Lake Como was our final stop in Italy before crossing the border to Switzerland but we liked the coastal town so much that we decided to stay for one night. Hotel Villa Flori was my pick out of nearly 500 properties on the web and early signs indicated that we've gotten a really nice find here.
To better take care of mom and my little nugget, we got ourselves connecting rooms. It's right at the corner of the corridor so it's a bit more quiet and private.
I dropped a few extra Euros to make sure that we got ourselves a view of Lake Como and what a view that turned out to be.
Amazing view from the balcony.....
And very quiet without much traffic on the sea.....
Wait, is that George Clooney? Hi George......!!!!
Here's the second room. It's a little smaller but with the same stunning view from the balcony. For a hotel of its age, I thought they did a nice job making it modern without losing its character.
The bathroom had this luxury touch though a little small for its size.
Breakfast provided another highlight for our stay. I would very much like to grab one of the tables on the outdoor patio but at 9am, they were already taken.
I can sit here all day.......
So, back to the indoor breakfast we went....
This was really not too shabby. I had the feeling that we were some royalties enjoying our breakfast at one of those seaside palace. Enough daydreaming.
Freshly baked bread and fruit...
Cured meat and cheese on the other side.....
After a few rounds of these, I was so full.....
Like all good hotels, they have indoor parking onsite.
It was a wonderful stay although our relaxing evening was briefly interrupted by mother nature last night. Obviously, thunderstorm struck the town of Como pretty hard to a point where there was no electricity for a good 20-30 minutes. We had to operate in the dark but I was able to find some candles so my night wasn't entirely lost. In fact, I got to sit on the balcony and enjoy my tiramisu all by myself.
Rating: ❤❤❤❤
Price: €€€
Address: Via Cernobbio, 12, 22100 Como CO, Italy
Tel: +39 031 33820
Website: www.hotelvillaflori.it/en/hotel
Just a word of advice for those who want to drive up to Brunate to admire the sweeping view of Lake Como. Take the funicular railway instead! I learned the hard way driving up from Bergamo and after the twist and turns, and frequent stops, I had to deal with the extreme difficult task of parking inside Il Ristorante Bellvista's private car park. That's almost like a driving test for elite drivers. Thankfully, a server from the restaurant came to my rescue and helped me with the finishing touch.
Brunate, a small town with less 2,000 residents, is very popular in the summer due to its geographic location overlooking Como and lying almost on top of Brunate is Il Ristorante Bellvista, a casual Italian restaurant known for its breathtaking view of Lake Como right from its window.
During the summer, everyone obviously opted to sit on the terrace to enjoy a bit of sun so only a handful of us preferred sitting indoor.
For anyone looking a quiet getaway to Como, they also have a boutique hotel here at the premise with very affordable price.
This was what we all came here for! Absolutely jaw-dropping. It looked as if Como was sitting right under our feet!
We decided to sit right by the window to get the best view of Lake Como.
THE best seat of the house!
My little nugget wanted a piece of the action too.
Chestnut pappardelle with porcini mushrooms (12 Euro) - They have a full page of their food menu dedicated to pasta. Since we weren't all that hungry, we decided to just order two pappardelle pasta to share among the four of us. This was a chestnut flavored pappardelle tossed with porcini and chestnut sauce. Not bad and not as sweet as I thought.
Egg pappardelle with duck ragout (10 Euro) - Another hearty pasta, this with eggy pappardelle and duck ragout.
Beef carpaccio (15 Euro) - The thin-sliced beef was served with wild rocket, shaved Grana cheese and lemon dressing.
Food Rating: 5/10
Price: €€
Address: Piazza Bonacossa 2, 22034 Brunate, Italy
Tel: +39 031 221-031
Website: www.bellavistabrunate.com
Bergamo is an amazing city that deserves more than 18 hours but unfortunately, we have an extremely tight schedule which starts in Lake Como this afternoon. So, as much as I want to spend more time here, I have to make sure that we are well on our way before noon.
I was able to squeeze in some time to check out a few shops in the old quarter including this pastry shop called Pasticceria Donizetti.
I love visiting these traditional pastry shops coz I know I can always find some hidden gems.
Look what I found.....
Other than the famous Donizetti cake, another iconic pastry in Bergamo is Polenta cake (or Polenta e Osèi).
It's traditionally made with a sponge cake, chocolate, butter, hazelnut cream and rum. The cake is then covered with yellow marzipan and dusted with sugar.
Of course, I had to get myself a slice of tiramisu.....for breakfast!
This tasted a little more like a coffee cake though. I think they can do much better with the layering job.
Food Rating: 5/10
Price: €€€
Address: Via Alberto Pitentino, 8, 24124 Bergamo BG, Italy
Tel: +39 035 249479
Website: www.pasticceriadonizetti.it
Piazza Vecchia, they call it the heart beat of famous Città Alta (Upper Town) was our first stop in Bergamo. When we got here, it was already very late in the afternoon but luckily, we had just enough daylight for a few photos. This renowned square in Upper Town is a very popular meeting place not only because it's close to all these attractions (like Contarini Fountain, Cappella Colleoni and of course, the historic Bergamo Cathedral), but also it's home to a number of old stalwarts including Pasticceria Dei Mille.
Pasticceria Dei Mille is an old neighborhood bakery offering a small variety of pastries, sweets and tarts. They also have a gelateria next door which is very popular in the summer.
The tiramisu and mimosa look pretty serviceable.
I found exactly what I was looking for.....
Crostata di Frutta Secca (2.5 Euro) - Traditional dried fruit tart with an assortment of nuts. This usually came with chocolate or caramel on top but not this one from Dei Mille. For someone with a North American background, think of it as an American pecan pie but a little sweeter and with more nutty toppings.
Bomboloni (1.5 Euro) - Of course, I won't leave this place without getting a couple of these Italian donuts. Very rich cinnamon flavor.
Food Rating: 4.5/10
Price: €€
Address: Piazza Vecchia, 2, 24129 Bergamo BG, Italy
Tel: +39 035 217151
For someone who loves the shine of an ancient city so much, it's almost a crime not to stop by Bergamo, which was why I insisted staying here for a night before crossing the border into Switzerland. When it comes to discovering Bergamo, there's no better place to start than Città Alta (Upper Town), the historic centre of the city. There are a number of interesting lodging options around here but few can match the stylish boutique hotel GombitHotel.
Built right next to a 13th-century watchtower, Torre del Gombito (Tower of Gombito), that's where the name of the hotel came from.
And yes, this thirteen-room gem is a member of Design Hotels.
Behind the medieval walls is a warm and inviting atmosphere which is really perfect for the family.
Obviously, they know every furniture matters when you have a spacious guest room like this one. You can tell there're a lot of thoughts put into it to make this almost like furniture show room.
The bathroom has all the modern design you would like to see from your home away from home.
It's time for me to take a quick shower before dinner!
We had to go down a couple of staircases to reach the elevator and this was what we saw from the backdrop. The back side of the apartment next door. Another interesting experience.
The breakfast hall is a pretty spacious one considering there're only 13 rooms in the premise.
They have everything from cured meat, boiled egg to cheese, bread and fruit. Nothing luxurious but enough to get you through the morning.
I got myself a croissant, boiled egg, some fruit and juice.
The thing about staying in the Old Town is always trouble with parking. GombitHotel does not have its own parking but they have a deal with a private garbage which is only a 5-minute walk away.
Bergamo is such an amazing city that 24 hours are not nearly enough to experience its shine. It's likely going to take another trip to fully appreciate what this ancient city has to offer.
Rating: ❤❤❤❤
Price: €€€
Address: Via Mario Lupo, 6, 24129 Bergamo, Italy
Tel: +39 035 247009
Website: www.gombithotel.com
