Lombardy
I had booked for two nights at the Hotel Dell Nazione through the Venere Hotel Booking Service. When I finally arrived at the reception desk of the Dell Nazione hotel I was informed that there was a problem with the heating at the hotel, they couldn't accommodate me but had booked me into another nearby 3 star hotel. They asked a waitress to show me the way to the Flora Hotel, it was close by but not that easy to find, so I was extremely grateful for the escort. I couldn't face getting lost again.
 Piazza Duomo and the entrance to the Galleria |
I certainly enjoyed my cup of tea when I finally flopped in my room. I decided that I could do with some exercise after all the sitting around, so armed with a better map I set off for the city centre. Central Station is not really in the centre but just to the north. My first stop was at Milan Castle. I was a bit late to visit the museum that day. I walked along the Via Dante heading towards the Piazza Duomo (Cathedral Square). I was amazed by the sheer number of women in expensive looking fur coats. The shops looked fantastic, very imaginatively laid out and designed. Piazza Duomo was beautifully floodlit. The shopping arcade Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 11 was almost like a shrine to consumerism, a marbled moisac floor, paintings on the massive domed ceiling.
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The next morning I went up to the roof terraces of the Duomo. It did rather surprise me that, especially for the commercial centre of Italy, there were hardly any skyscrapers. Funnily enough later that day I picked up a English tourist newspaper and the lead story covered this very topic. The article reckoned that as Milan is situated on flat open plains that it was always easier just to sprawl outwards. Mussolini even personally insisted that Milan city council passed a law forbidding any construction higher that the statue of the Madonna on the cathedral. Although this law was relaxed, skyscrapers did not mushroom and when the Pirelli tower was built in 1960, an 85cm replica of the Duomo Madonna was respectfully added to the roof. There is currently controversy in the city as the present Trade Fair site is to replaced and architect have been invited to submit plans for redevelopment of the area. Some citizens are fearful that the plans may include a new skyscraper!
In the afternoon I visited the Archaeological Museum and the castle
museum. I was impressed by the painted ceiling in the castle
museum. I attempted to take photos but they didn't do justice
to the beauty. There was a large section containing musical
instruments. I was in awe of the claviers, which were like
pictorial works of art.
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By this time I was pretty tired so I walked to the nearest Metro station to buy a 24 hours metro ticket, as I had planned to visit a factory shop in the suburbs that evening but thought I'd return to the hotel for a cup of tea first. After passing through the ticket barrier I realised that my handbag was unclipped and my purse was gone. Now I know that cities are rife with thieves and pick pockets and I thought I was being vigilant but I wasn't even aware of anybody near me. At least my passport was at the hotel but all my money and cards were in the wallet. If you are travelling, especially alone, always leave a least a few pounds/euros in the hotel safe, your room, even in your bra. Don't end up like me- utterly penniless.
Visa did send me emergency funds but I didn't get the cash until after 11am on the Saturday and my purse had been stolen at around 4pm on the Friday. Luckily the hotel receptionist lent me 10 euros!
Was I glad to leave Milan and take the train to the relative serenity of Como. The view from my room at the Metropole Suisse Hotel, of the Piazza Cavour, the hillside and the lake shore was great. My room was very tastefully decorated with antique furniture and still had the original windows and shutters. The hotel has been run by the same family, the Cassanis, for 4 generations. At present it is run by 2 cousins. The exterior of the building was designed by the Italian architect, Terrangi.
 Hotel Metropole Suisse |
 The hall of the Albergo Terminus |
I also visited one of the Charming Hotels group in Como, the 4 star Albergo Terminus. It was absolutely beautiful. My favourite room was the junior site which has French windows out to a large roof terrace overloooking the Lake. The tower room was rather quirky, with a spiral staircase up to the bedroom.
I was really hungry by this time as I just wanted to get to Como and not stop in Milan for lunch. The Cafe Gelateria Ghisolfi had a selection of pasta dishes, I ordered ravioli but it was tortellini in a delicious creamy nutty sauce. It was a real struggle to resist the vast array of ice creams. After a pleasant stroll around the lake I felt almost back to normal. Como had a relaxing laid back but well cared for ambience. I was keen to take the funicular up the hill to see the views down to the lake but it was quite cloudy and beginning to get dark so I decided to leave that for another day.
 View from my bedroom |
 Sunrise in Como |
Sunday dawned bright, I even managed a photo of the sunrise. I took the ferry to Bellagio, which sits at the top of the bottom fork of Lake Como. I won't drone on with superlatives about how beautiful it was, I'll let the photos do the talking. I am not a very good sailor, the journey there had been by hydrofoil which was really smooth but the return was on a standard boat and it made me feel quite sick especially when it crossed from one side of the lake to the other. The town of Como was absolutely packed when I returned. I assume day trippers from Milan were making the most of a sunny Sunday in January. I could hardly move through the throngs on the lakeside pavements. The cafe tables on Piazza Cavour were full.
That evening I happened to see part of travel show on Italian TV and the presenter was in Scotland, visiting Pitlochry in Perthshire. It was quite strange. It just goes to show that everybody is looking for somewhere a bit different from home to visit.
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t was almost dark when I arrived back at Como, so I decided that I would get up early the next morning and go up on the funicular to admire the sunrise. Unfortunately it was cloudy again so the views were not as clear as I'd hoped. Snow was forecast for the day and it was minus two degrees centigrade, so it was pretty bracing. I caertainly enjoyed my breakfast when I returned to the hotel and had my last gazes out over the lake before departing. The snow did start just as the train pulled out of Como on my way for my final night in Bergamo.
The Cappello
D'Oro Hotel was in the main boulevard just up from the
station. Although it is an old building it was been recently
refurbished, the lobby area is very modern, but they have retained
a marble fireplace in the restaurant. One of the head
waiters duties was to keep the large fire stocked up with
logs.
The snow had stopped then so I thought I'd better get up the old
town in Bergamo in the daylight. Bergamo was much bigger than
I'd anticipated, the new town was still quite old with grand
building and piazzas. The name Bergamo originates from the
Celtic 'berghem' which means 'Town of the Mountain'. The
Piazza Veccia was completed in the 15th century. The 5144
metre city walls were build by the Venetians in the 16th
century.
 The Piazza Veccia |
 The City Walls |
There are several ski resort in Bergamo province. In the Brembana Valley are the resorts Foppolo and San Simone. In the Seriana Valley are Monte Pora and Colere. There are lesser known lakes in the region, like Lake Iseo, which has the largest inland lake island in Europe. There are many cycling and hiking routes in the vicinity of the lake. You can read more about it in my guide to Lake Iseo.
The snow started falling quite heavily that evening and I was beginning to wonder if my flight might be delayed the next day. Most of the departures from the airport were delayed but not the Glasgow flight, in fact we arrived back half and hour early.