And, of course, it also helps us learn about places we want to go one day. In Season 29, they went to Milan, Venice, and Lake Como. We just left Venice yesterday and are leaving for Milan tomorrow. But today we went to Castello di Vezio, which was featured heavily in the show.
Because I hadn’t felt well the night before (let’s just leave it at that), we got off to a really slow start this morning. More like this afternoon. It was after 1:00 before we finally left the hotel, and both of us needed the extra rest. We’d planned to take a boat ride down to Como (the town) and ride the giant funicular, but due to the lateness of the hour and our lack of research, we opted to skip it.
Instead, we really wanted to walk up to the Castello di Vezio, which we’d seen on The Amazing Race (S29: E6). It was just luck that we’d ended up in the right town. It wasn’t until Marsha booked the hotel that either of us realized the castle was nearby.
We got directions from the hotel and started our walk, which was supposed to be around 40 minutes. When I’d originally looked at it on Google, I thought the castle was only a ten-minute stroll at best. That’s because I didn’t realize that our hotel was at the bottom of a mountain, and the castle was up at the very top.
We asked at the front desk how to get up there and the wonderful desk clerk gave us a (not too detailed) map to follow and instructed us to look for the signs. The first part of the journey was paved roads going uphill, until we eventually chanced upon a sign that led us to a path. I’m not sure if this is the path she was referencing, but it was basically a steep, narrow, rocky trail that wasn’t the easiest to climb in sandals.
Eventually, we made it to the top and I recognized the entrance gate from The Amazing Race. We got our tickets and followed the walkway to the castle, which was lined with a series of wooden sculptures by a local artist.
Soon we made it to an overlook with an awesome view of the lake. And a few creepy visitors who were just hanging around. Between the mountains and the ghosts, we couldn’t get enough pictures.
From there we ventured into the castle itself. It’s not huge, but still pretty darn cool. The layout is square, with high walls and a couple of lookout points. But the big draw is the giant tower near the entry gate. Even better is that you have to climb up to the second level and cross a drawbridge to get inside.
The interior is like the bell tower in Tim Burton’s Batman. You just keep climbing up from level to level (which felt a bit rickety) until you reach the trap door to the roof. Naturally, the views up there were just breathtaking. But what was even more breathtaking was the giant storm approaching. It looked just like the Nothing from The NeverEnding Story (we’re full of 80s movie references today).
Because we had to hike back down (hopefully on a better path), we opted to stay put instead of leaving. We’d known it was supposed to rain, but not for a few more hours, so we hadn’t brought our raincoats. At that point we thought it would be better to wait it out until after the rain had stopped. And we tried saving the “dungeon” for when the bottom dropped out.
Which sort of worked out, at first. Only the dungeon wasn’t very big and had no place to sit. It was basically a hiding place for when the Germans attacked. Not built for style or comfort.
When the rain let up a bit, we thought about going back to the tower, but opted instead for the entrance building where we stood under the awning. What we should have done was head on back, but since we were unsure of the trail (plus worried about the extremely loud thunder), we still opted to ride it out.
Eventually, the bottom dropped out and the castle was forced to close early. The sweet young woman operating the ticket counter said we could stick around a little longer, but we’d have to leave when she did. She even gave us her umbrella.
Before long, a few more stragglers came down the path and braved the downpour to leave. And luckily, the rain (and thunder) let up enough for us to do the same. We gave the girl her umbrella back and Marsha gave her a hug, too. When we left the gate, we took the opposite path, hoping it would be significantly better.
Aside from being wet and a little slippery, it was a huge improvement! The cobblestone path led all the way down. Much of it was covered by trees, so we didn’t get too soaked. The only tricky part is that most of the pathways in Varenna are like sloped staircases, and this one was no different. By the time we reached the village at the bottom, the rain had stopped and the sun peeked out again. So, we strolled around the lakefront for a bit and then headed back to the room to freshen up and change clothes.
Dinner was at Osteria Quatro Pass, which was everything our first cafe wasn’t. I’d booked it online before leaving home based on their great reviews, and it exceeded expectations! They’d reserved us a table inside, but for some reason, Marsha wanted to eat outside at one of the few tables on the sidewalk. Apparently, she’d already forgotten about the huge downpour that just a short time earlier had us trapped on the mountain.
The food was amazing and the service even more so. Marsha had a creamy lasagna which seemed very popular. I had a lobster and pasta dish which, after they brought out the tools and bib, had me wondering what I’d gotten myself into. But the lobster was already split in half, and the tools were just for the claw. The bib sure came in handy for the pomodoro sauce, though.
Just about the time we finished eating, it started to rain again. The restaurant is rather small, so I wasn’t sure where they would put us. That’s when they really impressed us: they still had our inside table reserved! We shared an apple torte for dessert which was, again, everything the first one wasn’t. Topped with gelato, cream, honey, raspberries, and a thin almond crisp. And it was amazing! We both agreed that whenever we make back there, Quatro Pass is top on our list.
Afterwards, we went back to the room with plans to rewatch the Lake Como episode of The Amazing Race on my iPad. But unfortunately, I hadn’t already downloaded it, and the hotel WiFi was just too slow (our only quibble about staying there). So, that’ll be tomorrow night’s entertainment when we get to Milan.
Ciao!
No comments:
Post a Comment