We rented an apartment in the town of Sala Comacina. Our flat was right on the lake, with a massive terrace. Never knowing when children will cut a day short, we wanted a home base with amazing views. (First two photos below were taken from our terrace.)
Mornings we watched the sun come up - lighting up the mountains, and in the evenings once kids were in bed we dined on the terrace and watched the sun set while we sipped bottles of Italian red.
We spent the first day exploring towns across the lake - Bellagio and Varena. We traveled via water taxi, cheers-ing our juice box wines and pointing out hillside villas, each one more ridiculous and over the top than the last. We meandered the cobblestone towns stopping for lunch, playgrounds, gelato, drinks, and more gelato.
Jenevieve had the great idea of swapping turns babysitting for each other so one night Marco and I got to enjoy a fancy dinner at the base of our village right on the lake.
We visited Villa de Balbianello, famously featured in the James Bond film Casino Royale. We wandered their gardens but then had to cut the villa tour short (read: children).
We stopped at lake side restaurants for pizza and gelato. We pulled over in George Clonney's village to get a close peek at his famous villa.
On our last full day there, we took a day trip to Lake Lugano, Switzerland. I was sweaty-palmed and grew more and more light headed as the car climbed the tiny roads to the town of Monte Bre, high up a mountain. Marco and Jenevieve giggled at my sad state as Marco continued his thrilling drive. We did a challenging walk and ended with a picnic high above the lake.
Travelling with children can be at points frustrating and even exhausting but if you slow your pace, plan a bit ahead, and try not to cram too much into a day (I like a loose itinerary) it really can be quite special to travel as a family.
Having Simone with us on our journey I have learned to slow my roll and take it all in. I can put down the camera and iPhone and sit back and sip my cocktail (for the five minutes that she lets me). If it weren't for baby wake-ups at 5:30 am we wouldn't have caught those killer sunrises, or taken a pre-breakfast walk along The Greenway trail.
Cliché alert: One of my favorite trips to date. Seriously, what a breathtaking holiday spot. I hope my photos do it a bit of justice.
