After five delightful days in Italy’s Liguria region, it was time to move on to the Lombardy region for the beginning of the OAT Northern Italy base trip. (For reference, here’s another look at the map of Italy’s regions.)
Lombardy is often referred to as the gateway between northern Europe and the Mediterranean. Its name comes from the Lombards, a Germanic tribe that controlled the area after the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Lombardy was previously occupied by the Etruscans and Celtic Gallic tribes before Roman conquest in 3rd century BCE.
Lombard rule ended in 774 CE when they were defeated by the Franks under Charlemagne, who annexed the territory. By the 11th century, several wealthy autonomous city states emerged.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the region was a center of Renaissance culture under the rulers of Milan and Mantua. Spanish monarchs took control of the Lombardy in the early 16th century and Spanish rule lasted about 200 years. This was followed by a period of Austrian rule which ended when Napoleon conquered the region in 1796 and made Milan the capital of his Kingdom of Italy.
After Napoleon’s defeat, the region was returned to Austrian control as part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. It was annexed into the Kingdom of Italy in 1859. Following the unification of Italy in 1861, Lombardy, especially Milan, became an important industrial and financial center. Today it is Italy’s most populous and productive region. About 10 million people (a sixth of Italy’s total population) make their home in Lombardy, primarily in and around the city of Milan.
Once we left Monterosso and the Cinque Terre, we traveled up the coast as far as Genoa where we picked up the Autostrada going north. As we headed inland, the landscape flattened and changed. Cypress and poplar trees replaced the umbrella pines of the Italian Riviera. Bypassing Milan, Lombardy’s capital, we continued north into Italy’s famous lake district.
Our destination was Lake Como, the largest lake in Italy and one of the largest and deepest in all of Europe. As you can see from the map, Lake Como is shaped like an upside down “Y.” The northern part of the lake extends close to the border with Switzerland. In fact, Julius Caesar established a settlement on the site of the present-day town of Como because it gave the Romans easy access to Switzerland through a nearby mountain pass. Soon afterwards, wealthy Romans started to build holiday villas around the lake. Today, almost a million people live in the towns surrounding Lake Como.
We didn’t stay in any of the most popular tourist towns (Como, Bellagio, Varenna, etc.) but rather in a much quieter small town called Malgrate which is adjacent to the larger (population 48,000) town of Lecco, near the tip of the southeastern branch of the lake. This is where the Adda River, which originates in the Alps and flows into Lake Como, flows out of the lake on its journey south to meet the Po River. We didn’t see any celebrities but we were able to observe the everyday lives of ordinary people, primarily Italians.
From the Hotel Griso, our base for three days and nights, we had a wonderful view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. My room had a spacious balcony, allowing me to gaze out at the calm waters of the lake and the distinctive sawtooth-shaped Mount Resegone to the northeast. The height of the mountain is 1875 meters (6152 feet).
Once we arrived at the hotel, I didn’t stay inside for long. I crossed the street to the lungolago, Italian for walkway along the lake. Please take a moment to say lungolago out loud. Isn’t it fun? Lungolago instantly became my new favorite word in Italian.
I had plenty of company as I strolled along as far as the bridge that crosses over to Lecco. I even saw some people stretched out on the rocks by the water, taking in the sun. I wasn’t surprised by the crowds since this was the final day of a holiday weekend. The previous day, April 25, is celebrated in Italy as Liberation Day to commemorate when the country was finally freed from Nazi occupation in 1945. Despite the people around me, I found that gazing out at the lake and the mountains brought an immediate sense of serenity.
I had dinner with two of my fellow travelers at a popular lakeside restaurant, Da Giovannino, that our new tour leader, Cris, had recommended. The sun was low in the sky when we were seated at a table overlooking the lake. The food was as impressive as the setting. I recognized the little taralli biscuits that were served as we sipped crisp white wine. I had tasted them for the first time in Genoa. My main course was luscious homemade ravioli with veal, artichokes and black truffles. By the time we finished our meal, the sun had set and the lights of Lecco were reflected in the lake.
Next morning’s lavish breakfast buffet was surpassed only by the incredible view from the hotel restaurant windows.
After breakfast, we walked with Cris along the lungolago and crossed the bridge to downtown Lecco where we boarded a small boat for a short ride before exploring the town on foot. There was a mass going on in the Basilica of San Nicolò, dedicated to Lecco’s patron saint. The church’s neo-Gothic bell tower was built in 1906.
The center of Lecco was bustling, with several outdoor markets taking place. After grabbing a quick bite to eat at one of them, I joined a few other members of our group heading to the train station. It was just a short ride, in a jam-packed train car, to Varenna, another town on the Lecco branch of Lake Como. I really wanted to love Varenna. I’d seen photos showing Varenna’s colorful lakeside houses and elegant gardens. Unfortunately, the town was so crowded (and the weather so hot) that I found it impossible to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. After a short time, I gave up and took the train, which was even more crowded than earlier, back to Lecco. I consoled myself with a cone of gelato on my way back to the hotel. (My Italian language skills had progressed to the point where I could say vorrei un cono con due gusti, pistacchio e nocciola.)
In the hotel room, I tried to turn on the air conditioning but discovered that it was too early in the season for the system to work. I hadn’t realized that the national government and the individual municipalities set the rules for when central heating and air conditioning can be turned on. I left the door to the balcony open in an attempt to cool off the room
At our group dinner at the hotel restaurant that evening, I tried a Milanese egg, which was described on the menu as an egg that is soft-boiled egg, then coated in breadcrumbs and fried. It was served with a Parmigiano cream and spinach. Unusual, but very tasty! The garganelli pasta with lake fish ragù was excellent, as was the delicious cheesecake. I definitely prefer the Italian cheesecake, which is much lighter than the American version.
Since Lake Como is just a short distance north of Milan (you can get there by train from Lecco in only 40 minutes), we were able to spend part of a day there. Lombardy’s capital city is located in a flat area of the Po valley. It was founded by a Celtic tribe of shepherds and farmers who traveled from today’s Germany south over the Alps around 600 BCE. The town was taken over by the Romans about 400 years later.
For over 2000 years, Milan has been an important center of commerce. Today, it is Italy’s wealthiest and second largest city. Like many people, I associate Milan with the fashion industry. I learned that other important industries are design (especially furniture design), finance, banking, insurance, television, and radio.
I was surprised to learn that Milan’s only river is underground. For centuries, the people who inhabited Milan had to dig wells to access water. In the 12th century they developed a canal system for irrigation and to transport building materials. Later, Leonardo da Vinci made important improvements to the canal system, which is still in use today. Cris reminded us that Leonardo spent 20 years in Milan and that his primary interest at the time was engineering, not painting.
Our first stop in Milan was at the imposing Sforza Castle. The castle complex was built in the 15th century by the Duke of Milan (a member of the Sforza family) on top of 14th century fortifications built by the Visconti family. In addition to serving as the home of the Dukes of Milan, the castle was used for military training. Renovations and additions were made to the castle in the 16th and 17th centuries. Cris pointed out that the castle has both round and square towers. The earlier towers are square shaped. Leonardo da Vinci, who spent 20 years living in Milan, introduced the idea of round towers, which were easier to defend and harder to attack.
The complex is located next to Milan’s largest public park.
Today, the castle complex contains an Egyptian museum, a museum of ancient art, and a museum that features one of Michelangelo‘s sculptures. Unfortunately, the museums were closed on the day of our visit.
It was such a hot day that we sought out the shade offered by the castle’s mulberry arbor. It was a reminder that Milan, as well as the area around Lake Como, was an important center of silk production beginning in the 15th century.
With a local guide, we toured Milan’s historic center. She explained that it was easy to walk around because there is very little parking in the area so very few people drive into the city. Almost everyone uses public transportation (there’s a subway system) or rides a bike.
Our guide led us through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the most crowded place in city. Built in the second half of the 1800s, following Italy’s unification, the Galleria was the world’s first department store. The original Prada shop is located in the Galleria, along with numerous other high-end stores, bars, cafés, and restaurants.
walking from the Duomo to the Galleria
inside the Galleria
The Galleria connects La Scala, Milan’s opera house, and the Duomo, Milan’s Gothic cathedral. La Scala was commissioned by Maria Teresa, the Habsburg Empress of Vienna, and was built in the neo-classical style. It opened in 1778.
Milan’s Duomo is one of the largest churches in the world. With a seating capacity of 10,000, the cathedral covers an entire city block. It’s impressive not only for its size but for its elaborately decorated white marble façade, which is adorned with 3200 statues and 135 spires, and for its equally lavish interior filled with stained glass windows, ornately patterned marble floors, two enormous organs, and more statues. The “small” statue of the Madonna at the top of the cathedral’s dome is actually 12 feet high. Completely covered in gold leaf, she’s affectionately referred to as the “Madonnina,” i.e. Little Madonna. And here’s a very interesting fact – it’s the only church with a stone roof. There are no wooden beams in the structure. The roof is held up by 52 pillars.
Fortunately, I recovered in time to enjoy our group’s pizza dinner at a restaurant on the lungolago in Malgrate. Once again, our dessert was that light and creamy Italian ricotta-based cheesecake.
On our final morning on Lake Como, we drove north along the eastern shore of the lake to the Abbey of Piona. It’s a religious complex in an isolated setting not far from the town of Colico, about 25 miles north of Lecco. Founded by Cluniac monks in the 12th century, the complex is now in the possession of the Cistercian order. Behind the 12thcentury church are the ruins of an apse with some very old frescoes dating back to an earlier 7th century church. The bell tower, however, is more recent. It was built in the 18th century.
For the first time in several days we had no sunshine. The gray clouds and misty light created a sense of otherworldliness.
Nearby Colico has a well-preserved First World War fort, Forte Nord Montecchio. Located near Italy’s northern border, it was built for defensive purposes. On a hike up to the fort, we saw deer and heard cuckoos calling out their distinctive cry in the woods.
Nowadays, the fort serves as a tourist attraction because of its views over Lake Como and the scenic Alpine valleys of Valtellina and Valchiavenna. The cannons weren’t used until 1945, when Italy was fighting to liberate itself from the fascists and Mussolini. We had a guided tour of the fort by a local expert. I was fascinated by the Fascist-era messages painted throughout the complex. One cautions, “Be wary of everything. Trust no one.”
Before I end this post, I need to tell you about The Attack of the Moscherini.
It occurred on the second evening in our lovely hotel on the shores of Lake Como. We’d had been a late dinner after a tiring but enjoyable day. I was tired and eager to get some restorative sleep. Hoping to get some fresh air to cool off the room when the outside temperature dropped, I had left the door to my balcony open when I went to dinner. When I got back from dinner, I spent a little while reading to relax. As I was about to get into bed, I noticed tiny black spots scattered all over the white bed linens. When I tried to brush them off, they turned into dirty smudges. What could that be?
And then I noticed black spots clustered on the wall near the light fixture – and some of them were moving! Oh, no, I thought. They’re flies – tiny flies, like fruit flies. And when I looked up to the ceiling, I could see a whole swarm of them. As soon as I conquered my sense of nausea, I called down to reception. “Help!” I exclaimed in semi-panic mode. “There are flies all over my room. They’re falling on my bed. I can’t sleep here!” (I took photos to document the infestation but I don't want to traumatize you by including them here.)
The calm response from the man at the front desk was “We’ll send up the maintenance man.” A few minutes later, a man appeared at my door with a bottle of insect spray. He took one look at the condition of the room and said, “I’ll be back.”
He soon reappeared, this time with a ladder and an industrial vacuum cleaner. After shutting the door to the balcony, he started moving all the furniture away from the walls. He then set up his ladder so he could reach the areas of the walls and ceiling where the flies were congregating. After several minutes, he was still at work and my mind was racing – what if the flies come back while I’m sleeping? They’ll fall on my face!
So I called back down to the front desk to see if they could find another room for me. This time, the person on duty couldn’t hide his exasperation. “They’re just moscherini (gnats). They don’t bite. Of course you have them in your room,” he said. “We are on the lake. You had the lights on and the door to the outside open after dark.” (In other words, the flying creatures are harmless, it was entirely my fault, and I should stop making such a fuss.)
After clearing off the ceiling and walls, the maintenance man went around the room vacuuming up all the dead flies that had fallen on the floor and the furniture. He paid special attention to the folds of the long drapes covering the window and balcony door. And since the bed was hopelessly littered with fly corpses, he stripped off the linens and remade the bed with clean sheets. Finally, he put the furniture back in place before he departed.
A full hour had passed since I’d made the discovery of the flies and it took a while before I calmed down enough to fall asleep. The following night, I made sure to keep the balcony door closed all evening until I was ready to turn off the lights. Once the room was pitch dark, I turned on my flashlight for a few seconds just so I could find my way to the balcony door and open it to let in some cool air. I’m happy to report that I spent a fly-free night.
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