Lake Como Italy

After spending 2 days and 2 nights in Venice, Italy, we traveled west by train through Milan to Lake Como. The largest and deepest lake in Italy, it sits at the base of the Swiss Alps surrounded by small towns and villages. From Venice with 500,000 residents to Varenna with 900 residents, this 4 day stay was the relaxing part of the vacation. It is amazing that both cities base their current livelihood on tourism, however, the towns near Lake Como are not filled with tourist booths crammed next to tourist booths selling seemly endless trinkets. Varenna was filled with local shops and local artists and craftsman who were interested in saying a few words before selling you a piece of art or jewelry. We enjoyed our time resting here. We read books, walked the city, and sat on the balcony of the hotel (Eremgo Gaudio) and watched the boats go by while discussing random thoughts and enjoying a cup of coffee. It was stunningly beautiful and absolutely great. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Ah... I wish I was back there. After our time here (including a day trip to see the Duomo and the Last Supper painting in Milan), we headed to Rome to tour the city and meet up with our friends Erica and Erin.