Italian villa Archives - Poggio Verde Country Villa

Our delightful driver arrived after breakfast to take the group on yet another wonderful adventure.

The very comfortable Cazzaniga bus

Our view leaving the villa every morning

First stop was Mantero, a silk outlet outside of Como. On first glance the shop looked small but the longer the group was there, the more they realized there was to choose from. In addition to the wide variety of scarves, there were some lovely ties. The ladies made many circles, picking things up and trying them on and eventually settling on a few things. On the way out the group noticed there were workers inside touching up some of the beautiful fabrics by hand.

From there it was a short drive to the restaurant for a nice lunch. After lunch the driver delivered the group to a spot where they could walk through a beautiful old square and along the lake to the funicular. The ride up the side of the mountain provides a beautiful view over Como and the Lake and ends at Brunate, a surprisingly pretty little village above Lake Como.

Brunate turned out to be a lovely little village and on a nice day or with a bit more time it would be worth spending more time exploring the area. It appears there are a number of excellent hikes from there (with stunning views, no doubt). After walking around a bit and visiting the lovely little church, the group decided to stop for a cup of hot cocoa or tea and was happy to find an outdoor cafe with blankets for the customers.

House in Brunate

Getting our bearings

Taking a pause

Floor of the church

Interior of the church

Enjoying some cocoa

After a funicular ride back down (before which a certain 82-year-old female was observed jumping back over the turnstyle when she realized she’d gone through too early, and which happened so fast and so unexpectedly it was not be captured on camera), the group walked back along the lake and reconnected with the bus. A quick decision was made to visit Villa Olmo for a few minutes since it was so close. Despite the cloudy day it was beautiful.

At Villa Olmo on Lake Como

Luigi, whose family has owned the Poggio Verde villa for several generations, had arrived from Milan and he graciously fielded many questions over cocktails and then a lovely dinner of typical Northern Italian specialties.

It was a particularly clear morning and the views toward Milan to the south and Monte Rosa to the northwest were quite something. A quick run was made to Rex Market for picnic provisions (the prosciutto cotto, prosciutto crudo and bresaola from the cured meats section are particularly excellent). Cheese, fruit and wine selections at Rex are also perfect for picnics.

A stunningly clear morning (view to the south)

Cured meats at Rex Market

Monte Rosa in the distance

The 20-minute drive straight north on SS36 goes by Lake Oggiono and Lecco, then it’s helpful to carefully watch for the sign to Piani d’Erna upon exiting the second tunnel after Lecco as it’s easy to miss the exit. The funicular (cable car) takes visitors up several thousand feet in short order and the views over Lake Lecco toward the Grigna mountains are quite beautiful.

It’s a beautiful little walk from the Funicular to the overlook. Brave visitors can also take the walk out to the scary promontory; it drops precipitously for thousands of feet on either side. Back toward the funicular there’s a “Sentiero Natura”, or nature trail, that leads to another beautiful walk. See more photos of Piani d’Erna in a previous post.

Trail to Piani d’Erna

Explanation of the depth of area lakes

The promontory

Climbers coming up another way

Wonderful hiking and picnic at Piani d’Erna above Lake Lecco

Piani d’Erna

View from the Funicular exit at the top

After an hour or two at Piani d’Erna, it’s a good idea to stop in at the excellent Pasticceria Fumagalli in the little town of Barzanò for a gelato, and perhaps to pick up a dessert for dinner. Or if the timing is right for an aperitivo, that’s an excellent choice, as well. The bar snacks are particularly tasty here.

The south terrace outside the kitchen of Poggio Verde Country Villa is such a wonderful spot for gathering and chatting.