Tag: Train

The 5 Best Things to Do in Lake Como

If you only have five days to spend in Lake Como these are the things that you need to do.

Lake Como is a spectacular place with an incredibly beautiful lake, views of the mountains, interesting villages that date back to the Roman times and the entire area filled with history and beauty. There are enough things to do there to keep you busy for weeks on end, but if you only had five days to spend in Lake Como these are the things that I would recommend that you do.

  1. The Como–Brunate Funicular

The Como–Brunate funicular (Italian: Funicolare Como-Brunate) is a historic single-track funicular railway that connects the town of Como on the lakeside with the village of Brunate at the top of the mountain. The line has been carrying passengers both tourist and local up and down the steep mountain slope between the two towns since 1894.

The Como–Brunate funicular

The 7-minute ride up the steep 55% incline is breathtaking with its sweeping views of the Lake Como area. The current price is 5.70 Euro per person over 12 and cheaper for under 12 for a return trip. Most days it runs every 15 min. Be prepared to wait for your trip up and down as this is an extremely popular attraction. The wait is worth it though as you have splendid views from the top and you can go hiking in the area around historic Brunate as well. The railway starts operating with the first trip around 6 AM and the last trip down is 10 PM. Make sure you are in line early to go back down because they do close off the line after a certain point. Then your only options are to walk down or take a bus or cab.

The view from historic Brunate.

The address for the funicular is Piazza Alcide de Gasperi, 4, Como CO, Italy. The incline can be seen from every place in Lake Como and the ticket office/boarding station it right on the lake side, so it is quite easy to find. Enjoy!

2. Two Beautiful Hikes

These hikes are very different from each other. One is within the municipality of Como itself and the other you must take a short bus ride to the village of Colonno for a somewhat strenuous 10-kilometer hike through beautiful villages and spectacular views of the lake.

Greenway del Lago di Como at Colonno

The Greenway is a leisurely and pleasant hike between Colonno and Cadenabbia following traces of the Antica Strada Regina, the antique connection road that was built by the Romans. This 10 km long itinerary leads through ancient villages with wonderful examples of architecture, along villas and gardens with charming views.

While the guides and brochures say that The Greenway is an easy hike that is not always true. The trail wanders through neighborhoods and parking lots and backyards and ancient trails. It can go up or down flights of stairs. Some places you walk along the small two-lane roadway that is next to the lake. Cars and buses zip by. The Italians pay no mind to the traffic, but for less trusting people that busy roadway can be a little intimidating.

In the spring and summer it is beautiful, but you must remember that you are also in the foothills of the Alps. The altitude in the Lake Como area is around 650 feet but when you are hiking along the Greenway it can go from 650 ft to 900 ft and then drop back down in a short time. The trail in places has very rough pavement. The entire path is paved but each community takes care of the Greenway in their own way. For someone who is out of shape this might not be the best hike for you. While the grade of the trail itself is between a grade 1 and a grade 2 it can be quite strenuous in places. And the hike is certainly not for casual shoes, it requires hiking shoes. But the payoffs are spectacular views of things that you will never see from either the lake or from the highway as it passes next to graveyards, small out of the way churches, ancient villas and spectacular views of the lake and the islands around Colonno. Utterly worth it!

• ITINERARY: Colonno, Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo, Griante
• TOTAL WALKING TIME: 3.30 hrs.
• ASCENT: 100 m.
• DIFFICULTY: easy walk suitable all year round
• TRAIL SIGNS: green metal signs on the pavement and road signs
• CONNECTIONS to Colonno by bus – C10, from Griante: by bus – C10 or ferry
• See: http://www.lakecomo.it/sites/default/files/allegati/sezione/The%20Greenway.pdf for map and description.

3. Villa Olmo and Parco Di Villa Olmo and the Paths Beyond

The Villa Olmo stands at the north-western end of the city of Como, at the end of the Lino Gelpi lakeside promenade. The villa was named after an elm tree planted in the middle of the ornate gardens, which is no longer alive today. It was acquired in 1924 by the municipality of Como and today is open to the public only during exhibitions, while the lakeside gardens are freely accessible during the daytime.

Walking along the promenade and admiring the stately homes overlooking the lake you can perceive that romantic feeling that between 1700 and 1800, made the shores of the Lario a coveted destination of the Grand Tour of the European nobility and that Villa Olmo, with its park, still evokes today.

The park (Parco di Villa Olmo) behind the Villa, accessed through two side porticoes, is the main public park in the city of Como: it extends for about five hectares, excluding the surfaces of the various buildings and represents one of the most important historical parks not only in the city but in the whole province. The park offers different pathways that lead to pleasant clearings that offer panoramic views among the tree patches beyond which you can see the lake and the mountains above.

Once you pass through the park you come to a bridge which crosses the highway to Colonno and on the other side are paths that wander up into the hills. This entire area is full of villas from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries when this was a playground for the wealthy nobility of Italy and Europe. Some of these villas are now closed, some are still privately held, and others are owned by the city of Como. While these pathways and different estates have no overriding theme or focus, the walks through this area are incredibly gorgeous. You can walk far up into the hills, or you can stay near the lakeshore, and you will see some amazing architecture but eventually you come to the beautiful Villa del Grumello which is owned by a private association and is used for special events and social engagements.

While you will not find a dedicated hike that goes from point A to point B, you can wander the forest path ways and estates taking in the wonderful architecture and views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. You get a real sense of the grandeur of Lake Como when wealthy nobility traveled to this serene place in the foothills of the Alps.

4. Trip of Bellagio and Ferries Rides on Lake Como

While there are guided boat tours that cruise up and down the lake and stop off at various villages, I recommend that you save (depending on the size of your party) money and do the tour on your own. I am not taking anything away from the tour guides but if you read any of the comments on Tripadvisor.com you find that certain people feel that the guided tour is not worth the money.

The public boat service connects the major towns along the shores of Lake Como. Navigazione Laghi, the operating company, has a fleet consisting of three types of boats including hydrofoils. Lake Como ferry prices depend on the destination and type of ferry. There are three types: speedy ferry, regular ferry, or a ferry goes around Lake Como. Ferry tickets can be bought at the ticket office near the dock. In case there is no ticket office in the town, you can also purchase tickets for the ferry on board. Ferries from Lake Como connect to the following cities: Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia.

Nestled at the tip of a promontory jutting into Lake Como, Bellagio boasts unparalleled shoreline and Alpine views. Add in boutique-lined cobblestone streets, Italian villas, and fragrant gardens, and it is no secret why Bellagio is known as the Pearl of Lake Como.

Bellagio is a small village which only takes short while to experience. The village is on two levels, the lower one by the lakeside where there are outdoor eateries that cater to the tourist and the upper level, which is more residential, and where the main road comes into the village. The two levels are linked by steep stone-paved alleyways and along these alleyways are restaurants, shops, and homes. The village walkways are no place for casual high heel shoes. You should have a good pair of flat walking shoes to enjoy your tour Bellagio.
Other things to see in Bellagio besides the quaint village and cobble stone stepped lanes are the Villa Serbelloni Park, an 18th-century terraced garden with lake views, the Tower of the Arts, a venue for exhibitions and performances, and the Romanesque San Giacomo Church.

The easiest way to access Bellagio is via ferry. A hydrofoil runs from Como to Bellagio, making stops at the other towns on Lake Como along the way. Bellagio is accessible on either side of the Larian Triangle by slow, narrow and winding roads from Como or Lecco. It is much safer to drive from Como up to Cadenabbia and use the reasonably priced car ferry for the quick trip across to Bellagio. An alternative is to take the four-lane road on the eastern shore of the right arm of the lake to Varenna, then take the ferry to Bellagio. For more information, visit Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi. Narrow stone stairs make most of Bellagio inaccessible to cars. Public buses run daily from Como to Bellagio.

5. Sea Plane Tours

And finally, for something a little more exciting then hikes or cruises on the lake might be a seaplane tour of theLlake Como area. A little farther past the docks where you find the ferry and cruise boats, you will find the Aero Club Como where you can take a flight lesson in a seaplane, or you can take a 30 minute tour in a seaplane that takes off from Lake Como and flies over some of the most spectacular villages and villas in the area. On any day you can watch the crews push the seaplanes from the hangers out onto the lake and then whether it is a lesson or a tour you watch people climb onto the pontoons and then into the plane. You watch the plane cruise out to the designated takeoff and landing area on the water and off they go.

While you are in the cockpit of the seaplane you get to experience the pleasure of being able to observe the instrument panel, and help guide the aircraft. You also get to experience the speed of a thrilling takeoff and landing on water, or to observe the scenery that flashes quickly past your eyes. Tours consist of 30-minute flights for two people at about 140 Euro. Must book at least 4 days ahead during peak summer season. Maximum group size four.

https://www.lakecomo.is/project/seaplane/
Address Viale Masia 44
Phone 031 57 44 95
Website www.aeroclubcomo.com
Price per 30min flight per person €90

All photos are by James Carey.

Copyright 2022 by Carey On Creative, LLC., Atlanta, GA.

Tripswithjames.com is a trademark of Carey On Creative, LLC.

Wonderful Train Ride to Lake Como, Italy

Lake Como was beautiful beyond belief.

It was the first week of November and I was seating in a lakeside cafe in Lake Como, Italy. It was 54 degrees Fahrenheit; the sun was shining and the small city was crowded with tourists. Since the month was just starting, I could only imagine how crowded this popular tourist destination was during the summer. I was eating shrimp ravioli in a saffron and cream sauce while working my way through a half carafe of Italian Chardonnay. I’d been in Italy about five hours, and I was as happy as a clam. Lake Como was beautiful beyond belief and after spending four days in the gray rainy dreariness of Zurich, Switzerland to be sitting in the sunshine watching beautiful girls pass by I felt like I had won the lottery.

Yet it wasn’t easy to get here. While I had spent several hours online getting all the required documents and certifications that I needed to travel from the United States to Switzerland to meet all the COVID restrictions, I spent almost as much time getting the documents that I needed to travel from Switzerland to Italy. Because Switzerland is neutral, and Italy is part of the European Union, I had to acquire a complete new set of documents.

The main form that I needed was called the EU Digital Passenger Location Form also known as the dPLF. You can find the form at this web address https://app.euplf.eu/#/ .

The form is fairly simple to fill out. It’s only three pages long and has sections that include your permanent address, where you’re staying in Italy, how you’re entering the country either by train or by plane, how long you’re going to be there, what countries you’ve traveled to in the past 10 days and also if you were vaccinated. And then it has a declaration stating that you are vaccinated or have had a rapid test to prove that you do not have COVID. I filled out the form online and then downloaded the PDF onto my phone and also onto my computer. There is also a “Green Pass” QR code that you can use. This is the Italian version of the Swiss “Green Pass” which allows you to enter restaurants or concerts or museums. However, I found it very difficult to download even in its QR form. Unless you’re a citizen or are planning to stay there for a long time, the short-term passenger finds when they download the Italian Green Pass that it is only good for a couple of days and then you have to reapply for it. Instead of downloading their green pass, I just carried around my American passport with my vaccination card and that allowed me to get into any place that I needed to go.

So a warning for anyone who’s traveling to Italy from another part of Europe by train. No one will check your digital pass for the EU when you board the train. You must show it to the conductor when he comes through which was 30 minutes after I had boarded the train and we were already 20 miles down the tracks. When we crossed from Switzerland into Italy, the train stopped at the nearest station, and it was checked again. The conductor wanted to see my dPLF document and my vaccination card, because just like Switzerland they take this very seriously. If you don’t have the required material they will kick you off the train at the next station, and on many trains that cross borders there are armed police to enforce rules.

As you cross the border from Switzerland into Italy you will notice a very funny thing that happens. Switzerland is a very organized country. Its grass is cut, fences are fixed and there seems to be no trash anywhere. It’s not only a beautiful country, but also a well-maintained country as well. I saw little to no graffiti anywhere the entire time I was in Switzerland. Italy has a completely different mindset that is more relaxed about graffiti, the care of their lawns and their fences or their trash pickup. It’s as noticeable as night and day as you cross from Switzerland into Italy. Italy is a gorgeous country, it’s just a different way of life.

I had bought a ticket at the main train station in Zurich. The train from Zurich to Lake Como is about 3 hours. Traveling to Europe, you can be told if you’re an American that you need to buy a EuroRail pass online before you travel to Europe. That is not true at all. Europe is full of trains running in all different directions. Local trains, regional trains, and high-speed trains that cross borders. Trains are the main way that most people travel in Europe going from one place to another. It is not difficult to buy a train ticket, and the savings that you will get by buying a European Rail Pass in America online are not that significant. I personally just find it easier to go to the train station and buy the ticket that I need instead of worrying about which train my Rail Pass will allow me to get on.

I chose an excellent hostel that was located very close to the train station and was only four blocks from the main city square and two blocks from the lake shore. The hostel I chose is the Ostello Bello Lake Como Hostel and their address is Viale Fratelli Rosselli 9 Como, Italy 22100. I prefer staying in hostels as opposed to hotels for a couple of reasons. One they’re cheaper and two there is a built-in community of people who are doing the exact same thing that you are. It is an easy way to meet people. You already have something in common and they may have wonderful advice on places that you need to go see and things that you should do. I rented a single room with an ensuite bathroom. I’m just too old to share a dorm room with three or four other people. The room that I had rented was lovely with a view of a private garden and a bathroom with plenty of hot water.

Ostello Bello is a chain of hostels all throughout Italy, and you receive a discount of 10% to 20% at the other locations when you book through them. They have locations in Como, Florence, Milano, Rome as well as others though out the country. The hostels are all different in size and accommodations but the staff in each one is very friendly. I highly recommend them.

The town of Lake Como is not very big. The city centre is probably 10 blocks by 10 blocks and filled with cobblestone walkways, old churches and timeworn buildings but also filled with tons of restaurants and modern upscale shops. The city was founded by the Romans as a holiday getaway for the ultra-rich of Rome, and the gorgeous scenery of the lake and mountains is unparalleled with blue skies and snow-covered mountain peaks.

In my next blog, I write about all the things to do in Como from museums to visiting the ancient lakeside town of Bellagio.

Till then Ciao!

All photos and film by James Carey.

Copyright 2022 Carey-On Creative, LLC. Atlanta, GA.

Tripswithjames.com is a Trademark of Carey-On Creative, LLC.

Romantic Rothenburg ob der Tauber – Germany

After 5 rainy days in Munich, I took the train out of Munich to Rothenburg to experience the community that has been on this site since 1150 AD. The official name of the city is Rothenburg ob de Tauber, or “Red Fort on the River Tauber.” Around 1160, Rothenburg was swiftly became a commercial center because of its’ enviable position on the age old trade routes through Germany where goods from the East passed through, but also because of “the white gold” known as salt.

700 year old cobble street

By 1400, the city was one of the largest and most successful cities in the area. The city had a population that topped 6000 people, and business was booming. Rothenburg was becoming very wealthy and was much worried about the safety of its’ wealth and citizenry. The city elders through the years constructed a sophisticated system of walls, towers, and gates for the protection of the city. Massive stone walls were constructed that were pierced with 7 main gateways and aided by 42 stone towers for defensive positions and protecting the town. Along the inside length of much of the city’s walls, covered walkways were built that allowed for archers and other solders to take up protected positions for watching or shooting at possible invaders.

Guards walkway on the outer wall

However during the early 1500’s and into the late 1600’s, the city began to experience a steady decline because of political and religious upheavals like the Peasants War, the Reformation, the counter-Reformation and the 30 Years War. Plus the “Black Plague” that were sweeping through Europe killing millions of people also visited Rothenburg and killed as many as one-third of the citizens. What remained by the 1800’s was a walled village that was once famous yet now was a backwater town with no real business and thus no real reason to change anything. It was if the once prosperous medieval village was trapped in a time warp. Narrow cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses with red tile roofs, massive stone walls that no longer protected anything but a poor half-empty village that recalled a more ancient time.

Massive stone walls and towers are part of the defense.

Yet along about 1850, fortune began to smile on Rothenburg once again. This time it was because of the very backward nature of the village that people were attracted. Because of its’ very medieval look and feel, artists, poets and writers discovered the old town and painted it, wrote about it, and talked about it. What was considered ancient and backward now became quaint. And as is true through the ages of man, when the artists and creative types come, soon the general public follow and you have tourism. Tourists helped make Rothenburg relevant again.

Chapel courtyard

They came for the quaint ancient walls and half-timber houses that were 500 years old. They came to see the old churches like St. James Church, the Gothic masterpiece with its hand carved altar. They came for the excellent Franconian wine, food and hospitality. They came for the chance to step back time and experience a little of what it must have been like in the Middle Ages.

One of the many gateways into the town

And that is what you get when you spend a day or two in Rothenburg – living history. Walls and houses and buildings that are in some cases over 700 years old, but people still use and live in them. A chance to walk cobblestone streets that have carried people and goods for over a thousand years. Walking the same covered walkways along the village walls that some guard walked 500 years before you.

You can actually walk the city by using the guards walkway

There is a suggested Town Walk around the village that will lead you through large squares where you will see historic buildings, along the city walls where you will find towers, churches, gateways and bridges that date from the 12th century and leads to other parts of the city where you may decide to wander off the “official” tour to see some mysterious door or walkway of Rothenburg that interests you. There are several museums in Rothenburg like the German Christmas Museum showing the history of Christmas through the centuries, the Imperial City Museum with its’ collection of items covering 9 centuries, and the gruesome and very interesting Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum featuring scary examples of torture and execution devices.

Center square

The most interesting thing to see in Rothenburg is actually live entertainment. It is the world-famous Night Watchman’s Tour which I will write about in my next blog, but it is without a doubt the best hour of entertainment in Rothenburg and at 8 Euros the best deal in Germany.

400 year old cover bridge (rebuilt of course)

The most romantic place in Rothenburg is the Castle Garden and Burgtor Gate. A huge quiet garden at one end of the town as you pass through the Burgtor Gate with spectacular views of the city and the surrounding valley. There is a small old chapel that has stood there since the 14th century and a lovely herb garden. The area is quite large with many old trees and benches to sit and read or just chill. If you walk further in the park past the chapel and herb garden to another viewpoint of the surrounding valley, rumor has it that this is the best place to grab a kiss with your significant other.

View of Rothenburg from the Castle Garden Park

And of course as a tourist destination, there are plenty of eateries of all types and places to sleep inside and outside the village walls. For something to eat, you have traditional German fare, non-German styles foods, Italian food (because it is just on the other side of the nearby Alps), sandwiches and snacks plus several Biergartens (beer gardens) all covering a range of prices and styles. But make sure that you eat early. Rothenburg shuts down early. In the Old Town there are no night spots, although a couple of places stay open till mid-night during the summer where locals mix with tourists.

My Hotel, PhinzHotel Rothenburg

If you are staying in the Old Town there are more than 20 hotels and hostels to chose from and in all different prices ranges from very expensive to a very reasonable hostel located in a former horse-powered mill house. Outside the walls, there are even more choices of food and hotels.

One of the Tower Gates into the City

Getting to Rothenburg is very easy. By car or bus, you are on the Romantic Road, a route that extends from Fussen in the south to Frankfurt in the north, and you pass right through Rothenburg. There several car parks in and around the Old Town, and cars are allowed to drive in parts of the Old Town. If you are coming by train, the station is literally a block away from the main gate of the Old Town.  You can only get to Rothenburg if you make a connection in Steinach. It is a little spur line with a small train that runs about every hour until 10:30 PM. If you arrived after 10:30 in Steinach, there is a subsidized taxi service that can take you to Rothenburg, but you must call them 2 hours ahead of time to make a reservation. To use them call AST at 09861/2000 in advance, and they will take you to Old Town for 4.60 Euros per person instead of the regular 31 Euro daytime charge.

Enjoy Rothenburg and step back in time for a romantic and fun adventure.

 

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