Wednesday, 13 March, 2019
Day #55 of our 2019 Italian adventure fell on a Wednesday, the sky was a deep blue and I had a car, this called for a . . .
ROAD TRIP!
But to where?
Using my Italy for the Gourmet Traveler book written by Fred Plotkin as my guide, I came up with two options.
I could head south to visit three small towns that are near each other, Robbio, Mortara and Vigevano or I could head north to explore Chiavenna in the Alps and Lecco on Lago di Como.
I opted for the Alpine excursion.
The drive was long but uneventful except for the constant view of the . . .
. . . beautiful Alps in the distance
After two and 1/2 hours behind the wheel,
I finally arrived in Chiavenna
I had to make the classic economic choice between time and money today. I could have made this journey for free via my travel pass but that would have required a three and 1/2 hour train ride with three separate train transfers.
I opted to pay for the gas for the quicker drive that included the possibility of stopping along the way if anything of interest caught my eye.
Chiavenna is located in the northern-most part of Lombardia on the Swiss border. This region of Italy is known as the Valtellina and is visually stunning!
Part of Chiavenna's old train station
where I parked my car
I has hungry and an interesting looking Ristorante was about 50 meters from my parking spot.
It looked good and the prices were
in my price range, so I entered
Gnocchi alla Chiavennasca
It was AMAZING!
This dish was made up of white gnocchi with potatoes, cheese and butter and it was . . .
OH, SO GOOD FOR ME TOO!
Feeling fat and sassy, I was in need of a little exercise to wear off my great lunch.
Time to explore Chiavenna . . .
Interesting Enoteca
Chiavenna is surrounded by the Alps
Majestic but no snow after all of
our good weather the last two months
This observation point looked
interesting but I wasn't up for the climb
My first stop was at the Collegiate of San Lorenzo whose origins date back to the 5th-century. The current church dates back to 973 A.D.
Ornate
San Lorenzo's Bell Tower
There were lots of interesting
murals inside San Lorenzo . . .
. . . like this one
Every space was filled with art
A simple side altar
San Sebastian
Low on self-esteem, San Sebastian took a job as a target at an archery range in Rome in 288 A.D.
They are accusing me of WHAT?
San Lorenzo's main altar
A good looking organ at
the rear of San Lorenzo
The view from the courtyard
of San Lorenzo
San Lorenzo's courtyard
Love the skull in San Lorenzo's
splendid arcade
There is that observation point
but I still opted to not scale to
the heights of Chiavenna
Chiavenna's small castle
Chiavenna's City Hall
The sun was indeed shining today
A shop that specializes in
intricate embroidery
Who doesn't love a good
spitting fountain?
One of Chiavenna's many piazzas
The Adda River runs through
Chiavenna
Same river, different view
A saint standing guard on a bridge
spanning the Adda River
The Wild Man's Trattoria
Loving that name!
GREAT door bell!
The Dr. Dessert's Pharmacy
Dr. Dessert?
Dr. Dessert's interesting light
fixture above its entryway
A quiet street in Chiavenna
A gelato sounded good
I bought an orange and coconut
gelato at this busy gelateria
I believe that it was my first gelato experience of the year and it hit the spot perfectly!
Why is he pointing over there?
Oh, I see, a little hill top bell
tower in the village of Madesimo
caught his eye
Art in the Chiavenna train station
A last look at the old train station
It was now time to start driving back towards Varese but I had one more stop to make.
The view from Lecco of the
Lago di Como
Lecco, as you can imagine,
is a gorgeous lakeside city
Lecco's memorial to their
casualties of the World Wars
Is that Santa's boat in the foreground?
Swans and ducks living together
What a lovely spot this will become
in about another six weeks
The Basilica of St. Nicholas
Lecco's Basilica is Romanesque in style and has been standing here since the 11th-century with multiple renovations to be sure over the past millennia.
On one of the Basilica's side doors
The Basilica is HUGE inside
The Basilica's relatively recent
addition, this neo-Gothic Bell Tower,
was built in 1904
What can I say, it was just another fantastic day in Lombardia!
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