Lake Como / Bellagio / Lugano - Monday 10 June 2019

Woke early and went for a walk around the small village of Molina. This is my B&B, Villa Ortensie...



View from my room...

I had to leave my car in the village and was driven up in this car. It is a small car for very good reason - the laneways through the village are very narrow.

Like this !

And this !

The village of Molina...

Had a fantastic breakfast (and too much coffee!) on the terrace of the B&B cooked by the host.

Then drove further up the lake to Bellagio. Another lovely town.



Accidentally drove right through the centre of the town which is pedestrian only. Oops. Nine months later I received a fine for it. Grrr...

Put the car on the ferry to the other side of the lake and drove just over an hour to Lugano Switzerland.

A fellow passenger offered to take a pic. People are very friendly!

Looking back at Bellagio...

Arriving at the other side. Still in Italy, but the Swiss border isn't far...

Drove to Lugano and I wasn't even stopped at the border. I parked at the station. I was worried about the cost as everything in Switzerland is very expensive. But it was only CHF6 for a couple of hours.

It's a pretty town on a different lake - Lago Lugano. Felt pretty quiet.

Had lunch and walked around town and through a nice park. Not much else to see.

Looking back at the town from Lake Lugano...

Iceberg sculptures...

I didn't want to pay CHF40 for the (vignette) toll (it's an annual ticket, but there is no daily equivalent), so took the back roads which were fine - still good. But I made one mistake and got onto the freeway at one point. As soon as I realised, I took the first exit. Bizarrely there was a police roadblock and they noticed I didn't have the vignette. They were going to fine me CHF200 but let me off as I was a foreigner. Phew !

Back to Como for a walk around the town and some gelato !

Life Electric sculpture...

Then caught the Como-Brunate Funicular which you can see on this hill...

Brunate is the village at the top.

On the way back down...

Then drove back to Molina for dinner at the one restaurant there and crashed.

Lake Maggiore, Stresa, Isola Bella and Lake Como - Sunday 9 June 2019

Hired a car and drove from Milan, to a place called Stresa, on Lago Maggiore which is one of the three lakes near Milan. The others are Lake Como and Lake Lugano and I plan to visit all three. 

It's just over an hour to Stresa and the roads are great. Tolls mount up though.

Driving on the wrong side is okay, just took it easy while getting back into it. The car is a long wheelbase Fiat 500C manual. Quite nice to drive. The freeways are great, but the roads into Stresa and around Como were narrow and windy.

Parked at Hotel la Fontana and walked into town...

Walked around Stresa and had some lunch. The architecture feels like 1950s affluent...

Isola Bella from Stresa...

Had lunch in the small town. Ravioli !

Stresa Village Piazza...

Stresa ferry terminal...

Caught a ferry to Isola Bella, which has a beautiful palace. This is looking back to Stresa...

Arriving at Isola Bella...

Paid EUR17 to go inside and then into the beautiful gardens.

A friendly fellow tourist offered to take a photo...

Then caught the ferry back and drove to Como which is the town on Lake Como.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta-Duomo di Como

Piazza del Duomo...

Looking back to Como town from where I parked...

Como - Brunate funicular. I will go on this tomorrow.

Had dinner in Como and drove to my B&B which is at Molina, halfway between Como and Bellagio.

The room is probably 2 star but perfectly clean and functional. But it has a small terrace with beautiful views of Lake Como, and the hosts were lovely. Englishwoman and her Italian husband.