Penguin and the Dolce Vida

Does Dolce Vida work for all of Italy or just one part? Have to admit, I do not know the answer to that.

Anyway, last month Penguin and I took a two and a half week rail trip through north-central Italy. We started in Lake Como and finished up in Assisi. It was a great time with some spectacular scenery.

The first stop was in Lake Como, noted for being the favorite holiday spot of the glitterati. It is so much more than a playground for the rich. The main city, Como, is lovely with some nice cafes and a stunning cathedral. This is where you will probably want to be based as it offers the best connections and services. It is worth spending a half a day.

There are myriad small towns around the lake, each with it’s own character. An excellent, albeit slow, ferry system connects the towns as does a decent bus system. I visited Bellagio, Varenna and Nesso. I stopped at a couple of others, but not for much longer than a ferry change. Bellagio is the most famous of the lake towns and was my least favorite. It is really a tourist trap and very crowded. It reminded me of those towns on an Alaskan Cruise where crappy shops hit you in the face as soon as you disembark. I would suggest skipping Bellagio. The nearby town of Menagio, just across the water, is rumored to be better, although ferry times didn’t allow me to visit.

The ferry ride itself is wonderful and scenic. The lake reminds you of fjords and the views of all the different towns never cease to impress. The towns Varenna and Nesso are both wonderful. Varenna has an amazing old villa (Villa Monastero) with beautiful gardens and stunning views of the lake. There are also old villas around town you can visit and the town waterfront is a great place to enjoy lunch and the views. Varenna easily warrants a full day. It is also one of the few towns where walking around is a relatively flat endeavor.

Nesso is a bit of a different experience. It is VERTICAL. You arrive lakeside where you can see a lovely bridge and a pretty little waterfall. If you want to see the town, you must climb. So, I climbed. At the top, you are rewarded with a lovely cafe and a stunning view. Up top, I walked along the road to see more of the area and then hopped a bus back to Como. Walking back DOWN the thing I had climbed up was not something my knees were up for.

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After getting back into town, I walked along the lake back to my hotel. There was speedboat race going on and this funny duck that kept trying to scratch himself. It occurs to me now that he may not have been well. I do hope he is, and that he finally got that itch.

Lake Como and her lovely towns warrant so much more than a few days. I would love to spend more time exploring farther up the lake. Another place to add to the list of return destinations. That list may be getting longer than the original bucket list.

After Como, I headed to Verona. I chose this town not because I had an overwhelming desire to see Verona but because it was conveniently located as a place to break up a train journey between Como and Cinque Terra.

Despite not being high on anyone’s list, Verona is lovely and I would recommend a visit. The city feels like a smaller version of Florence and Venice combined, and clearly has influences from both. There are several amazing churches to visit and the walk around town is nice. It also lacks the throngs of tourists that make so many other Italian locations unpleasant these days. I did NOT visit Juliet’s house as this is something just constructed for tourists.

Cinque Terra was the next stop and I have to tell you, I was underwhelmed. The towns are lovely, but there are SO MANY PEOPLE, and this was in October. I cannot even imagine what it must be like in high season. Also, the towns really all blend together. I was there for 4 days and it was a bit too much. I was able to visit Portofino as well, so that was a plus. I would say you could see absolutely EVERYTHING here in 3 days, including Portofino. You really don’t need that much time in each town.

Cinque Terra is actually a national park, although many people live and work there. It is famous for the beauty of the five towns (Cinque meaning five) and steepness of the hills on which the people have farmed for generations. Today, most of the commercial agriculture is viticulture and the local wines are lovely. The fourth picture in the slideshow below shows a vineyard on the impossibly steep hill. It might be worth it to return one day just to watch the harvest!!!

I stayed in La Spezia on the southern end of “the park” thinking it would make it easier to get around and offer better services than the smaller towns. I was right. I would recommend staying either in La Spezia in the south or Levanto in the north and then take the train and/or ferry to the different towns. If you only have one day, take the ferry . You will get much better views from the water. The train runs very frequently and it is very easy to get on and off. Get your tickets at any station. You can buy a day pass. The ferry sells single ticket or hop-on/off tickets. They are sold at the dock in each town. If you want to do the hike from between the towns (route closed due to a landslide at time of writing) you will need a permit which is available at any tourist office in any of the towns.

As I said, the views of the towns are best from the water and they ARE stunning. I can’t decide which one was my favorite. On my first day I got to Monterosso al Mare before sunrise which was wonderful. I really liked Riomaggiore.

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Since I had time, I also visited Portofino and I think I liked it better than any of the Cinque Terra towns. It is definitely a place geared for the wealthy, but in mid-October on an overcast day, it was lovely and calm. I enjoyed the walk through town and up to the church on the top of the hill. Penguin enjoyed seeing all the boats and being close to water.

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After the coast, I headed to what was my favorite stop on this trip: ASSISI (as in St Francis of…). It is twinned with my hometown of San Francisco and is even more of a challenge to walk up and down. Assisi is best known as a pilgrimage destination and definitely has a spiritual character. However, even non-religious and/or non-Catholics will appreciate the beauty of this old town on a hill. And, if the spirit moves you, there are plenty of places for quiet reflection and to ponder what St Francis means in 21st century life.

One of my best ideas on this stop was to get up before sunrise and enjoy the little city as it started to wake up. It also made for some of the best pictures. I love to walk around cities before dawn. It is gives you a different experience and you have the place almost to yourself!

The basilica itself is truly amazing, one of the most incredible churches I have EVER seen (and I have seen a LOT). Photos of the inside are not permitted, but I did manage to sneak a couple from the doorways. I understand why they are not permitted. During the pilgrimage period, with all the crowds, it would be a selfie stick nightmare. I am so happy I got to be there in the off season.

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The last stop in Italy was just a stopover: the mountain town of Domodossola. The town itself is nothing to get excited about. However, not far away is something worth seeing if you are in the area. In the town of Re there is an enormous church called the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Blood. (If you follow me on Instagram, you will remember I posted a picture of this church and said to check the blog for the story.) This is an enourmous structure in a very small town and there seems to be no reason why the church should be there. Well, it exists because of a miracle. In 1494 some boys throwing rocks at the local church when one hit a fresco of the Virgin Mary, called Nursing Madonna. The following morning, the Madonna in the fresco started to bleed and continued bleeding for 20 days. The church became a pilgrimage sight and was expanded and rebuilt several times. The church one sees today was completed in the mid 20th century. Local signage at the Sanctuary says the bleeding fresco is removed from the altar of the church every year on the anniversary of the miracle, so the faithful can experience it.

TRIP TIPS

1. In Como, try to arrive at the Como Lago train station and NOT the bigger San Giovani Station. Como Lago station is right in the center of where you want to be vs San Giovani, which is at the top of a steep hill accessible by stairs only (or car from the other side). See below map with arrow. There are direct trains to/from Como Lago and Milan.

2. The ferry company for Lake Como is the Navigazione Laghi. It operates year-round, but times differ by season. You will want to check the schedule in advance. You can find the information here: https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/risultati?lake=Como . However, times can change without notice, so only use the information as a guide. I do not recommend purchasing tickets in advance as the website is not very user friendly and information not very current. Just go REALLY EARLY (like 07:30) on the day you want to travel.

Review the map online of the route and plan where you want to go in advance. Have a backup in mind when you go to the ticket office. Your first ferry choice may be full.

As mentioned above, the ferries are SLOW. There is a fast boat which costs more. If you want to spend more time exploring the towns, the fast boat is your best option. When I visited October, 2022, you could ONLY purchase tickets on the fast boat the day-of and in person.

The buses run longer hours than the ferry. A good option is to take the ferry to the town you want to explore and then take the bus back. Bus stops are clearly marked in towns. Ask a local for help. Everyone here is very friendly and most speak at least a bit of English.

3. In Cinque Terra, you can travel by train or ferry. The train is the fastest and better for getting on and off to explore the towns. The ferry gives you the best views. If you only have one day (and you are staying in La Spezia), take the ferry and get off at one of the towns for lunch, explore a bit, and then return on by ferry. If you have two days, do both.

To purchase your tickets for the train go to: https://www.trenitalia.com/en/services/travel-around-5-terre.html . To purchase your ferry tickets online you can go to https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/boat-excursions ; however, it is easy to get them on the day.

If you are arriving in La Spezia on a cruise, book the earliest ferry (+/- 9am) in advance if possible. The cruise terminal is about 1/2 mile from the ferry stop over very easy FLAT pavement. This could save you some euro vs booking an excursion from the cruise line.

If you want to hike between the towns, check first if they are open by going to: https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/footpaths-cinqueterre . This site also has information about train and hiking fees, so it is probably a good source of information for planning. At time of writing, the cost for hiking was 7.50 euro/day, but only one path was open.

4. In Assisi, try to stay in the actual old town up on the hill. There is a good bus from the train station which runs every 30 minutes. Buy your ticket from tabak shop inside the station. The town with the train station is not very interesting and is a bit far from the sights. If you have a car, you can stay in the valley between the new city and the old, but I would not recommend it without a car. There are no amenities there so getting food or morning coffee.

The below map shows the bus route from the train station up to the hill and old city. Look for hotels near where the red stars are. The star on the left is the first stop just outside the city walls. There are a couple of hotels close to this stop but EVERYTHING from there is uphill. The star in the middle/top is the very last stop and is at the top of the hill. Everything from there is downhill. Keep in mind that all the streets are cobblestone. Only local cars are permitted inside the city walls. No rental cars. Also, it is unclear if taxis are allowed. I got mixed answers. The other stops along the blue line are just along the city wall and not ideal locations for a hotel.