Italy Day 1 - Nest on the Lake

If you've read this blog before, you know we almost always end up dangling off the edge of some steep mountain somewhere. This trip will not disappoint. But I get ahead of myself...

Pretty much every bucket list has "Trip to Italy" as an entry.  Mandy has never been, and it's been far too long for me.  We fly overnight nonstop from EWR to Milan, and between the luggage and the rental it takes another two hours to get out of the airport.  The Alpha Romeo I booked wasn't ready, but our Audi A3 is quick and nimble on the highway to Lago di Como.

Lake Como is a 56 square mile lake that forms an inverted Y in the center of northern Italy and is perhaps the most beautiful and romantic place on the planet. I've been there before and for years I've been excited to bring Mandy.  The highway ends at the lake a bit north of the town of Como, and we hang a left headed north on the tiny road that skirts the western edge if the lake. Having only eaten airport/airplane food since 4pm the previous day, we stop in in Moltrasio, an picture postcard of a town around 11am.  As you may have heard, the food in Italy is amazing.  Just not at 11am.  At 11am, everything is simply closed until 12:30, when the entire town opens to serve you the bountiful fish from the lake, wine from local vineyards and pasta from God himself.  But it’s not helping us one bit at 11:05. 

We explore the town including the Grand Hotel Imperiale, which, if anything, in not named grandly enough.  Blessedly, 12:30 finally arrives and we are seated first at Ristorante La Veranda, a charming outdoor patio with a nice view.  We start with a local red and the Pumpkin Flowers, similar to squash blossoms, stuffed with an exquisite ricotta and very lightly fried.  We’re ravenous, but the very first bite demands we slow down and savor.  Secondi is a delicate today caught laverello from the lake baked with herbs and a thick tube pasta stuffed with fresh littleneck clams. 

Now mostly adjusted to local pace, we head into the town of Como at the southern tip of the lake.  It’s midday and warm, about 85 in late September, as we explore Piazza Cavour, the historic center of the bustling little city.  My memory didn’t exaggerate.  The huge cathedral dominates the center of the main square, surrounded by sidewalk cafes, vendor stalls and shops.  I seem to remember lots of pigeons, but none to be found today.

The drive to our inn goes up the lake road across from where we had lunch.  Quickly we learn that this is not a drive for the faint of heart.  Jamaican bus drivers think this road is insane.  It’s 1-1/2 cars wide, and winds steeply along the sheer rock mountain walls that tumble into the 1300-foot-deep water below.  And did I mention the bicycles, motorcycles, cars and busses coming at us the other way around the blind corners?  Add exhaustion for even more excitement.

We get to the Nest on the Lake, almost. Lezzeno is has pretty much one road running through it and the Nest is on that road, and we can’t find it.  We pull into a tiny driveway to ask for help, and the elderly woman walks Mandy the two blocks to the front door.  It’s an authentic place in an authentic place, right on, and defined by, the water.  Our innkeeper is charming in that oh-so-Italian way, gets us a drink and chats with us on the balcony.  We ask for a dinner recommendation and he tells us about his family restaurant just up the street.  After a much needed nap, we walk to Stone House, where more local wine precedes more fresh catch, simply and expertly prepared. 

We decide to end the night with a quick drive to Belligio, perhaps the most popular town on the lake and the inspiration for the casino of the same name.  The tiny winding road is even more challenging at night, but we make it there in 10 minutes.  As we drift off to the sounds of the lake lapping outside our window, we know that the gelato was soooooo worth that last drive.