A moment of silence...then lunch!

It was just 2 years ago, with Steve and Elva, when the unthinkable occurred. On a beautifully orchestrated driving move on my part, wheeling a 180 through a busy parking lot into a busy street, the hatch door opened inexplicably in the back of the rental, and 6 bottles flew out the back, 4 busted and 2 were miraculously saved. Here's the memorial photo with Steve, then a current moment of silence being offered by Peggy.

We continued on, somehow, to lunch, and enjoyed the usual...prosciutto with melon, and a wonderful porcini, onion and prosciutto pizza. These guys know how to bring it!

The walk home after lunch afforded a view of the small church on the hill behind our b and b. We usually hike to it, but this year we may not choose to pick this, so a photo was the minimum we had to do.

We then grabbed Jon and Ann for a quick gelato run. I may have found, though I'm not sure this actually worked as well as it looked it might, a way to have Peggy take a short pause in conversation.

Sunday morning glory!

God had a great way of inviting us to the local, English speaking church this morning..with glorious beams of light visible across the lake from our patio breakfast. Bellagio through the shrubbery was not too shabby either! Our last morning with Mike and Heidi, as we all agree Lake Como is one of the great vacation spots of the world.  They are a wonderful couple with whom we look forward to future vacations!

Sagra di San Giovanni

There will be 3 sets of photos from last night's fireworks extravaganza...a pre party group, the actual event and a post party shot. Once a year this small, and only, island in Lake Como celebrates their destruction and return from an 1100A.D. battle with the Milanese. They credit their ultimate survival and victory to St. John (San Giovanni)...we somehow came upon the power seats in a tennis court with full view of the island. Turns out, the producer, Maurizio, sat right in front of us during the show, and everyone afterwards applauded him with Bravo, Bravo Maurizio!
Here are some pre event location shots of our seats...we arrived at 7 for a 10:45 pm start time. Cutthroat Uno helped pass the time.

The show itself was beyond expectation..as the Italians are well known for their pyrotechnic expertise. What blew our minds was the quality of the sound system, which blasted music and voice with perfect clarity across the island all the way up the mountain....amazing! I'm not showing many of the explosion pictures, just 2 that give you an idea of the story/beauty, reflecting the explosions and subsequent burning of the entire island.

Bravo Maurizio!

Returning at 12:45, the after party awaited.

Menus..English and Italian

For posterity, looking at how they translate the Italian menu into English is very humorous..and every dish comes out more creative, delicious and elegant than described on either...

Saturday lunch..one word...CONFIT!

Knowing the fireworks required early travel to our assigned seats, we needed to enjoy the dinner menu for lunch, and Ty was pleased to accommodate us...the Land Menu started with smoked and roasted pork tenderloin appetizer, then ravioli with peppers and nuts, then the king of courses...CONFIT D'OIE, (not duck but goose), finishing with cherries rolled with forest strawberries and ricotta...

Do you think the meal was enjoyed by the ladies?

Stormy Saturday...

The morning of the major fireworks festival, after having prepaid for non refundable amazing seats, for the 10:30 pm event, it appears a major weather event has decided to settle in Lake Como. We now get to wait out the storm that will hopefully break before the event planners decide to postpone the show one week. That would be sad for us, especially Ann..she was so excited to hear we had arranged seats to this sold out extravaganza...
What do you do in the morning when you can't have breakfast on the outdoor patio? You move indoors to their lovely dining room of course!

The Fish Menu!

Each night, our beloved Ty fixes a specific set 4 course menu based on daily themes. You can eat all 4 courses, or select any combination. Paola makes sure guests receive 25% discount from her husband's food charges..it works great for us. For example, tonight, Peggy got all 4 courses. While I dipped in for the appetizer and main only. The appetizer was a local pike and perch sushi tartare. It was special! Then Peggy had the risotto and local fish marinade. We both had the main course., whole lake trout, marinated for 6 hours in rosemary, lemon and olive oil. For dessert Peggy had the cherry and chocolate covered raspberry tart. Ty also provides appetizers with a sparkling beverage, and dessert comes with a liquid portion as well. The first photo is Peggy preparing herself by relaxing on the balcony with sudoku, then you'll see only 2 food photos...I think I kept the fish eyeball visible for you..not my favorite food visual, but hey, when in Como...

10.7 K Greenway Walk...alongside the lake

Jon, Peggy and I walked the length of the Lakeside path..which at times climbed the sides of mountains. Ann and Heidi were learning from master chef Moreno in Varenna, and Mike worked remotely. Based in London, it's hard to predict the full implications of yesterday's vote by the English to divest fron the European union. We saw great sites, and even nailed seats on a tennis court for Saturday night's fireworks extravaganza! We'll see how well those work out. A great refreshing prosciutto and melon lunch followed by gelato, and the afternoon was complete...here's a few photos from the hike, and a tired selfie just after.

Vegetarian...and exceptional!

Ty, (Tiziano), a phenomenal chef, knows how to bring it...with or without meat!
Sparkling starters, Rosso for meals and late harvest for dessert..wow, a great vegetarian meal. Oops, that was the liquid portion. Tomato sorbet, pesto pasta, vegetable strudel egg rolls with beet sprouts, finished with peaches and mascarpone..amazing!
We also met a great couple from Toronto..bicyclists with .000001% body fat! But they were a kick and had great ideas of things to do, we really hope they come and visit us in Granite Bay!

And keeping an eye on the fishermen., most important!

Finally, the conversation slowed and we enjoyed a wonderful finishing beverage...

Rifugio Venini...we have returned!

While it does take an hour and a half to drive for the "peak" experience, the resulting hike is always a crowd favorite. At over 5000 ft., and with 360 degree views of Lake Como, Lake Lugano and the distant alps, this relatively mellow 4.6 mile stroll is a singular adventure. The slices of meats, cheeses, bread and Vino Rosso keeps the end of the hike from being anticlimactic. Here are some highly requested scenery photos, with only 1 food pic thrown in for obvious reasons;)