododendrons

We had to stop and smell almost every flower

One of my favorite pictures of Julia

Always the lady… or flirt?!

Giving Pop-Pop as kiss as thanks for the ride

Climbing the stairs in La valle delle felci (the valley of ferns)

Walking through Il giardino dei bambù (the gardens of bamboo)

Still in the Bamboo Garden

Julia runs quickly across a stone table

Calocedrus decurrens

Views from all angles

Julia had to play with the fountains one last time

She insisted on making a little splash

Villa Carlotta, more specifically – the gardens of Villa Carlotta are simply stunning to behold. I would strongly recommend copying our itinerary and enjoying pranzo (lunch) at La Fagurida before spending countless hours getting lost in the gardens of Villa Carlotta.

Como, Family Stories, Food and Drink, Landscape, Recipes, Sipping Espresso, Travel - Italy

Keeping It In The Family

August 28, 2013 Greg

I don’t know who was more excited… Jen to see her parents or Jen’s parents to see their granddaughter. It was close, but judging by the suitcase of presents exclusively for Julia, I would give the edge to Jen’s mom, Diane. Of course, this suitcase (along with the 42 other suitcases Jen’s mom, dad and sister brought) got lost somewhere over the Atlantic and didn’t arrive for another two days (the airline had to hire a Mack truck to deliver everything in one trip).

Julia playing with Nonna on Day One

As you’ve no doubt surmised from above, Jen’s family came to visit recently. They wanted to see the country they love, their second home that has been overtaken by three squatters, their kids and their granddaughter (not necessarily in that order). And we were thrilled to see all of them. Since the timing was right with their work schedules and nursing school (Jen’s sister, Jessica had just graduated), they were able to stay a full month. We had plenty of down time relaxing and plenty of time on the go-go-go. Since so much happened during this month, the story of their visit will most definitely be broken into a few posts.

“I LOVE the view up here!”

Julia chilling with Jess by Lake Como

We made quick work getting to Como and spending some time visiting many of the other lake towns. Early on during their visit, we had lunch at a place we’ve been wanting to try, Al Veluu in the lake town, Tremezzo. We had tried to visit this restaurant in the past (with my Aunt and Uncle), but ran into a problem more common than you may think. They were closed for several months – this time, due to renovations (usually it’s more along the lines of… “we’re on vacation, come back next month”). The apparent renovations paid off – the restaurant, terrace and view were all exceptional. Secretly, Jen and I were thrilled to show Dominic and Diane a new place they hadn’t tried in their many years coming to Como.

Ristorante Al Veluu

The land this building sits upon has been in the family for over 300 years

Another angle of the restaurant and Inn

Passing through the entryway

Dom and Diane were so happy to be back in Italy, they were all smiles

Julia made quick work playing with the toys

She even found some friends to play with

The view from the terrace

A shot of the terrace – we made friends with our “neighbors”

Another angle of the incredible view

Some delicious bread to get us started…

…which went perfectly well with this olive tapenade

Dominic and I started with a steak tartare made table side

Vitello Cotoletta alla Milanese con arugala (veal chop lightly breaded and topped with salad)

Piccata di Vitello “Al Veluu” (veal scallops in white wine with spicy red sauce and capers)

Incredible desserts

They tasted as good as they look

The complete dessert inside

Julia loved her lunch and we love to kiss her!

Another day, we took the funicolare to the hilltop town of Brunate, which sits high atop Como. Jen and I had visited on a fog-filled day this past winter (HERE), so we were eager to soak up the incredible views that we knew Brunate offered (but were previously impeded for us). Diane suggested a restaurant she had been to before. If you know Diane, you’ll know that she is a creature of habit (let’s just say on her first visit, she was dumbfounded that we would go to the other grocery store or park in a different parking lot in Como). So we knew if she had a good experience at this restaurant before, trying to convince her otherwise would not be worth our lives. Luckily, she nailed the pick – they had amazing views, the best cheese plate we’ve eaten since living in Italy and Dominic and I enjoyed the most tender capra (goat). Julia even had fun kissing the head of the fish from Jen’s dish.

View of Lago di Como from Brunate

Julia had an incredible time at lunch

She played the drums with her Nonno

Then stopped for a pose with Mom and Dad

As well as Nonna

Another day still, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of Menaggio. OK, OK… we really enjoyed some wonderful gelato.

Julia always goes to splash in this same fountain in Menaggio

Stopping for a photo-op with her Nonni

“Mom, this is my cone – get your own!”

“That goes for you too, Nonno!”

Apart from all this rolling around town, we also took two marvelous trips while they were here. We had previously planned a visit to Scotland, but we also planned an impromptu visit to Civitella in the Abruzzo region of Italy. This village was Jen’s nonna’s (grandma’s) birthplace and hometown. Since both trips were so rich with stories and experiences of their own I will continue them in separate posts.

“I’m exhausted already, you’d better break this into a few more posts!”

Como, Family Stories, Food and Drink, Humor, Restaurants, Sipping Espresso

Eating On Top Of The World

March 22, 2013 Greg

Last week, we received a visit from our Uncle S. and Aunt Deborah who were traveling through Europe on business. They had planned a stop over visit us before traveling by train to their next destination. We had also coordinated with Jen’s mom, who was departing on the same day they arrived, which saved us a trip to the airport and allowed us to spend the day in Milano (never a bad thing). Whoever said planning is overrated never had traffic and a two year old to contend with.

Julia with her great-uncle S.

Julia was sad to see her Nonna leave, but excited to have new visitors to play with. She instantly recognized S. and Deb as they arrived through customs. Since it was early evening when they landed, we took them back to our condo and had a “light” dinner of bread, salami, salami piccante (spicy salami) prosciutto, cheese, a cannelloni bean salad, acciughe in salsa verde (anchovies in green sauce), insalata finocchio (fennel salad) and insalata caprese with some wonderful buffalo mozzarella. Franco and Claudia came downstairs to join the party and brought some additional goodies of their own. Of course, we had more than a bottle or two of some good vino along with grappa and limoncello to wash it all down.

Julia found a left-handed drinking buddy

We had a long list of activities we wanted to accomplish while they were here, but the three days we had wasn’t enough time to do it all. The only thing to do… plan our lunches and work backwards from there! Since most restaurants are closed one day a week (either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the restaurant) and the weather predicted to change dramatically over those three days – I spent a good 30 minutes figuring out the rubik’s-cube that was their trip.

We spent the first day in Lecco (the other “leg” of the lake), the second day eating sopra (above) with Franco and Claudia (who live above us) and the final day in Tremezzo (another lake town). Since both S. and Deb had read the blog post HERE about a wonderful restaurant we discovered who’s cuisine is matched only by the adventure you must undertake to arrive – that was pre-penciled in.

Julia was excited to return to Osteria Montalbano

A quick summary of the restaurant, Osteria Belvedere Montalbano in Lecco (or click the link above); Lake Como has two “legs” with Como at the “foot” of the west leg and Lecco at the foot of the east leg. Lecco has stunning mountains that surround the lake. In order to find the restaurant, you must drive through the town, into a residential area on one of the mountains, enter a private road and continue to wind your way up the mountain. As you approach the end of the road, you’ll find a dirt path that is covered with stones and trees. Turn on your all wheel drive and wind your way up the path for 20 minutes before finding this jewel.

Everyone in front of one of our favorite restaurants

On our first trip, we were lucky enough to make it up this tiny/dangerous road unscathed. This time everything appeared to be going well, when suddenly we came across an obstacle. The road was closed half-way up because a local farmer was chopping trees and one laid clear across the “road”, blocking our path. There is NO turning around or backing down – our only option was to push forward. I hopped out of the car and asked him when he would be done. He said that it would be about 20-30 minutes. I volunteered to help and S and I became his gofers while he continued to skillfully wield his chainsaw. He jokingly said, avete fame (you must be hungry)! We were on our way in less than 10 minutes!

Nothing is going to keep us from getting there!

The food was as spectacular as the first visit and the quantity could have fed a small army, let alone four travelers. Since the menu is seasonal, many of the dishes were repeats for Jen and myself – but we had a couple new dishes, pictured below.

Filet with radicchio and a gorgonzola cream sauce

Roasted rabbit with a white wine reduction

Pan fried polenta

Half pear / half blubbery torte with custard

As we were leaving, we noticed a bocce-ball court that looked like it will be a lot of fun when the weather warms. S. made an astute and funny observation that there wasn’t a flat patch of earth anywhere to be seen for miles, yet they had a perfectly manicured surface to play bocce-ball on the top of a mountain!