My first piece of advice on here (and yes, I am starting this with advice because it is of the utmost importance): DO YOUR RESEARCH. Kenzie and I had decided that we were not going to plan anything, instead just enjoy Italy, eat pizza and drink wine, but this isn’t Florence or Rome with endless amounts of attractions. You need to plan out something to do. Oh, also make some reservations or you will eat at your hotel every night. Whoops.

We stayed in the Lae Como town of Cernobbio. While it was a quiet, small town, it was also, primarily, residential. That was our first mistake. The best-known town in Lake Como is called Bellagio. And Bellagio was a two-hour ferry ride from Cernobbio. Although disappointed at first, we were determined to make the most out of our little town.

Something interesting about Italy is that everything is old. Like really old. Although it said our hotel has been recently renovated, it looked like my great-great-greate grandmother had been the interior decorator. While that gave the place a certain charm, air-conditioning would have been appreciated. But you can’t stay mad at Italy for long.

Thursday morning, we found the best pastry place. Like the best. And cheap. Win-win. The Cappuccino, and healthy dollop of whipped crème, along side a chocolate tart filled with raspberry jam was the perfect brunch. And breakfast. And snack. We ate here a lot. After learning that the ferry to Bellagio was two-hours, we game planned. Our closest town was Como, so that is where we started. We ate lunch at this outdoor patio right next to a large church (whoops. I didn’t catch the name for either of those. My bad) then walked around the town, finding hand painted souvenirs that we both just had to have.  We took a gondola/cable car thingy up the mountain and had an amazing view of Como. By the time we got back to the ferry, we were dripping with sweat. I did not realize how hot Italy was. Everywhere we had been up until this point was jeans and a tshirt type of weather. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 Friday came and we finally got to see Bellagio. The ferry ride was gorgeous, getting to see all the other towns was a treat. We walked around to do some souvenir shopping then ate my typical Italian meal: Bruschetta and Magherita pizza! Not joke, I had this almost everyday for lunch. And dinner. What can I say? It was hooked. The highlight of this mini-vacation, though, was when an American women thought I was European. She had told the cashier to ring us up first, making the point to say that all American’s weren’t rude and thoughtless, and when I agreed with her, she said, “No, I said American’s, dear.” After letting her know I was in fact American, she was in complete shock. Now I know for a fact that I sound 100% American born and raised, but it was rather an ego boost for the afternoon. I’ve only just told everyone I know about it. No biggie.

Saturday, much like in Switzerland, was a day completely set aside for sitting by the pool and relaxing.  Kenzie and I read our books and soaked up some Italian rays. It was nice to have a slow paced weekend getaway, since everything we have done up until now has been planned out. We ate gelato (sometimes twice a day) and drank Italian wine. It was the perfect weekend.

I definitely would like to go back to Lake Como and stay in another town. I think every town offers something different, and coincidentally, ours offered exactly what we wanted: Relaxation. And pastries with chocolate and raspberry filling.

To Do:

–       Stay in Bellagio or Varenna

–       Verona

–       Visit a winery or do a wine tasting

–       Try something other than pizza (maybe . . . afterall, the pizza is delicious)