Today we went to Varenna, a medieval city south of Bellano. We have been there several times before, parking and using it as a ferry stop. Doug and Lori had ventured there a few weeks ago and suggested that we take a more in depth look. They were right. The place is beautiful. We walked along the lake towards the Villa Monastero, an ancient female Cistercian convent probably founded before 1200. In the 1500s the ownership passed in to private hands. There were several owners up to the present and it now belongs to the National Council of Research. They have restored it and now operate it as a conference center. The gardens extend along the lake with many varied plants and trees. We stopped for lunch at one of the cafes along the lake and Gene ordered a grande birra rosso (a big dark beer) along with his sandwich. He usually has a media birra but it was a pretty warm day and he was thirsty. I ended up driving back to La Wally. He is now taking a nap.
Lake Como is beautiful, the weather has been splendid, the cities charming. What could be wrong with this paradise? Mosquitoes! Thats what. We never see the things, rarely hear the whine of their wings but each morning we wake up with new bites. Or we will be sitting on the balcony and we come inside and there they are, more bites. We have taken to burning a citronella candle in our bedroom at night. Our guests have been bothered a bit but not to the extent that Gene and I have. And Gene never gets bites! You can imagine how outraged he is. We are going to try another insect repellent and see if we have better results.
Ciao, from Joan
