Lago Lugano Lago Como
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I woke up to a lovely day. | |
Decision time... ride for the Swiss passes, some of which evidently were closed or do a ride around some of the lakes. | |
Having had the experience of ending up somewhere where I couldn't "get through", I thought my NEXT trip to Italy/Switzerland I'd come later in the summer when all passes were open. Onward to the lakes! | |
First stop: Lugano. I parked on the sidewalk by this fountain to check things out. | |
There were plenty of "rentables" like these paddle boats. A pleasant way to pedal away the morning, I think! | |
The city was built up the shoreline because, of course, this is a mountain lake. | |
A colourful top to this building! | |
Now this bronze sculpture was cool! If you're wondering just how large it is... | |
... large enough to climb into! | |
Just a little further along the shoreline nearer Castagnola. | |
Interesting trees, interesting houses... | |
... a steep stairway down to the lake. | |
Monte San Salvatore | |
I loved this gate with its two lions sitting atop the columns. Evidently others do too, since I saw several postcards featuring it. Perhaps it leads into some official residence. | |
Lake Lugano isn't terribly wide at any given point, but it is terribly pretty! :) | |
You can see "up the lake" a long way. | |
Another marina tucked against the mountains. | |
Taken from the same side of the shoreline, I snapped a photo of Valsolda tucked so nicely into the shoreline. | |
In Cima, the first Italian town you come to after crossing the Swiss/Italian border along the lake. | |
Cima was certainly my favourite stop along this shoreline. | |
Much too pretty and tranquil a place not to! | |
A fountain in the town's main square. | |
1880 and still running strong 130 years later! | |
Time to stop for lunch and no better place than La Taverna... | |
... owned and run by Georgio and Evelyn. | |
What had made me notice the place in the first place? Georgio had ridden up in this car. | |
A fan of Valentino Rossi has good taste so his restaurant's food will taste good, I thought. And I was absolutely correct! | |
I took this picture in Porlezza, at the very north-east tip of Lake Lugano. | |
I then rode up, then down a mountain road to get to Lake Como and stopped in Griante/Cadenabbia. | |
This was truly a beautiful place with gorgeous buildings... | |
... interesting statues... | |
... along a scenic shoreline. | |
Then I looked across Lake Como and saw Bellagio and thought... | |
... why not have the experience of being ON the lake? I bought a round trip ticket to do just that. | |
While I waited for the ferry, I enjoyed this beautiful area. I ended up sitting under the shaded arch... | |
... by the stairs... | |
... and admiring the strength and complexity of the trees there. | |
Once on the ferry, I looked back along the Cadenabbia shore where I had parked the bike... | |
... and admired the beautiful mansion that looked over the ferry's dock. | |
Even the dock area was interesting. | |
Looking back at Cadenabbia... | |
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Looking forward to Bellagio's shoreline... | |
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Bellagio lies on the point where Lake Como "forks" into two fingers. That means the lake also lies BEHIND this point of land behind the trees at the top of the hill but in front of the mountains in the backgroud. | |
Nearing the Bellagio dock. | |
Cadenabbia looked so tiny now! | |
Bellagio was quite a bustling place! | |
View as I was getting off the ferry. | |
A view back towards the ferry. | |
There were many flowers everywhere which made the town colourful and inviting. | |
Beautiful buildings... | |
... some with interesting features such as this awning which shaded the entrance/sidewalk. | |
I had lunch in Bellagio in an outdoor patio restaurant next to this lovely landscaped area. | |
Infortunately, I didn't have time to hike over the hill to see the other half of the lake, but I know I'll be back to this lovely area and I'll do it then. | |
Returning to Cadenabbia. | |
A ferry going to another dock along the lake. | |
Villa Carlotta just down the road. | |
There was quite a backlog of tourists waiting to go inside the villa. | |
At one time I'm sure this was the Villa's private dock. | |
Just a few meters away there was another ferry dock... | |
... and across from that, Chiosco Villa Carlotta. | |
Very elegant, isn't it? | |
Continuing along the lake, I came to Ossuccio. | |
People were suntanning along the shore across from Isola Comacina. | |
I took these pictures just past Argegno. I am looking back at Colonno on the left and Ossuccio in the middle of the picture, slightly hidden by the island. | |
Across the lake is Nesso. | |
They say George Clooney owns a villa along this lake. If you had the money, who wouldn't? | |
Time to get going... I rode back to the Autostrade and from there returned to Ponte Tresa. This relief was on a wall of a small shopping center just across the border in Switzerland's half of the city. | |
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