Day 7 Part 4 Verona 6th Dec 2023 - Risotto Masi and Villa San Pedro.

Before leaving us, Stefano suggested we try the world famous Verona Risotto, (or rice) called Risotto Masi (cheese), it looks like brown rice with cheese on top, but I guarantee my readers, if you taste it your taste buds will go "Ooh Laa Laa". 

You must pair this dish with Amarone. If you do, you will be in the foodie heaven zone.

I can't describe the feeling but it is so sublime, the taste, sourish yet oh so tasty.

Risotto with Masi. 

Ostregheteria

Sottoriva 33 

After lunch, we waddled, yes it was a struggle after  such a magnificent lunch to get up to the Villa San Petro as suggested by Stefano. We were not disappointed to say the least. The view of Verona was stunning! The funicular  which brought us up must have been over a hundred years old and to take in the whole city was just something else. 

We made it to the top of the hill called Villa san Petro or Villa of St Peter. 

We took pictures of the mallard ducks along the way, as well as a couple of selfies across the bridge, such was the beautiful weather. I was totally relaxed and in the zone of perfect happiness.

Would we ever visit Verona again ? Yes, health and funds permitting. It evokes an old worldly charm and class which the big cities have long bypassed. 

It is a tremendous privilege to have come on a cool winter's day, experience the love of the Bard as typified in the statues and the balcony. Eaten the best Risotto in my life and viewed the beautiful trading hub of Verona.

Beautiful Bridges leading to Verona 

Carpe Diem ! 

Day 7 Part 3 6th Dec 2023 Verona - Romeo oh Romeo where art thou Romeo ?

Here is the post for the romantics and lovers of all ages. The birthplace of the playwright and author William Shakespeare's fertile imagination for a forbidden love for all ages between a boy and a girl (of course, I am an old school non woke conservative nearly old guy!) 

The ageless beauty Juliet in bronze. 

We went into the courtyard where Juliet would be hanging around disparagingly muttering those famous lines. This was pre smart phone mind you, so no emojies, sad or angry emoticons and missed whatsapp calls ! Legend has it, (this is definitely urban legend) if you go up to the statue and touch the left breast (uncovered), you will find true love !!

Juliet's Balcony 

Apparently the 'balcony' is a recycled sarcophagus (or old tomb of some preist) so its laughable thar people step into the tomb and wave to their imagined lovers out in the distance!  If only they knew the actual facts !

We then walked over to Romeo's family house and also saw the tomb of the top family which governed Verona in the 12th and 13th centuries. The della Scala family.

Della Scala House

Tomb of della Scala family 

 

Day 7 Part 2 Verona 6th Dec 2023

 

Town Centre

We ventured into the main town square which was packed with people out for their last minute Christmas shopping. Somewhere at the centre of the town square is an archway which hangs a WHALEBONE. The whalebone symbolises the medicine halls presence. I guess there are a lot of bones which are ground into fine powder in the last millenium (1000 years) for healing purposes. Please take a look below.

Entrance Arch of the Medicine Halls 

At the centre of the town stands a structure. On the steps are cut exact metric sizes of 1 piece of Verona marble. This is the benchmark for one standard size of marble and has been used extensively when buying and selling marble pieces and slabs.

 

One standard Unit of Marble Slab 

Again both of us are in awe and wonderment that such a powerful and rich country and city like Verona has had its glory days and now it is just another ordinary city relying on its past glory and stories to attract tourists from as far away as we have come. Cities rise and fall with their leaders and their management or mismanagement. 

We in Singapore had better take note of the ebb and flow of city states and their fortunes.

Beautiful Catholic Church 

Day 7 Day Trip to Verona 6th Dec 2023

                                                        Bridge into Verona City 

After an extremely quiet night, we had a nice breakfast at the C House Lake Cafe.  We then took the 10.58 am train to Verona to meet Stefano. He is based in Verona. A rather tall and handsome chap who spices his monologue with dark humor, we both took to him at once. ! As can be seen by their dressing and mode of transport (his was a foldy bike), Italians by and large are environmentally conscious.

So, lets get this fact straight. Romeo and Juliet is FICTION ! It was dreamt up by William Shakespeare and his play has been reproduced and copied in literature texts the world over making Verona a must visit for all those die hard romantics !

                                                        Arched Entrance into the old town

Verona is a fairly large town of 250,000 inhabitants with easily millions of visitors from near and afar coming over to visit the birthplace of Romeo and Juliet. In fact the 2 main things Verona is famous for are 

Romeo and Juliet setting

Marble

Verona has a collisseum which was built in 46 AD which was even before the one built in Rome. The Romans ran the city for about 1000 years and later, it was managed by a wealthy family, the Scaligeri,  after which the  Venetiens, Austrians and Napolean's army conquered it.

Italy became a republic in 1861 somehow managing to band together all the disparate families and their interests under a country's rule.

                                                                Verona Colleseum 

The Romans influence is clear in the form of numerous structures which are seen even today,

These are 

a) Torres (Gate)

b) Viaducts 

c) Arches

d) Clocktower

e) Winged lion statue (from the Venetiens)

Clock Tower in Town Centre

We were very fortunate that the weather that day was sunny and pleasant 10 - 12 C.That day when we went there were not that many foreign tourists but most were making a beeline to the Juliet's House to catch a glimpse of THAT balcony.

A funny but true story is tied to that balcony. I will elaborate on that in the next post.

Winged Lion of the Venetians showing they had occupied Verona some time back 

Day 6 Peschiera del Garda 5 Dec 2023

 

View from the Room at C Rooms Lake House 

This is the Highlight of our tour, as far as small towns go. Situated roughly at the halfway mark between Como and Verona is this gem of a small town called Pescheira del Garda at the very bottom tip of Lake Garda. 

The Lake is the unappreciated cousin of the more famous Lake Como and PSG is frequently bypassed as a whistle stop by many foreign tourists in favour of Venice, Verona and Como of course. We spent 4 gorgeous days there, simple, unassuming, inexpensive and oh so pretty sights of this small town of roughly 10,000 residents.

We took the morning train from Como to P d G. In my diary I wrote down one word to encompass that train trip "painless".

Peschiera del Garda at Lake Garda South East Corner

We arrived at the station at 1.15pm. The lift from the platform to the exit was broken down, so I had to lug the easily 20 kg (2 pieces). The service apartment I had booked for this portion of the trip was another gem. We took a taxi to the service apartment which was in the centre of town just beside the lake inside the town fortifications. The equivalent of this type of accomodation in Singapore is the Fullerton Hotel right along Battery Road. This is Prime Prime hotel location. Minimum Price for 1 night at the Fullerton ? Easily EUR 500 and above.

The price ? EUR 110 per night as I recall. Amazing. 

C House Rooms Lake 

5 Piazza Perdinando di Savoia

Peschiera del Garda City Centre

37019 P d G, Italy 

  

Ooh Laa Laa. These were my comments in my diary. From the room on the 3rd floor, we could overlook the small waterway or marina housing some small boats which I assume were to transport tourists out to Lake Garda during the high season. 

The scenery was beautiful. It gave me the impression of a small Italian town relatively unspoilt by the teeming masses of tourists who come at all times of the year and mess up the quiet character of the town.

Selfie at the small Marina outside the C Rooms Lake House 

We met at 2.30 pm Ms. Antonella, our expert tour guide, who gave us an exhaustive commentary of the town. 

PsG was originally managed by some prominent Italian family, like all other major towns and cities which makes up modern day Italy. The Romans, Venetiens, Austrians and Napolean Bonaparte with his French army conquered this town on route to Venice (He did not reach Venice) between the years of 1840 and 1850. Italy formally became a republic in 1861. So it was 15 years maximum of French occupation.

Barracks of the town, now an Administration cum Tourist  Centre 

There is a fascinating barracks first built by the Austrians as well as the moat which runs all around the town as added defence fortifications.  

Moat surrounding P d G town 

After 2.5 hours of the walking tour, we bade goodbye with Antonella who was surely very pleased to give these young elderly tourists value for money history tour of her town.

In the evening, we decided on this wonderful lakeside restaurant called Raffilu which in my diary entry was rated 5 star dining at 2 star prices. Compared to the many 'tourist traps' in bigger cities such as Milan, Florence, Rome and Venice, the price for this wonderful meal with the superb ambience is something to be truly appreciative of.

The video of Raffilu is posted below : 

Raffilu Dining 5th Dec 2023 

Raffilu

Piazza Ferdinando di Savoia 5

379019 Peschiera del Garda

Verona VR 

Italy. 

In fact, on this night, 5 Dec 2023, we were the only 2 diners, having a wonderful meal, with a wonderful ambience with a lovely lake view and background jazz music. A truly once in a lifetime, magnificent experience ! 

The plates we shared which were well above average :

>  Seafood Platter

> Al Dente Bigoli

> Octopus with Cream

Seafood Platter 

Al Dente Bigoli 

Octopus with Cream 

As I write this, I am starting to feel hungry !

Town Centre Lights 

Day 5 Tour of Bellagio and Lugano by Boat 4th Dec 2023

Como 4th Dec 2023 

Weather : Overcast with slight drizzle (2 - 5 C morning and 3 - 5 C afternoon). 

Beautiful Villas by Lake Como 

Today, we booked a tour by VendItalia and we were anticipating a nice day out, After having a quick breakfast at the nearby McDonald's we hastened to the pickup point outside the Excelsior Hotel at 9 am.

We waited and waited for 15 minutes, no tour bus or groups of people arrived. It was strange.

It turned out to be a no show ! I called up the agent and she was rude and non apologetic and told me to write in for a refund. Apparently the tour was cancelled today due to poor sign up rate and they apparently sent me an email stating the fact. To this day (2nd June 2024) I have NOT received the email.

Remember the tour company, folks, Venditalia - totally unprofessional, unapologetic and downright rude. Stay away if possible. 

Fortunately, I managed to think quickly and there was a Tourist Information at Hotel Excelsior which was open. The kind lady managed in short notice to book for us another exactly the same tour, which started from Milan. We managed to catch up with the walking group in 15 minutes, and that was a life saver.

Self Travel Tips 101 

For 'do it yourself' trips or tours, dear readers. Do bear in mind. Stuff and screw ups happen.

So nothing is a done deal until you have completed it. We managed to take some lovely pictures and videos of Lake Como houses and below is one such house. The George Clooney house. Legend has it that he loves to ride his Harley around Lake Como, he once had some bike trouble and was stranded just outside this house. While waiting for the mechanic to arrive, he noticed that the house was exceptionally beautiful and had 11 (yes) chimneys. In the days of old, before central and electric heaters, the only way to heat the rooms were to have fireplaces, hence the house had 11 rooms.

George Clooney Owns this Villa 

We reached Bellagio just before noon, and its a quiet pretty place set along the rather steep small hill. We had a rather unimpressive lunch at Bellagio and then took the bus into the town of Lugano which is in Switzerland.

 

By the time we reached Lugano, the place was raining and dreary. We ventured into a coffee shop for a Capuccino and a double Espresso and walked into the Laderach chocolate shop to buy some (what else) chocolates.

We then took the train back to Como, I must say that the Swiss trains are a class apart. Modern, clean and above all, easy to board and with clear signs for all cabins. 

Mussels Pasta La Vita e Bella Ristorante 

We ended the evening at La Vita e Bella Ristorante and the dishes are as shown above and below.

Roast Pork Dish at La Vita e Bella Ristorante 

If you have 3 - 4 days in Como, Lombardy region, do visit this restaurant. Its a must visit !  

La Vita e Bella Ristorante 

Piazza Domenico Croggi 4,

22100 Como,

Italy.

 

Day 4 Como 3rd Dec 2023

Beautiful Lake Como in Winter 

Como Italy 3rd Dec 2023 - Day 4

Weather : Sunny (9 - 15 C) 

After a good night's rest, we awake refreshed. We take a stroll and have breakfast nearby. The Carrefour supermarket which was hidden from sight on the first day was finally found, just 50 meters from the Como City Home which will be our base for the next 2 days and nights.

For the record, the apartment for our Como visit is highly recommended. You can easily find it on any Booking.com or Trip.com portal. Our rates during the offpeak season was like EUR 160 or so. Amazingly good value for money ! 

Como City Home

Piazza Pietro Peretta 6

22100, Como

We walked to the lakeside, it was a BEAUTIFUL day. The weather was perfect. Oftentimes, our psychological mood is affected primarily by the relationships we have with our family, friends and work colleagues. In addition, the living and play environment does play a big part in our happy state of mind. I did record in my diary that so far, this was the happiest day of the trip. A day full of sunshine and outdoor activities is always a great day. 

By the small Marina in Como in perfect weather 

We walked to Villa Olmio, a 30 minutes stroll by the lake. We encounter families, joggers and tourists. The tourists are mainly from North East Asia (not China but Korean and Japanese) plus a few Singaporean families. 

We walk inside the Villa and take in the Olmo Art about Piny the Elder. There are some rather weird exhibits about volcanoes and some earthy stuff.

Back at Como town, we dine at this superb restaurant ; my short from rating of the restaurant below is easily 4.5 out of a maximum 5.

La Vita e Bella Ristorante

Piazza Domerico Croggi 4,

22100, Como. 

We shared a prawn dish and seafood paella, which was superb. Thanks to a recommendation by my wife's colleague who was in Como recently, the dining so far has been exceptional. 

Georgeous Villas by Lake Como 

3.30 pm we went  back to the apartment, which is 1000 ft in size. A steal for EUR 160 per night with taxes. Thanks to the variable rates, and some lucky timing, we are 100% satisfied with the holiday accomodation thus far.

Here below is the prawn dish which we found most enticing and palette pleasing.

Prawn Bisque 

If you are ever in the Lombardy region, DO make Como a stopover for 3 days to a week. You will NOT regret it !!

For dinner, I dined alone at the nearby Sports Bar on a Chicken breast Panini sandwich with a nice Sauvignon Blanc to wash it all down.

Como Centre Christmas Market 3 Dec 2023