AN ESCAPE TO LAKE COMO (Reflections on My 39 Years in Umbria)

Well-aware that our seemingly endless Indian summer could NOT last forever, we took a sudden and unplanned trip to Lake Como. I did call to reserve our hotel in Bellagio, on the lake-front by the embarcadero planning NOT to use the car at all. We delighted in slow lake travel on the frequent "battelli", basking in the late summer sun and warm breeze. Perfect weather (albeit with the typical autumn early morning haze which dissolved by mid-morning) accompanied us as did a sustainable tourism without any crowds.

We were imbued with that hoped for true sense of leisure and discovery as we strolled, cruised, climbed the steep-staired, cobblestoned lanes of well-known and little-known villages, walked in awe, admired the breathtaking gardens and settings of the stately villas, listened to the ducks and watched the swooning seagulls ...and lingered over freshly-squeezed orange juice and coffee at charming, panoramic outdoor cafès, observing the ever-changing dance of light, colors and shadows.

And at these cafès or along the lake-front strolls, mesmerized by the beauty and charm, there was plenty of time to "Reflect on my 39 Years in Italy". HOW OFTEN I still have to "pinch myself" when I think how close these ENDLESS GREAT places are from Umbria, how I can get in the car or hop on the train and be at EXCITING destinations within hours. This thrills me today as it has for these 39 years!