We woke up this morning to crystal clear skies, snow-covered streets, and temps hovering around four degrees F.  After breakfast at the Hotel Hauser, we headed back toward Italy.  The drive back to Varenna was beautiful and took up about two hours.

Arriving at the ferry dock in Varenna we waited thirty minutes for the car ferry.  The “cruise” across the lake afforded us with wide sweeping vistas of the surrounding mountains.  Charlotte and I have fallen in love with this area!

Arriving at the ferry dock in Bellagio we were met by a kind gentleman who pointed us in the direction of our hotel.  So up the hill we went.  Having learned my lesson about driving on small streets in small towns (see “Too Much Room for the Road”) I parked before we entered the town gates and we walked in to explore.  Bellagio reminds me of many hill towns of Tuscany… narrow cobbled streets lined with shops, steep alleyways, and a quaint ambiance.  It was a bit weird visiting here in the “off-season” because many of the shops were closed and the town was deserted except for a few hearty tourists like us and the locals.  

We found a nice room at the Hotel Bellagio and I went back to collect our luggage from the car and to find a suitable place to park.  Our hotel room had a huge window with sweeping views of the lake and mountains beyond.  We were able to lower the window to waist level which transformed our entire room into a balcony over looking the town and lake.  A little prosecco and fruit just seemed to enhance the vista.

I don’t know what Bellagio is like in the summer, I hear it is a popular place and often crowded, but the town is delightful for Charlotte and me right now.  Bellagio is definitely a relaxing destination with no museums or tourist attractions in sight.  It’s worth a visit and is definitely Bellisimo!

Ciao, David