Lago di Como

September 10, 2018

At the Volta Lighthouse

Today was a big day! We were supposed to head out at 7:15, but got a late start because of Witten’s late night and caught the 9:15 a.m. train to Como San Giovanni. The train was running late, so we didn’t get into Como until a little after 10:00. When we did, we made our way straight to the funicular for the trip up to Brunate so that we could hike up to the Volta Lighthouse, which was built in 1927 as part of the centennial celebration of Alessandro Volta (he invented the electric battery), and stands 2,000 feet above the lake. Even after reaching Brunate, we had a 35-minute hike straight uphill, followed by the 146-stair climb to the top of the lighthouse.

I was doing the hike with Witten loaded on my back, so it was definitely a struggle. My dad bailed about ten minutes into the hike. Callie just about bailed ten minutes, but then managed to summon the strength to finish the hike. It was like the real-life version of Six Brave Explorers. The lighthouse was totally worth the hike. It was a stunning monolith, jutting up out of the highest hilltop in the area. Despite the early afternoon haze, the view was still incredible. Though, they say that when the skies are clear, you can even see the Swiss Alps! By the time we made it back down from our ascent, it was already almost 1:00, and we hadn’t even gotten out of Como and onto the lake! So, after a quick pizza lunch, we hopped on the fast ferry over to Bellagio. It still took 45 minutes to get there, but made for a nice afternoon walking around the little town. I grabbed a few bottles of wine that I’ve been longing for over the last 12 years, as well as a few ties.

Kati, Witten, and Mom Walking Around Como

Lake Como as a whole is far more crowded and commercialized than I remember it ever being, which is unfortunate, but not unexpected. I had hoped to make it to Varenna and Menaggio, but it just wasn’t in the cards with our compressed timeline and extended hike up to the Volta Lighthouse. Still, Bellagio was great, and I was sad to have to leave so quickly. Once we made it back to Como, we took a stroll through the impressive, but dark, Duomo while my dad got an ice-cold Coke at McDonald’s, and then loitered around a bit until Ristorante Sociale opened up at 7:00. It provided us with another great dinner, but also one that lasted so long that we missed our train home.

The missed train wasn’t that big of a deal, it just delayed our arrival back in Milan and required a bit of an audible. All of the trains to Milano Centrale required at least one, if not two, changes before making it back, so we opted to catch a direct train to Milano Porto Garibaldi. It still took us an hour to get back to Milan, which was twice as long as our train to Como, and Witten was done once we got on the train. She had taken a brief nap in the carrier while we were in Bellagio, but she was understandably exhausted and at the end of her rope - as were many of us. We finally got back to our hotel around 10:00 for a well-deserved rest. Tomorrow, we’re staying local again and not having nearly as big of a day, so that’ll be good for everyone and hopefully allow for some recuperation.