mccalls repurposed

Our friend, Leenee (Carolina Terzi), is from Como – now a resident of California. For the past 20 years or so, she has told us of beautiful Lake Como. She posts pictures on Facebook and shares her experiences and recommendations. So, Kirk and I decided to take a detour from our time in Spain to come check it out for ourselves. Would the years of build up and anticipation end in a let down? NOT!!! We are both glad we came to see for ourselves this beautiful place!

Our apartment is just outside the old walls and historic center.  So we head off for a stroll through the streets to head down to see the lake.  The area leading to the walls is lovely, but once you enter the walls, it is as if you have somehow stepped into history. It is well maintained or restored and filled with beautiful shops and cafes, but you can still sense something special; It is hard to describe. If the walls could talk!

I love the quiet streets that open up to the busy plazas.  There are markets set up here where local artists and merchants are selling goods – much of which is handmade. We continue on to Piazza Duomo to see the Cathedral of Como, which is beautiful.  We check out the menus of the several cafes there before we continue on down to the lake.  The street opens up to Piazza Cavour, where there are more markets set up, and we get our first glimpse of the lake.

We stop at the markets to check it out. These are filled with food items like meats, cheeses, breads, wines, nuts, candies, dried and fresh fruits.  Some things are strange and different, but I will let you see in the pictures.  Now, on to see the lake.

We walk along the waterfront marina, past the ferry terminal and through Amici de Como, a lovely park filled with several varietals of large trees decorated with fall’s colors.  There is a childrens carnival area with rides and families enjoying the day. As we continue on, we hear loud singing and realize there is a soccer match in the stadium there. The match was well underway, so we didn’t go in. (I kind of wish we had. I hate to miss anything fun!) Next to the stadium is the yacht club and a seaplane hanger/airport. It is interesting how they pull the planes in and out of the lake. 

We continue on around the lake past beautiful villas and gardens. (Post continued in Como, Italy: Viewing Villas and Gazing in Gardens). And we notice a fire has started across the lake.  It is windy today, which won’t help and we can see it spread and intensify as we stand here watching.  We pause to say a prayer for all the familes who may be affected and for the safety of all who are responding to put the blaze out.

We reach our destination and the sun is beginning to set. It is time to head back to town. We notice that the smoke is making for spectacular color in the sky and it makes us remember that in everything perceived to be bad, there is a blessing that comes from it.