Isola Bella

While vacationing on Lake Como last May, we took a day trip over to Lake Maggiore to visit the three islands on the lake.  We made our way to the city of Stresa where there were plenty of boats that transport tourists to the three islands.  In this post I'll show you parts of the amazing villa on Isola Bella.

The villa was built by Carlo III of the Borromeo family in honor of his wife Isabella D'Adda.  The island's name Isola Bella was also to honor his wife.

He must have loved his wife very much because this was the most amazing villa.  It was huge and frankly a bit over the top in many ways.

In this post, I'll feature some of the rooms but, I'll have to post several other photos in different posts to cover some special features and the unbelievable garden.

The first photo was taken outside the villa and the next two are of the reception room.  This room made me think of the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington DC.  It was that big with it's own rotunda and dome.

There were paintings by Carracci, Cerano and Tiepolo that literally covered the walls of one room.

There was a music room that featured a beautiful inlaid piano-forte.

There was a tapestry hall with the walls covered in fine tapestries with an assortment of mythical scenes on them.

The bedrooms were bigger than my entire house with marble floors and marble tables.  And, of course huge chandeliers.  

Every room and every corner was decorated with statues, paintings and amazingly carved marble walls.

Keep in mind that I've only shown you a few of the rooms.  This villa was absolutely huge.

Next week I'll show the throne room which I think had to be the most over-the-top room of all.  You'll want to see it.

The Call of the Sea

Obviously, I'm wishing I was still by the sea with that cool and refreshing sea air blowing in my face. That has to be why I was drawn to posting some photos from southern California today.  I took long walks either on the beach or on the higher paths above the beach where I could look down on the waves meeting the rocks.

Or, I could telephoto over to a rocky outcropping where the jet black cormorants have taken up residence.  You can tell from the color of those rocks that they have pretty much made this their home for a very long time.

From the beach, I had fun watching the sand pipers running in and out of the water and carefully picking tiny bits up from the sand.

When I wasn't chasing the birds, I was watching as the waves crashed against the various rocky places making huge, foamy splashes.

When I saw sailboats on the horizon, I would try to get a good telephoto shot.  They always tend to be a bit fuzzy from taking them hand-held, but I take them anyway.

I also tend to get far away from the maddening crowds, especially on Saturday or Sunday when the beach seems to explode with humanity all crowded together in one spot.

Shopping in Milan

The third stop on the 4 hour "Highlights of Milan" tour was at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.  It has to be the world's most beautiful shopping mall.  The galleria is an elegant arcade lined with cafes and high-end, designer shops.

People stroll and dine under the huge glass dome and the four branches that radiate from the center.

Our tour guide walked us through the area explaining a bit about its history along the way.

However, that wasn't the only time we visited this grand place. We kept coming back several times to soak up the elegant atmosphere.

Our tour guide did explain one interesting and amusing bit of history.  The floor of the mall contains four mosaics that represent the coat of arms of the four capitals of the historic kingdom of Italy, Rome, Florence, Turin and Milan.  It happens that the symbol of Turin is a bull and a generously endowed bull is depicted on the coat of arms.  Soon after the floor's installation, people began to think that the bull's rather large genitals would bring good luck and men began to spin around, counter-clockwise, three times with their heel on said genitals.  Well, as you can imagine, the mosaic tiles soon wore out and consequently, the bull has been savagely neutered, so to speak.  However as you can see from this photo, the superstition still persists.  People still spin on the vacant spot on the bull's anatomy.  Our guide suggested that if we tried it, we might wish for the bull to be restored to his original robust masculinity.

On our last evening in Milan, when we strolled through the galleria once again, a young pianist was performing under that magnificent glass dome.   It was a wonderful way to celebrate our last visit to this gorgeous place.

The "Apple" is Everywhere

One evening while strolling around the beautiful streets of Milan, I peeked down one street and saw this gorgeous fountain.  I walked closer to get a photo and noticed that the fountain was cascading water right next to a glass wall.

The following night, I ended up having dinner at a restaurant in the same plaza where that fountain was located only on the other side.  So imagine my surprise when I discovered that the fountain was part of the Apple Store.  In fact, it was one of the entrances to the store.

That has to be one of the most elaborate and expensively designed Apple stores I've ever seen.  And, I thought the new one they built in Scottsdale was impressive.  Clearly the Apple Corporation has money to spare.

La Scala

A few weeks ago, I posted about seeing Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper in Milan Italy and I mentioned that in order to get to see it, I scheduled a four hour "Highlights of Milan" tour.  The second stop on that tour was at the world famous opera house, La Scala.

Our group was shown the beautiful lobby with it's crystal chandeliers.

And then, taking four of us at a time, we entered a box to see the inside of the theatre.  There was a rehearsal going on at the time so the theatre was dark and the stage well lit.  However you can still see what this wonderful theatre looks like inside.

Here is a closer look at those actors  working on an upcoming opera.

After everyone in our group got a peek inside the theatre, we explored the museum inside the building where we saw a grand assortment of memorabilia from the operas of the past.

There were also numerous portraits of various opera stars, musicians and composers.  Above is Maria Callas and to the left is Guiseppe Verdi.

It was a great opportunity to see the inside of one of the most famous theaters in the world.

Quick Stop in the Oregon Wine Country

When I go to the Oregon Wine Country with Julie and Dave, they always make a stop in the town of McMinnville for either lunch or dinner at a tapas restaurant called La Rambla.  You can see their street sign in the photo above.

It was my second meal at this place when we visited last May and I can see why Julie and Dave have made this a "must-stop" whenever they go to Oregon.  The food is delicious,  authentic Spanish cuisine and the atmosphere in the restaurant is beautiful.

I love the look of the bar with it's beautiful peacocks framing the back wall.

But, I must say it's the town itself that appeals to me.  It just seems like the perfect little all-American town.  It's warm and friendly and has the most appealing main street.

I snapped this shot in February of 2018 when I was there the first time.  It gives a clearer picture of that main street after the trees have shed their leaves.  I would love to return here and explore this city much more.  I bet it has quite a lot to offer a visiting wine lover or any explorer.  

Grand Hotel Tremezzo

One of my favorite events on my recent trip to Italy was the day we had lunch at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo.  The building is a grand Art Nouveau palazzo that was so stunningly beautiful that I think I walked around saying "wow" every time I entered a different room.  We went there the same day we were taking the private tour of Lake Como so we arrived at the boat dock in front of the hotel via a private boat.  That was a perfect way to arrive at such an elegant hotel and certainly lent a special status to our little party of travelers.  We were greeted at the dock and then shown to a small lift (hidden behind all the greenery) and whisked up to the first floor foyer.

The lobby of the hotel was simply breathtaking with beautifully tiled floors and red velvet furniture and elegant displays of red roses scattered throughout the lobby and all through the hotel.

Beyond the main lobby, a grand staircase added to the atmosphere.  The only thing missing was seeing elegantly gowned ladies escorted by tuxedo clad gentleman descending the stairs.  That would have made the scene befitting of a James Ivory movie.

We were having lunch on the grand patio overlooking the lake so to get there, we were escorted through the bar which looked like something out of a movie set.

After the bar, we entered a lounge that was beautifully decorated in a rainbow of colors.  The sofas and chairs made me think of colorful scoops of sherbet in their lime greens, tasty oranges and luscious raspberries.

Finally we were on the patio where we had a wonderful lunch with views out over the water.  The food was delicious and the service impeccable.  It was truly a special treat to dine here.

I can't help thinking that it would be so exciting to actually stay at this hotel.  I'm afraid I'd have to win the lottery to afford a stay at this wonderful place.  However having lunch there was a perfect taste of bygone era with all the comforts of today's luxuries.

P.S. I just saw that this hotel was named one of the World's Best in Italy by Travel and Leisure Magazine.