The belief is that while in Rome, the eternal city, if one throws a coin in Trevi Fountain, it shall ensure a return to the city. Remember "Three Coins in the Fountain", the 1954 movie with its vastly popular theme song sung by The Four Aces?
On my first three visits to Rome, I threw a coin each time and returned for a fourth time. I threw a coin on that trip too but haven't been back to Rome. Akhila and I, while on a holiday in Monaco, did make a day trip to Sanremo on the Italian Riviera in 2018 so could that be attributed to the coin since we did visit Italy? There was, of course, no coin throwing on that trip so we should have been through with the country.
Not so. This summer, we had to get away from Delhi. Jaipur was a no-no with our house undergoing renovation. Various options were discussed and we finally settled on a two-week sojourn to North Italy, a region I had not seen. Ruchir took up the planning and said he would join us for a week. We asked Gaurav to come with family but he said he couldn't get away though Shumita and the boys could join us. So plans were made for 1-15 June.
The trip took off with an Air India flight from Delhi to Milan on 1 June. After a 45 minute drive from Milan airport, by midnight we were at our hotel, Villa d'Este, located in a town called Cernobbio on the banks of Lake Como. Ruchir had already got there earlier.
We spent the next six days exploring the area extensively beginning with our hotel itself. The main building is surrounded by parks sprawling over 25 acres. The property has its origins dating back to 1578 when it was developed as a residence for a Cardinal. It was converted into a hotel in 1873. A book about the hotel had an interesting line: "George Washington did not sleep here but Alfred Hitchcock did!" Elizabeth Taylor's love affair with Richard Burton blossomed here with Liz, according to the famous director, Mike Nichols (The Graduate), attempting to hide her identity by wearing a large hat all the time.
For me, the most fascinating part of the hotel was the magnificent "Mosaic Garden" also known as the Nymphaeum. The lush green lawn adorned with multiple-coloured flowers, some of them gigantic, leads to a small pool after which a few steps take one to a dozen marble structures representative of Italian Renaissance art. The path is decorated with colourful pebbles and a 50-metre climb leads to the statue of Ercole (Hercules) below old fort ruins and a tall bell tower which is a typically common feature of the area.
Another unique feature was the floating swimming pool which was brilliantly lit at night.
Lake Como is a huge lake, the third largest but deepest in Italy, covering an area of 147 sq. kms. It is shaped like an inverted Y with the three arms meeting at the town of Bellagio. The lake is said to be the oldest holiday retreat dating back to Roman times. A boat ride is a must and with gusty winds, there is a swell which, with the vastness of the lake, makes one feel as if one is at sea. Our first boat ride was a round trip for one hour and the lake seemed endless. We sailed feasting our eyes on romantic villas and luscious green waterfront promenades. The boat Coxswain proudly pointed out world-famous hotels with exquisite names as we passed them by. There was Villa Passalacqua, the 24 suites of which have centuries old original frescoes and ceiling carvings, a 200-year old greenhouse and floral parasols. This is a new hotel which started functioning in 2022, was voted as Europe's Best Hotel in 2023 and World's Best Hotel in 2024. Another hotel belonging to the same owners is the famous Grand Hotel Tremezzo located just opposite Bellagio which is home to Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni located right on the waterfront.
Apart from hotels, the Coxswain pointed out houses belonging to celebrities like George Clooney and Gianni Versace. And then there were villas where popular films like 'Casino Royale' and 'Star Wars' and TV serials like 'Succession' and 'Made in Heaven' were shot.
There is a marriage venue too where our own Deepika Padukone/Ranveer exchanged wedding vows.
We had a meal in most of these hotels which boast of Michelin star chefs. Being vegetarians, we provided them with a different challenge which they took on quite sportingly!
We made two land trips, the first to the nearby city of Como on the southwest end of the lake centred on Piazza Cavour with a big lakeside promenade. After roaming around and visiting the famous Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore, we followed our lunch with delicious gelato at a gelataria highly recommended by our driver.
The second trip was across the border to the Swiss city of Lugano by the side of the lake of the same name. We went up a hill to Restaurant Montalbano for lunch and savoured a beautiful panoramic view of the lake and the picturesque valley.
I had invited our friends we made last year in Zurich, Natasha and Adrian, to come and have a meal with us. Very sportingly they obliged and came all the way and we had dinner at restaurant Veranda at our hotel. There was a three-man combo playing soft music and I remembered Natasha telling me that their son had studied with the grandson of Domenico Modugno who originally sang "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu" which was made popular in English by Dean Martin as "Volare". We requested the Combo to play it which they promptly did. Another request was made for "Buona Sera" and the band obliged again.
On Saturday night after dinner, we walked into the hotel bar with a young two-person band, a boy and a girl, singing popular songs. Here my request was for "Gloria" and "La Bamba" which were duly played much to the delight of all with many taking to the dance floor.
Sunday morning and our Lake Como visit came to an end. At noon, Ruchir went off to Zurich to catch his flight to New York and we took a car to Florence for the second part of our holiday.The week would transform into an unforgettable dream.
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