June 22nd – Walked to the Central Train Station and was
helped by a man who we thought worked for the train station (he did not – gave
him a euro). Took the train to
Varenna. Arrived at Hotel Royal Victoria
(Queen Victoria stayed here in 1839) on Lake Como. Dropped off our bags and headed up a steep
and stony trail to the Castello di Vezio, a ruined hilltop castle. We walked back through olive groves near
Villa Monastero. Enjoyed pizza for lunch
at Ristorante del Sole (near the hotel and Chiesa di San Giorgio, the main
church built in the 13th century).
Meet Ann Long our tour group leader and the rest of the tour group and had a wonderful dinner at the hotel. We were offered espresso after dinner and I accepted (wanting to experience as much of the "Italian" culture that I could) - I regretted it all night long as I laid awake in bed (note to self - don't drink espresso at night!