Italy, Switzerland, Italy Once More
After Rome, we headed north into Umbria, often called the "green heart" of Italy. We’d been absolute gluttons with the food and booze lately, so it was time for a little restraint, some green salads, lemon water and vigorous hiking!
Tourists generally head to Lazio or Tuscany rather than pass through this way, so it definitely had an “off the beaten path” feel about it. We stopped in Montefalco for no other reason that as a general rule, we don’t drive more than 3-4 hours in one stretch (and there's a wine region there, of course!) Turns out there aren't too many good choices on the accommodation front, but one great one was “Castello di Petroia”, a medieval castle which is now a rural guest house, or “agriturismo.” Dating back to the 11th Century, our home for a couple of days was the birth place of arguably one of the most famous Renaissance men of all - the Duke of Italy, Federico da Montefeltro. You may recognise him from the famous painting which now hangs in the Uffizi gallery in Florence (you’d recognise that nose anywhere, I’d wager!)
Remember this guy on the right? He was born in our guesthouse!
We took full advantage of the 13kms of walking paths around the castle thanks to Mr T’s outstanding directional abilities, we slept well, we restocked and most importantly of all, we did washing. Nothing glamourous about sitting in a lavanderia in a wee village trying to get your smalls washed, but there you have it. Life goes on! And the WonderDog even made a little friend so it wasn’t totally a bust.
During our time in Montefalco, we did venture out to the town of Assisi, home of probably one of the most famous saints of all time, Francis of Assisi. As you’ll already know I’m not at all religious, but anything that encourages people to be kinder to animals is alright by me - Francis being the Patron Saint of Animals and all that. The combination of Assisi being a very popular tourist destination and it being all about religion meant I wasn’t that excited to go. But not for the first time, I was completely wrong. It is a beautiful, utterly charming place and I left wishing we had spent a couple of days there. I even changed the habit of a lifetime and proactively went into the main church to light a candle for the animals (on behalf of Shadow who wasn’t allowed in), but no dice. Not a candle in sight. Catholic Church, if you’re reading this, you’re missing a good revenue generator there. If you sold candles to all the animal lovers, I’m sure they would make a fortune for a good cause.
I’d love to tell you a bit more about Montefalco, but I can’t as the pair of us were blind with rage when we visited. You see, a few weeks ago we sent some of our stuff back to the UK in a box via courier. Somehow, TNT lost the box, gone, poof, into thin air. Made it all the way from Italy to the UK and dropped off the radar in Dartford, less than 40 miles from where it was supposed to be delivered. In that package was some of my most favourite winter clothes, expensive coats, a laptop and a camera. So I’m sorry Montefalco, I’m sure you are delightful but the pair of us were about as angry as two people can get without a fist fight occurring!
After Umbria, we decided to hop over to Lugano, Switzerland to spend some time with good friends Aaron and Kat. Our next destination would be Lake Como which is a very short drive away from Lugano, so it was a great opportunity to catch up with friends and enjoy a home cooked meal even if it meant going to Italy, then Switzerland, back to Italy, only to go back to Switzerland later. Confused? Us too! But we'll go to any length to hang out with friends, it’s amazing the difference it makes staying in any home versus a friends home. It was definitely the recharge we needed. Even the WonderDog got a new friend, the ever so handsome Bear, part cattle dog, part Aussie Shepherd and 100% absolute sweetheart. We hiked, we relaxed, we played Dobble and Uno, we drank tremendous wine and the WonderDog swam in the lake a million times.
We also absolutely stuffed our faces with burgers and tacos. If you find yourself in Switzerland and you’re over the typical German/French/Italian fare, get yourself to La Fermata for dinner and you will not regret it. Never, in all your life, have you seen a happier man than Mr T at La Fermata. Think Steve Ballmer’s manic excitement mixed with Augustus Gloop’s enthusiasm for consumption, and then dial it up a notch. Maybe add in a single tear of ecstatic joy and you’re almost there. It was so good we went back the very next day for lunch. Fresh herbs, habanero jam, tortillas…ecstasy all round!
Then it was time to head to the mighty Lake Como, arguably the most stunning of the three lakes in the region. Everyone knows about Lake Como thanks to the marvelous George Clooney, but it was famous in certain circles long before he even thought about buying a villa. Napoleon, Churchill, Kennedy, Verdi, Pucci, da Vinci, Wordsworth and Shelley, Branson…even Tom Cruise for heavens sake (don’t let that put you off) have all called Como home for a little while.
The appeal is immediately apparent as soon as Lake Como comes into view. It’s the kind of drop dead gorgeous place that renders you speechless for a minute. I think the only word we said for five minutes was “wow.” The lake was blue and glassy, the hills were green and dotted with pretty villas, and the little villages we drove by were delightful.
Then we got to our Airbnb and were speechless once more. We’ve had a few stellar houses on this trip but this place was epic. We would be staying a good 25 minutes up the mountain from the lake so I wasn’t sure it would be that good but turns out it was better than anyone expected. Beautifully decorated, so comfortable with lovely gardens and a cracking view - I could have stayed for months!
Our special guest stars for this leg of the trip were Nicole and Matt direct from London, with Aaron nipping over from Lugano just for the weekend. All three of them like to cook and there’s nothing I like better than travelling with friends who cook. Although we did have some lovely lunches in towns around the lake, we ate dinner at home every night and it was an absolute delight. Two types of curry (Malaysian and Indian), a competitive steak-off, pasta, tacos, cherry Eton Mess and lemon tart, herb pork chops - the list goes on (as do the pounds, mind you!)
Foodie friends unite...and my pants get tight! (see what I did there?!)
On day two we hiked the Greenway del Lago di Como, a paved trail that starts in Colonna and winds it’s way along the lake through a number of villages before ending in Griante 11kms later. It’s described as a “leisurely and pleasant walk” but I have to say in the blazing heat, those uphill sections are no joke! We stopped for lunch in the beautiful town of Lenno which I would highly recommend, as would the WonderDog who had a lovely swim in the lake.
There are lots of very interesting things to see on the walk but perhaps the most unexpected sight is walking past the exact spot where Mussolini was shot along with his mistress Claretta Petacci in April 1945. You definitely don’t see that every day. Judging by the shrine that’s there, I’m thinking someone might still have a soft spot for Mussolini but I can’t say for certain.
The next day we did what everyone should do when they visit Lake Como - rent a boat and head out on the water. I know what you’re thinking, I hate boats, and that’s true but I figured it was a lake, how bad could it be? Well, after the first 20 minutes I totally cracked the shits and wanted to get off. I was hating every moment and was rigid with fear. Apparently it can get quite choppy on Lake Como, who knew? But once I’d registered my complaint somewhat forcefully (apologies to all on board!), we moved into more placid waters, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The sun came out, the water was calm and I was the first one stripping off for a swim. The WonderDog, who had been desperate to get in for a swim, took some convincing to take the first leap but once she did, she was throwing herself off the back of the boat like a good ‘un!
We cruised around drinking bubbly and enjoying the scenery, stopping for a quick bite in the lovely village of Varenna which you really must visit if you go to Como. You’ll love it, less glitz and glamour and more down to earth. And friendly, which is just as well because we had no idea how to moor our boat and a lovely young man on the quayside took pity on us and helped out. Thank you sir! Even though we were only there for a hot minute, Mr T managed to sniff out a wine shop and restock us for the afternoon. He’s a keeper that one!
On our last day we decided a hike was in order (all that stuffing our faces you see) so we hiked from our villa up to Refugio Prabello which is quite the popular spot on the weekend. If you’re not familiar with Refugios, they are mountain huts that provide hikers or mountain bikers with a good hearty meal, a bottle of wine and if needed a place to sleep. We settled for a couple bottles of water because the whole point of the hike was to work off the food and booze, but it was touch and go for a moment there!
And just like that it was time to leave our perfect villa in the mountains above Lake Como and head off to Switzerland, bidding farewell to our last visitors of this trip. It’s just Mr T, the WonderDog and I for the rest of our time on the road. I would like to tell you that my liver heaved a sigh of relief but it knows that we have the mighty wine regions of Jura, Burgundy, Sancerre, Chablis and Champagne coming up. Gotta finish strong, I don't want to disappoint you all. Onwards to glory!
