Incredible Como

Italy Stage 03 – Wed 29^th June 2016 – Varesse to Como (30 Km)
Weather: 17⁰C min – 26⁰C max, fine

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” Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are “ ~ Muhammad Ali

By 9:50 am I had finished breakfast, packed my pannier bags and bid arrivederci to the signora who manages the Invilla BnB and her two Great Dane dogs. Traffic was heavy at that time of day and there was no avoiding the busy SS233 and Viale Belforte leading out of Varesse. After about 2 Km there was a shared pedestrian-cycle path marked at the edge of the road, but it only lasted about a Km and provided little protection because several cars were parked illegally on the path, forcing me into the heavy traffic. All I could do was proceed with extra caution, with eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead and my peripheral vision scanning for danger from the side.

You can imagine how relieved I was when after about 7 Km I turned off onto a quiet tertiary road that took me through a dense green forest. My peripheral vision was now free to scan for photographic opportunities and for the first time I notice that the sky was not quite as blue as the previous two days. However it was becoming quite warm and the streaky grey cloud that was smeared across the sky soon cleared.

For the next 10 Km I pedalled through farmland, passing fields of crops and a few unremarkable villages. One thing I couldn’t help noticing was the number of Italian flags still draped proudly from windows and balconies in recognition of the Italian football team’s victory over Spain a couple of days ago. When I commented on this to the waiter at the Half Moon Thai restaurant last night he said the flags will be removed before the 16^th of the month because that is the day that taxes have to be paid every month. Italians are patriotic until it is time to pay their taxes.

There were a few cyclists along the way, but interestingly only about half of them responded to my wave or cheery buongiorno. Unlike other countries like Portugal and Spain, very few riders here ever initiate the exchange.

Photo opportunities were less plentiful on route today, but my camera went into overdrive as I approached Como. Words cannot adequately describe how magical this town is, so I will leave it to the photos to tell the story. The highlight of my afternoon was catching the Funicular cable car from Como to Brunate, perched high on top of a mountain where the view was simply amazing. Out of curiosity I thought I would check out the house prices in Brunate and found one prestige villa offered for sale by Sotheby’s at €20,000,000, which would be about par for the course!

Tomorrow I have a rest day in Como, not because I have earned a rest (I have only cycled about 110 Km in 3 days) but because I am planning to catch a Lake Como ferry up to Bellagio. In the suite where I am staying for the next two nights there is a placard above my bed inscribed with the words, “Wake up every morning with the thought that something wonderful is about to happen”. I have no doubts it will tomorrow!