Verbano Stresa

... 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!!!

... but it was nice to be able to relax and have a quiet walk around the villages. I needed to take a lot of ferries as this is the quickest way to get between each town as they are all placed at different points around the lake. A very nice place that I would love to visit again in the Summertime.

Next stop is Venice, Italy!

So Borgomanero isn't actually where I was, but the actual place I was is so small I couldn't find it on the map. Borgomanero's close enough. Besides, I don't want to give away this adorable little town because then you'll all go, and then you'll all tell your friends and family, and it'll pull a Woodland Park-next thing you know it'll have a Wal-Mart and then its "cute little town" bragging rights will go down the drain (not that I'm bitter that happened to WP or ...

John

From Venice we drove across Italy to Lake Como which is close to the Swiss border. On the way we stopped at the town of Verona which was developed by the Romans and has its own smaller version of the Colosseum which is still used for opera and musical events. However Verona is most famous for being the hometown of Romeo and Juliet whose love is thwarted by a fued between their respective families the Capulets and the ...

... featuring some very pretty gardens and fountains. We enjoyed some gelato as we walked along the lakeside gardens. After an hour break here, we took the short drive to Como. Como is also another beautiful lakeside town. We shared dinner and enjoyed a nice conversation with Stan and Johanna from Colorado. We are now in Italy and we are looking forward to the next seven days in this country.

Took the train from Milan to Lake Como - short 1.5 hour trip. The lake is beautiful and there was a speed boat race going on when we arrived. We took the funicular (tram) which has a charming little town at the top and a great view of the lake. We stayed on the south side of the lake (where George lives) and then took a boat north to Bellagio. Quaint town with steep streets filled with great shops. Can understand why George bought a house there!

... and even had "grottos" in the lower level. All the walls, ceiling and floor in the grottos were covered in pebbles, all in different patterns. Bit weird. I imagine they had some pretty interesting parties down there!

We took a cable car trip up to Mount Mottarone. Spectacular view of the mountains ...

... 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

... not that the signs with 50km/h crossed out makes that perfectly clear – and the police speed trap at the top of the Oberalppass, along the sole stretch of straight road we’d travelled, had caught me going at 105km/h.

I was handed an on-the-spot fine of 240 Swiss Francs payable immediately by credit card, which, given the efficient and no-nonsense demeanour of the Graubünden Kantonspolizei, I really wasn’t in a position to argue with. I went into the ...

The next morning we caught a train up to Lago Maggiore to a little town called Stresa. We wanted to spend a little bit of time up on the lake, and from this location we could also take a boat or train up to the Swiss side if we wanted. In contrast Stresa, was much smaller than Milan. In fact, small enough that we could explore the whole town in just under two hours. But this suited my parents better. I think Milan was a little too hectic ...