Milano

Milano

After finishing our two day melting tour of Rome and Florence, Dave and I got back on the road, or tracks, again to meet Andrea at his house in Senago.  He picked us up from the train station and took us straight home to relax and have a nice home-cooked meal. We thought this was a special treat for us on our first day, but we were pleasantly surprised that Mabel had planned amazing Italian dishes for us each night that we were in Milan.
She is an amazing cook.  We had some sort of pasta and fish every night accompanied by a large selection of Italian cheeses, desserts, and of course, gelato. I don't think I felt hungry once while in Milan. 

Andrea and Mabel had to work the first day we were there and they left us their car. What made them trust us driving in Italy, I can't say, but we did manage to do alright. Dave drove us to Lake Como for the day. The weather was a bit cooler than expected, but it was nice having some fresh air. Surrounding the beautiful Lake Como are the foothills of the Alps. Lining the lake are beautiful villas that have either been converted into museums or inhabited by some of the rich and famous, George Clooney for example. It was nice to have some freedom driving in the country on our own and we got to check out all of these small towns surrounding the lake with no sense of urgency or time constraints.

That night, Andrea, Mabel, and their wild friend, Jackamo, took us out on the town. We originally had reservations to view the Last Supper, but somehow that fell through and instead we went for aperitivos (cocktails) and tapas-like food on the Novigli(?) canal that was constructed by Leonardo Da Vinci. This place was super nice. With shops, restaurants, and bars lining the canal, we ate and drank while surrounded by fashion-forward Milanese and a young local crowd. We walked all around the town that night, checking out the duomo and the columns in the town's center.  We ran into some interesting people that night, including a group of three guys who were wheeling themselves around in a shopping cart, using squirt guns filled with vodka to quench their thirst. They weren't very good shots, and I think that one of the guys might end up blind.

We were really spoiled during the rest of our trip through Milan. Andrea and Mabel had full day's itineraries of places to go and things to see and we were transported around with them in their car. One of the highlights was going up through some of the towns around Lake Como and having a lunch that was local to the people of Colico. It was raining and everything was really fresh and green up there in the mountains. All the food that was prepared at this restaurant was grown right outside in their garden. 

We also got the chance to go to Verona for the day and stroll around looking at the beautiful small town decked with high-end clothing stores and gelaterias. Andrea and Mabel also took us to Lake Garda, a German summer time retreat, that was warm, sunny, and beautiful. I unfortunately didn't bring a bathing suit and had a hard time watching Dave swim in the perfect fresh water. 

After having a wonderful time in Milan, Dave and I are really looking forward to spending one on one time again and being able to relax in the Cinque Terre.