Italy > Lake Como

I slept very well. In the hotel’s basement, breakfast is ready. After breakfast, we leave the key in the room door and close the door behind us. We set the navigation to Italy. It is still a drive of over eight hours. It is Saturday, and many people in Germany are also going on vacation this weekend. Around Frankfurt, traffic often slows down. Short stops of a few minutes. After we turn off toward Basel, it gets busier. At several traffic junctions, there are traffic jams of several kilometers. We wait patiently. Around half past one, we cross the border into Switzerland. Through Basel, we drive to Lucerne. Before the Gotthard Pass, signs warn of a delay. This turns out to be less serious. Through the sixteen-kilometer-long Gotthard Tunnel, we drive to the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Not much later, we enter Italy. We cross the border in one of the southernmost areas of Switzerland. Soon we reach the exit to Como. Como lies on the south side of the lake of the same name. The city has a maze of small streets. Fortunately, the navigation knows the way. North of the city, we follow the route along the lake. We drive from village to village. Actually, it is one continuous strip of buildings. We often pass houses so close together that two cars cannot pass each other. It takes careful attention and consideration of oncoming traffic, at every bend. To our left, we see the blue water of Lake Como. Together with the villages on the other side of the lake, it is a beautiful sight.

Italy - Lake Como viewed from Nesso

Around six o’clock, we enter Nesso, a historic village on the edge of the lake. We follow the narrow streets in the village. Because the village is built against the steep slope, we sometimes have to take sharp turns. We are not staying overnight in Nesso. From Nesso, we drive into the mountains via a road with hairpin bends. High above the lake lies Zelbio. Our hotel is here. The public parking lot at the hotel is full. The owner is fine with us double-parking the car. On the terrace, we order a drink. Wonderful after a long day of driving. We also decide to eat in the hotel restaurant. There is not much choice in this small village. We are not sure if there are any other dining options. The restaurant is busy. We estimate that many local people from the village come here. After dinner, we walk through the narrow streets and passages. Children play hide and seek in the narrow alleys.