Hot but hazy...

Playlist

Laura Pausini - E Ritorna da Te

Yes – The Yes Album

Yes - Fragile

Yes – Close to the Edge

Various – Shine On

Various Composers – Adagio Box Set

Not a great sleep – but I never do sleep well on holiday – can’t get used to strange beds...

Despite this, a rarity in that Anne was up before me – sitting in the kitchen reading..

It’s hot but hazy today...

The villa is great but the views from the windows are even better – we couldn’t have hoped for anything more...

We walked to the local (only) shop to buy the essentials...

...then, after breakfast of coffee, juice and rolls...

...we drove down the mountainside (17 minutes today) and further up the coast to the town of Bellagio...

We parked the car on the outskirts...

...and walked into the town, which is compact and touristy with plush hotels and lakeside cafes and restaurants...

We walked to the head of the peninsula we’re living on, which divides Lake Como in two and sat there just enjoying the scenery and the relaxing atmosphere...

...before heading back to the town...

We explored the backstreets and main square, noting a string quartet recital was to take place in the church this coming Sunday....

I bought a 5CD box set of classical music – all adagio pieces – to widen the listening choice in the car...

We lunched at a little pizzeria with a wood-fired oven – the pizzas were large and accompanied by some local tasty white wine and sparkling mineral water...

Walking back to the shore, we contemplated a boat trip but decided to keep it for another day....

Back at the car we discovered we were four minutes in to the next chargeable hour and so we just went and walked along the lakeside and back to the town and bought some Diet Coke and Sprite to drink back “home”...

We listened to one of the adagio discs on the way back home – but it’s not relaxing driving along these lakeside and mountain roads – we were happy that we’d been provided with such a small car, making the chances of a collision slightly more remote...

Home to relax...

After 6, we took a walk through Veleso....

...to try and find the Trattoria which our landlords had recommended but to no avail and we ended up at the only hotel, the Albergo Bella Vista drinking on the terrace and drinking in the views of the mountains surrounding the lake and the sunset...

We decided to have dinner here, Spaghetti Bolognese for me and a Milan Cutlet for Anne – with a lovely big salad on the side...

We returned to the villa around 9 and Anne read her book while I snoozed listening to more of the adagios box set...

We retired at midnight – only to be woken at 2:30 by a ferocious thunder storm raging over the house and surrounding area...

Highlight of the Day : The view from the balcony