“Lake Como,” she said the little name to herself lingeringly. He had described a marble palace amongst cypress trees, had made her feel that she was there with him listening to the lap of the water, the singing of a nightingale, the love serenade of a boatman on the lake.” ~Anya Seton, Dragonwyck

Today we woke to the incredible view of Lake Como from our balcony, and as an extra treat a hot air balloon was slowly making its way across the landscape.

We ate breakfast and waited at the hotel private dock with this view for our private boat to arrive to take us around Lake Como.

The view was incredible, the weather forecast was wrong and the sun shone on our day. We passed small and large homes that dotted the landscape. Each view was picture-perfect.

“The creator made Italy from designs by Michelangelo.” ~Mark Twain

The magical beauty of the day continued while our driver Michele stopped at Villa del Balbianello. If that name is not romantic enough on its own. The villa began as a Franciscian monestary and passed hands during the centuries, when the owner died in 1974 he left the villa and a large endowment to pay for its upkeep.to the National Trust of Italy. It is one of the most visited sites in Italy, and was used during the filming of one of the Star Wars movies and the new Casino Royale movie.

Romance was in the air/

We stopped briefly at the town of Bellagio to shop and walk the steep cobbled steps to the shop. Then we dined at a terrace in the sun overlooking Lake Como, where we learned a little about Gary and Peggy’s name, Persico, from the menu.

“In America, one must be something, but in Italy, one can simply be.” – Pietros Maneos

“How beautiful is sunset, when the glow of Heaven descends upon a land like thee.” ~ P. B. Shelley