Bellagio

Last night it was damn hot, so we slept with the windows wide open. This morning, the light streaming in, the bells pealing in the distance, and the birds chirping manically outside our rooms woke some of us up early. I thought about taking a run, but instead I treated myself to a lazy morning. A, B, and I went up the road to buy some food for breakfast, and we took our time getting out of the house. 

When we finally departed, the weather had been off-and-on rainy, so we weren't sure what kind of weather we'd be in for. We took a bus down to Bellagio to grab lunch and wander the town.  Lunch was a bit disappointing - we had a number of recommendations, but because we had such a late start to the day, the restaurants we wanted to eat at were all closed for the afternoon by the time we got there. We ended up having a very serviceable meal at a local wine bar, but it wasn't the spectacular meal we were hoping for.

After lunch, we wandered town, shopping for stuff and exploring the streets. Bellagio is postcard-perfect, but it's almost TOO perfect - like the city sold its soul to American tourists. American English was by far the most common language I heard today, and the streets were filled with high-end clothing shops (silk, mostly). C & I both commented on how we were glad to be staying in Civenna, a town that has not sold out to rich America (fully aware of the irony of us having the conversation).

We also found the gourmet shop run by Nico, our chef from last night's dinner. We bought some cheese and meat from him for our light supper. He and his wife were working the counter, and we had a good visit with them.

After our afternoon in Bellagio, we came back to the villa to relax and prepare dinner. Dinner was an assortment of meats and cheeses, along with some honey, bread, vinegar, tomatoes, basil, etc. It was terrifically tasty - a nice snack at the end of a relaxing day.

As the full moon rose over the lake, we were thankful that the air had cooled down, the spirits were mellower, and that we all had a good day. After the intense drama of yesterday, we were glad for a mellow day. Tomorrow is another one, one to spend on the water and in Como!

Some other notes about today:

• We're still not sure where we stand with the rental car company. C isn't sure he wants a car out here after seeing the roads.
• After four trips to Italy, I'm finally getting comfortable with tourism Italian. I can order food, decipher text, buy bus tickets, ask directions. Hooray for me! I can even ask for the bathroom (hint: it's NOT the 'back-ous-a')
• I found an amazing blazer for $450 today. I want it.