Christopher

Well the boat is actually called Fra Cristoforo but never mind. Fra Cristoforo is a character in a novel by Manzoni, the "Promessi Sposi", set at Lake Como.

Today we left Switzerland and returned to Italy, to Menaggio on Lake Como. We can now afford to drink the wine again, not that the cost stopped us drinking wine in Lugano.

Menaggio is about half way up Lake Como, opposite the more famous village of Bellagio. It is good to be back in Italy even though we enjoyed Lugano, but it felt like, and is, a big city. Menaggio instead is a small town, and quite attractive, as well as being hand for other places around Lake Como, either by car or boat.

We arrived about lunch time. Our hotel is very slightly out of Menaggio, up a steep hill. We asked how long it takes to walk down to the town and were told about ten minutes. Well it took us forty five minutes having failed to follow the instructions we were given correctly. Still we will know the way next time. In the evening we returned to our hotel by taxi. It cost ?10, and felt like money well spent.