01 Oct Nirvana – Dining Al Fresco on Lake Como in Varenna

Well, let’s see….where did I leave off??  I think with food, the bountiful complimentary breakfasts that we enjoyed for the three days we stayed in Varenna on Lake Como at the Royal Victoria Hotel. But if you forgot where we were, please check out last week’s post HERE and you’ll be caught up. (Above, is the antipasto plate for dinner that night…divine!!)

So let’s begin that beautiful evening stroll I was sharing with you, along the shores of Lake Como, now shall we? 

After a gorgeous first day in Varenna, we exited the hotel, walking through the piazza, as our hotel was situated in that plaza on the main street running right through this quaint village.

Everything is within easy walking distance in Varenna, that’s the beauty of this sweet little town.

Then down we went these cobble stoned paths and steep stairs that led us to the fabulous path along the lake’s edge. Our very first night we didn’t venture too far because we were tired from the flight and starving, and the restaurant didn’t open until 8:00 p.m., so we took a tip from a guest in the hotel and ate at the most perfect little bistro, The Varenna Cafe.

As I mentioned last week, you really have to be prepared for a lot of walking and climbing stairs throughout Italy. I wasn’t in that great of shape when I started the trip, but by the end, I could walk up 8 flights of stairs.

Footnote here: (no pun intended, although it’s a rather good one, don’t you think?) the cobblestones really hurt your feet, so be sure you’ve got great walking shoes with thick soles.

We had hit nirvana!  We couldn’t have selected a better, more quaint, location and simple meal for our first night in Varenna. We were so glad that the fancier restaurant (to the left of the floral bush)  was not open quite yet, otherwise we would have never had this amazing experience.

It was pure magic!  We didn’t want to leave. It’s right smack in the middle of this postcard pic. As the evening approached, we watched the change in the light and clouds, people strolling and stopping to look at the swans, and as it became dusk the waiters came out to light the lanterns. Now that was something beautiful to watch! We really felt like we, by chance, landed in an ideal location and probably could have stayed there for hours.

And here we are, below, where we sat and watched the evening unfold.

You know when you have one of those magical experiences?  Well this was it! Little did we know that our location was THE picture perfect spot of many a postcard for Varenna and one you’ll see later in this post.

I can’t really describe the experience….except that it was early evening…quiet…the lake was calm…you could have heard a pin drop (except for some light conversation at the tables near us)…there was beauty everywhere. We literally could have sat there forever!! (I think I already said this, but I want to stress that THIS spot was the one we all remember with the exact same feeling).

My husband of 30+ years, David, and my incredible daughter, Qin. Great traveling companions. The perfect trio!

Great views and simple, yet delicious meal, bruschetta and antipasto.

While the simple meal was great, the highlight of dining at this little cafe, was that it was right in the main pathway where residents and tourists stop to view Lake Como and to me, this spot really captured the essence of Varenna.

It was a magical experience to see the waiter put the lanterns out on the cobblestone path. I know it seems like a simple thing and no big deal…..but it is something I will ALWAYS remember. Because, isn’t it the simple things in life that give us so much meaning?

I wish I were an expert writer and could truly describe in detail how it all felt, but alas, I’m just me….and my words and photos will have to be enough. But I hope, in some small way, they give you some of the magical feelings of total bliss that I felt sitting there on Lake Como with my family.

Then of course, we had to cap off our evening with our first gelato of the trip!  Qin loves coconut and I soon discovered Stracciatella!!  (I’ll have to check the spelling on this later, as you’ll see I have it on the rest of the entire Italy trip!)

And it was so much fun with the adorable little cones on top.  As the trip progressed through Venice and Florence we saw amazing displays of gelato.  And we could NOT live without it!

But let me close out this “perfect” evening with the calmness of this beautiful scene at evening’s end, the sunset on Lake Como, and the perfect postcard picture of that exact spot at daylight. More to come next week on our stroll along Lake Como.  Till then, have a wonderful evening. xo PG