A Clandestine Trip to Vernazza on Lake Como

Wednesday, 4 March, 2020

Mischief was in the air but so still was the Coronavirus scare and with good reason too.

The news reported this morning that 27 more people died on Tuesday of the mysterious virus bringing the Italian death total from the Coronavirus to 79 so far.

Regardless, I planned to break out of the Villa Skorpion II bunker, hop into my car and head on a northeasterly path away from embattled Milano, the Italian Coronavirus epicenter, to the colorful old fishing village of Varenna on Lake Como's Lecco branch.

Before my journey really started, I stopped at the Pasticceria Marabelli for the usual morning sustenance. I was told. that I could not eat my chocolate brioche or drink my cappuccino at the bar as usual, I had to have a seat at a table.

Why? I wondered.

AHA! It was part of our newest

war on the Coronavirus guidelines

Bars can no longer serve anything at the bar itself, patrons are asked to be at least one meter away from the work staff and each other at all times. This new guideline keeps patrons a bit farther apart seated than shoulder to shoulder at the bar.

Makes some sense to me.

On to Varenna . . .

Looks like this pink mountainside

has been quarried over the years

I opted to take the scenic, non-toll roads to Varenna to soak up some of the intriguing Lombardia countryside.

After a refreshing 90 minute drive, I arrived at . . .

. . . Varenna on the shores

of Lake Como looking down

the lake's Lecco branch

The palm trees in these northern, alpine latitudes always amuse me.

Varenna has an Alpini headquarters

The Alpini are the elite, fierce mountain fighting units of the Italian army that patrol the country's northern alpine borders.

They are known to wear stylish green felt hats with a large feather attached like the one in this artsy message board glass. Our Skorpion Defensive Line Coach, Giorgio Nardi, served in the Alpini.

Of course, the Varenna Tourist Information

Center, being a government office, was

closed as part of the Coronavirus battle

Lacking the proper guidance, SOURCE PROGRAMABLE GUIDANCE!, this is what little I knew of Varenna.

The houses here in this old fishing village are brightly colored and there is a fine lakeside promenade with good views of both the lake and the village.

It was time to explore the deserted streets of Varenna.

The way down to

the lakeside promenade

The empty centro of Varenna

As expected, Varenna has

a tall church bell tower

that is part of . . .

. . . the Chiesa di San Giorgio

Varenna's World War I Memorial

LOOK AT THE TIME!

It was time for lunch and I was getting hungry but I decided to enter the Chiesa di San Giorgio first.

I liked the look of its pillars

There were good examples of

religious art throughout the chiesa

More murals

A Toulouse-Lautrec like bishop?

Jesus isn't looking too chipper

A skinny lion?

It was a nice church but it was still lunchtime. I needed to find an open dining spot.

To the far left is the

Albergo-Ristorante-Pizzeria del Sole

It turned out that they served a great mushroom risotto. Add in a half liter of house red wine and my simple but delicious meal was almost complete.

A post lunch macchiato at the del Sole made for the perfect ending to this nice dining experience.

Sated, it was time to walk down

to the ballyhooed lakeside promenade

Good thing that Laurie was not

here to see this store with its

enticing aromas of new leather

This was a perfect spot to sit down

and read my book for 20 minutes

Wait, those people behind me on

the lower right of this picture were

enjoying gelato!

I may have some more exploring to do to be sure.

Kids enjoying the lake during the second

week of the Coronavirus school closures

Cool dormant tree

A little snow on the Alps after

last Monday's storm

I had found the open gelateria on the promenade and walked along the lakeside with a small stracciatella and tiramisu cone to help me digest my recent meal.

A nice shot of Lake Como

through this ancient archway

Varenna's ferry boat dock

The the two ferries that serve Varenna will take you across Lake Como to either Bellagio or Menaggio.

An old arch and a newer building

On the walk back to my car I'd decided that a ferry boat ride to Bellagio was in my immediate future.

Varenna as seen from the ferry

The Chiesa di San Giorgio

bell tower in the distance

The snow covered Alps at the far

northern branch of Lake Como

Bellagio was a ghost town. The restaurants and shops were closed as the Coronavirus scare has caused tourism here to plummet drastically.

Thus, I headed home after a good trip to a small fishing village.

As for that book that I was reading by the Lake Como shore . . .

Reading Is FUNdamental!

We have some perverted people in

Italy according to this fascinating book

Reading continues to be a big part of my own personal Coronavirus guidelines.

Back on the Field Tuesday

Tuesday, 3 March, 2020

Things looked better today in Varese.

First, the Public Library re-opened

after being closed for over a week

Of course, all was not as usual

First, Federica the Librarian was seated at a table in the entryway with sanitary wipes. She told me to stop at the doorway until the man in front of me was finished disinfecting his hands.

Once I was again cleansed, I turned left at her table to return my now overdue book and DVD. They did not charge me since they were closed due to the Coronavirus outbreak so I couldn't return them.

I did notice that a large table now sat in front of the return desk to further limit librarian-reader contact.

Note that the nearest librarian station has been completely closed off by use of the high-tech chairs and the equally impenetrable green cloth barrier.

The grotto just outside the library

Another good sign was . . .

. . . the FaceBook publishing of

our Skorpions Varese 2020 schedule

We hope to open our season this coming Sunday afternoon in Savona against the Pirates. We will be allowed to use the locker rooms in Savona's stadium but no fans will be allowed to attend the game.

Let's see how the Coronavirus countermeasures progress in the next few days as it pertains to sporting events.

The Skorpions

PRACTICED TONIGHT!

Laura Latera running the rock

during our Women's flag team training

Women's flag team Pursuit Drill

We had a GREAT turnout and a

sharp workout tonight with the

Prima Squadra

Damn good pass blocking for

QB Mathias Masini

Even though we could not use the locker rooms, I think our players were happy to be back on the field playing the sport that they love passionately.

Now if we can only play a game on Sunday . . .

Our First Real Day of Rain Since I Arrived 51 Days Ago

Monday, 2 March, 2020

The Coronavirus lockdown was still in effect but I just had to get out of my self-imposed bunker.

Then I opened the front door.

For the first time in the 51 days

since I arrived in Varese, we were

experiencing a real rain storm

It was going to be a wet day,

so much for my planned escape

My only sojourn was too the nearby Bar al Semaforo for the mandatory cappuccino, brioche and a look at the local newspaper.

Today's local Coronavirus news updates . . .

In Serie A calcio (soccer), rather than

playing games in stadiums with no

fans allowed inside, six games were

postponed to Wednesday, May 13th

News from our large

international airport

Flights from Bangkok, New York,

Miami and Newark are cancelled

Understandable to keep the USA a bit safer and to not bring more possible cases arriving from Asia.

Even more Asian flights were cancelled

And then there is Italy's budget airline, Easyjet . . .

Cutting one or two weekly flights

per most route should make

a HUGE difference

 Two more international American football tournaments were postponed

In Paris, the Louvre Museum is now

closed for the safety of all

So, it became a stay at home day to do the mundane.

Two loads of laundry were

successfully and efficiently washed

Sweeping the floors, reading and working out a few computer based details for the Skorpions were additional parts of my day.

I was rewarded for my work and patience when I turned on the TV to find . . .

. . . one of my all-time favorite movies

starting and IN ENGLISH!

It was still raining late in the

afternoon outside my balcony

GREAT NEWS!

The Savona Pirates published a game day poster on their FaceBook page today about our contest next Sunday.

GAME ON!

Then the Federation published

a position paper

OK, our game is still a go,

maybe . . .

In a nutshell, the 13 games in DI, DII and DIII (CIF9) that involve at least one team from the Coronavirus infected areas of  Lombardia and the Veneto will indeed be played.

Then there is that last line, siano disputate a porte chiuse.

That means that the stadium doors will remain closed during these games, no fans will be allowed to watch any of the 13 contests.

I sure hope that the players don't breath or sweat on each other during any of these games.

Plan B for transportation to Savona

if we can't find another recliner bus?

As for our practice tomorrow, we have been given, I believe, the green light to use our locker rooms at Skorpion Field.

Of course, the Health Department also said that all people using the locker rooms throughout Lombardia are to keep a minimum of a one meter buffer between themselves.

That should be fun to monitor.

Sometimes, living abroad is not as exciting as you might think.

I have to get out tomorrow, weather permitting.

Another Stay at Home Day

Sunday, 1 March, 2020

Day #7 of the Lombardia Coronavirus Lockdown and also Day #50 living in Italy this year was uneventful.

I did venture out of my bunker for a cappuccino and a delicious creme filled brioche at the Pasticceria Marabelli and then made a quick Esselunga Supermarket run.

The rest of my day was spent . . .

 . . . washing my hands A LOT,

20 seconds at a time with hot water

From what I have read at many reliable sources (no, definitely NOT from Vice President Pence's crackerjack Task Force), it is the top deterrent to the spread of the Coronavirus, not the masks that so many are wearing or donating all my savings to the Paula White ministry.

The rest of my day was brought to me by some excellent BBC telecasts that I do get in English on my Italian TV.

Always a delight

 I love Sherlock Holmes stories

no matter what the era or who

the actors may be

 They played this weekend in

the DI Spanish League

The two teams that I helped coach a few years ago in Spain were the 3-2 Rivas Osos and the 2-3 Murcia Cobras.

Playing a game would best much fun at this point.

A photo from yesterday's

Skorpions practice

What thrills will the start of Week #2 of the Lockdown bring tomorrow?

Who knows, stay tuned . . .

A Rare Saturday Practice on an Even Rarer Leap Day

Saturday, 29 February, 2020

Leap Day, 2020, was celebrated in the Villa Scorpion II as a day to contemplate on the great game of American football.

Today was supposed to be the Opening Day for the Italian DII American football season. Of course, the Coronavirus outbreak put the season on hold and all of this weekend's games had been rescheduled to dates later in the season.

If we have a season.

While "smart working" this morning on my computer, I saw lots of reminders about American football still being played in other leagues in currently uninfected countries.

Turkey is now in full swing

Although I believe that the Sakarya Tatankalari have the Turkish leagues best logo (what's a Tatankalari?), I am a Koç Rams fan having coached three of their linemen over the years in Europe Warriors games.

 

The Osos Rivas continue

to play in Spain

So are the Hell Hounds in Egypt,

David Lassen's favorite Egyptian club

The Pioneers were at it too this

weekend also in Spain

The Skorpions FaceBook page

sent reminders of what we were

missing today due the Coronavirus

 Dylan can flat out RUN!

WR Mozza skillfully avoiding

major contact while "blocking"

for Dylan last year

Our game was cancelled today but we held a practice at Skorpion Field instead after nine days without a workout due to the Health Department's strict restrictions.

Even today, we were not allowed to use our locker rooms. Instead our players changed al fresco on the field.

I think all of our players were happy

to be back playing the game they love

The effort was great today and we had a touch of Skorpion Weather to make things even more fun when it started to drizzle.

We will continue to practice, still sans locker rooms, this coming week as we prepare for a Sunday afternoon game in Savona against the Pirates.

Maybe . . .

First, FIDAF, our National federation, may decide to postpone another round of contests.

Secondly, while the province of Liguria, where Savona is located about 120 miles south of us, is not on lockdown, the city of Savona is. Thus the city of Savona may force a postponement.

Finally, will we be allowed to board a recliner bus with a group of about 50 people for a 240 mile round trip drive in a confined space?

Stay tuned . . .

The Grandkids at Disneyland in

Anaheim, California this week

Pictures like this make me seriously wonder why I'm coaching/living in Italy six months of the year.