As the gray of winter continues we here in the Pacific Northwest spend time daydreaming about travel to other climes and cultures.  This week I have been reminiscing about one past trip to Italy and decided to share more of my “While Traveling” series.  We adventurously took a poorly marked small road through the mountains going from Largo di Garda to Lago Como (OOOPS! Italy 2004 Again posted on June 23, 2015) .

The road we traveled offered some spectacular scenery, and slow going because of horses meandering and stoppages while sheep stood their ground.

Once we found our hotel in Varenna we were told that our room was 4 flights up and there was no elevator – great exercise after a long drive.  It was tucked into the eaves and had a small window and a chair to stand on in order to see out.  The view was worth it.

Villa Cripressi

One of the many places we enjoyed in the small town where we stayed was Villa Cipressi, a former Bishop’s estate and its gardens.

Sunset over Lago Como