Hotel Albergo Camelia Locarno

... good for what you pay!! And awesome for a backpacker!!
Went for drinks at Frank's Bar which Patrick who owns the hotel recommended. Turned out to be a pretty trendy cocktail joint
where you pay for your drink at 1 place then get it at another. 10 Euro for a beverage no matter what you had so naturally I ordered a long island ice tea!!!

When I finally found Lake Como (after a train, then a bus, then a ferry and then a very confusing walk) I was surprised that it was so empty. It was raining (I think the rain is following me around Europe) and there was no one about so I was able to do my exploring easily. Lake Como is a very small place with not too many things to ...

Ciao Bello,

We have finally hit a day of rain...so we thought we should stop off at the nearest internet site to say hello. We have visited a few of our neighboring communities in the last few days. Varenna, which claims to be the diamond of the lake, while Bellagio is only the pearl of the lake. No George Clooney sightings. Varenna is a cute and quiet town with steep hillsides and walkways. Bellagio is also ...

... the world as an explorer and mountain climber. Through his travels he had collected art from Africa, Asia, South America and other parts of Europe. The Villa was a museum dedicated to his travels and collections. Very interesting!
Tonight is our last in Lake Como. We had originally planned to stay the last night in ...

... be a 4 or 5 hr trip home. We would be falling asleep, but they were undaunted. We had a wonderful time with them speaking Italian etc. They seem very happy together and it is very good to see that. We bid them adieu with the hopes of seeing them next year.

Tomorrow we will spend our last full day in Italy, perhaps going to see the most famous villa on the lake at Balboniello (forgive me if I spelled it wrong).

Love

A and L

... br>
Sue

We transferred from the bus to a boat to do the tour of the Lake. They pointed out the particular houses of royalty and film stars - and how many millions their houses were worth. The views were spectacular, the houses really like castles, and they would have no trouble having privacy, that's for sure! Another wonderfully pleasant surprise! Some have their own cable-cars to get down to the water's edge. (Funicular)

... overload.

We toured Villa Melzi and its beautiful English-style giardini (gardens) with groves of azaleas, gigantic rhododendrons and perfectly manicured hedges all which sit on the lake's banks. We enjoyed a panini on the waterfront, lemoncello on la terraza, and just took it all in... this is a place one must experience ...

... churches, castles, bridges, and historic buildings.

San Salvatore is one of the mountains on Lake Lugano. You can ride to the top in a funnicular, or hike up the steep path. We went the lazy route and saved our energy for walking around on top. From the funnicular station you can walk up a bit further to a small chapel sitting on the peak of the mountain. The chapel has a rooftop terrace with a stunning 360 degree panorama view.
Lugano, Swiss Alps, Switzerland travelingdiva

We stayed overnight in Locarno and also had dinner here. After eating it was dark, but we checked out the castle ruins and the main plaza. In the evening and again in the morning we spent a bit of time at the lake but it was too chilly to stay there for long.

... Ferrari factory tour was incredible enough. But, remarkably, it had just got even better. The Brazilian Grand Prix, the last Formula One race of the season, was about to start. And we were in the spiritual heartland of the prancing horse to watch Michael Schumacher race for Ferrari for the very last time before retiring – with a chance at winning an eighth World Driver’s Championship and earning Ferrari the year’s Constructor’s Championship. Hoges and I ...