August 16, 2010
In July we spent 2 wonderful weeks in casa3dici. We happened to have great weather. Not all of us have been that fortunate, but there is nothing we can do about that. Garden and house are finished. We installed a new oven, cemented the barbecue and painted the gate to the garden which now clearly marks the casa3dici property. Apart from that we just relaxed and had fun. We bought 2 mountain bikes and lost a lot of breath cycling along the lake.
We also went on a great hike with the Zwaan family: took the boat from Bellagio to Menaggio, the bus to Breglia and hiked up the mountain to Rifugio Menaggio (1400 meters). The 9 of us were the only guests, had a great meal with lots of pasta and polenta, slept in the bunk beds and woke up at 4:30 to see the sun rise. Magnificent views of both Lake Como as well as Lake Lugano. Well worth a trip. Make sure you make a reservation in advance!
Had some great evenings with our Italian neighbors which also was very useful to catch up on the language and broaden our Italian vocabulary. A few more hints and tips for you to investigate:
Climb the mountain using the path which starts just above the garden. Make sure you are well prepared and wear the right shoes: it is extremely steep but leads straight up to Monte Colmenacco at 1280 meters. Again, the views are stunning. Count on a 6 hour hike altogether. From Colmenacco it is another 1,5 hours to San Primo.
Great little enoteca in Bellagio: Cavaturacciolo. This is your chance to try some of the greatest Italian wines (Barolo, Amarone, Sfurzat) by the glass. Great "snacks" to accompany the wine and excellent advice on the wines. . http://www.cavaturacciolo.it/home.jsp
Take the kayaks early in the morning to paddle along the shore and get ashore on the small beach just before Helvetia. Then walk over to the little supermarket and get your fresh panini. Buy some extra because you'll have worked up a huge appetite once you are back (and have walked up the stairs again) .
Posted by Cees van der Woude. Posted In :
Hints and Suggestions
June 3, 2010
Jaap's adventures on Lake Como: Now that we finally finished the restauration of Casa3dici, we can
start using it in the way it was ment to be: as a shelter (the spanish
call this Parador and created a chain of lovely hotels in the most
beautifull places all around Spain) to be used when escaping from work
and other less thrilling business in and around the place we live.
To enlargen our possibilities to "live" the lake we thought it a good
idea to get ourselves a little boat, a RIO 500 40HP... Continue reading...
Posted by Cees Van. Posted In :
Hints and Suggestions
May 18, 2010
| We just spent a long weekend painting in Lezzeno with 12 friends from Holland. This time we did not paint the walls. This was ART weekend. We used casa3dici and my sister's house Fitzcarraldo just around the corner. Weather was much better than predicted. One of the friends is an art teacher and did a wonderful job providing useful feedback. First day we painted in the frazione itself. Next day in Villa Melzi (way too many flowers and leaves....). Day 3 we painted in San Giovanni. Here is my ... |
Continue reading...
Posted by Cees Van
May 2, 2010
If you have a navigator in the car, here's another easy way to learn some directional Italian. Switch language and ... "andiamo". Destra, sinistra, lascire autostrada tra otto chilometri, entri in la rotonda ed prendi la terza uscita, arrivato a destinazione. If you get lost, don't worry, Francesca (my patient navigator) will do a recalculo percorso. Unfortunately, you don't learn to spell it right..... Continue reading...
Posted by Cees Van. Posted In :
language
April 4, 2010
During your stay in casa3dici you may notice this small sign in the kitchen. Way back in the 80ies, Jaap and I studied in Utrecht and shared a house. I think this sign was Jaap's very first "dentist drilling" assignment. We had the sign on the door (Ring once for Jaap, twice for Cees). I can assure you Jaap has continued to practice his drilling skills after the door sign and his patients are in very safe hands.....
Posted by Cees. Posted In :
family background
March 20, 2010
Last week my wife and I spent a long weekend in Lezzeno to do some work on the house and garden. Jaap came along for 3 days. Apparently the week before there was still snow, but during our stay the weather was fantastic. We had lunch in the garden everyday. We sawed the remaining wood in the garden and now have enough wood to burn the barbie for the next years. Barbecue to come soon after the gardiniere will have leveled the garden and put grass on which will happen in the coming weeks. With t... Continue reading...
Posted by Cees Van. Posted In :
remodeling
March 4, 2010
Some time ago, when staying in Casa3dici the shops were closed so we did not manage to get panini. However, we still had some pre-packaged sweet dough-ie things. The wrapper shouted these were Più Morbido! Just to make sure, we checked the dictionary to find this did not mean More Deadly but merely that they were now Even Softer. Oh, well, better safe than sorry; we learn every day. Continue reading...
Posted by Cees Van
February 28, 2010
Closest place to do major grocery shopping is in Bellagio. However, for fresh panini, milk, odds-and-ends you might as well support the local smaller stores. There's a tiny store that sells just enough to survive. Walk down to the main street, turn left and go past Restaurant Crotto. It is somewhere in the block on your right hand side. Hard to explain how to get to this hidden place from there. I suggest you wait and follow a hungry-looking local person. My sister had told us you just enter ... Continue reading...
Posted by Cees Van. Posted In :
Hints and Suggestions
February 18, 2010
You can enjoy a nice view virtually everywhere around Como Lake. But it is hard to find a better view than the one at Trattoria Baita Belvedere in Chevrio where you seem to hang over the mountain edge overlooking Bellagio and the three branches of the lake. As is the case in most agriturismi type restaurants, the food is fantastic too. If you want to work up an appetite, you should park the car at the Tabbaccharia that is on your right just before getting to Bellagio. From the parking you ca... Continue reading...
Posted by Cees Van. Posted In :
Hints and Suggestions
February 13, 2010
Last Christmas we stayed at casa3dici. My sister and her family were also in Lezzeno. We got snowed in the first couple of days but, mama mia, did it look nice outside! Best memory: Christmas morning 11:00 o'clock: Washing down fresh oysters (from Zeeland of course) with a good Prosecco with family and Italian neighbors. What more can you wish for?
By the way, Christmas and New Years weeks are still available for 2010 and beyond! Continue reading...
Posted by Cees Van. Posted In :
Hints and Suggestions
|
About Me
| Cees van der Woude |
| Ritthem, Netherlands |
My wife and I co-own casa3dici with the Zwaan family living in Italy.
|
|
