LIFE: Lake Como

SARONNO, Italy - On these hot summer days I can't think of a better place to be than Lake Como. With the temperatures heading toward the 90's, a friend of mine, from my Conde' Nast days and I decided to take the ferry to Cernobbio and have lunch at the opulent Grand Hotel Villa d'Este.

 Small Corner of Lake Como

The restored villa is set in a large Italian Renaissance garden, complete with a rippling waterfall that starts at the fountain of Hercules and ripples down a stone staircase. Inside, the villa is furnished with exquisite museum quality antiques and crystal chandeliers. 

With the sun high in the sky, we decided to have lunch under the tall chestnut trees on the Villa’s lake front terrace. We picked a lakeside table with a view of the sapphire blue water, and with the sound of the lake softly lapping against the shore, how could we not get caught up in the magic of this sweet dolce vita. 

 Villa d'Este, Lake Como

In the mid-afternoon we took the ferry north, along the west side of the lake to visit the Villa Carlotta. In the spring, large buses filled with tourists from Europe and beyond line the narrow road in front of the villa. It’s not just the lure of the pink and white villa that brings them here, but the gardens, that are spectacular in their spring finery of camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. 

Villa Carlotta, Lake Como

The Villa was a wedding gift from the Prussian princess, Princess Marianna to her daughter Carlotta. The Villa Carlotta is just about mid-way around the lake, at the Tremezzo/Cadenabbia ferry stop, where the lake is at its widest and most beautiful. Here the sparkling water is framed by the mountains that hug the border between Italy and Switzerland, opening up from the spur that makes up the inverted Y shape of the lake.

In the days before World War II, Cadenabbia was one of the favorite watering holes for sun-starved northern Europeans. At the historic Hotel Rodrigo, the guest list read like a who's who in Italian and European nobility. With pure silk sheets on the beds, and the reputation for having the best dining room in the area, it was a favorite of Britain’s Edward VIII, who would bring Wallis Simpson here for lunch and romantic afternoon trysts. While the hotel has been closed for several years, the   building has been declared a national treasure. 

Approaching Cadenabbia, Lake Como

The beauty and languorous melancholy of Lake Como continues to attract lovers from all around the world. It was rumored that Prince Charles secretly rendezvoused with Camilla at Castello Maresi in nearby Griante when he was still married to Diana. The rumor was hotly denied by castle employees. 

The pink fairy-tale Castello Maresi sits behind heavy wrought iron gates in a lush, flower filled park-like estate facing Lake Como and the promontory of Bellagio. The tall towers, turrets and a high stone wall add to the castle's secluded romantic atmosphere. 

 The Lucia, traditional boat of Lake Como

From the ferry dock in Tremezzo it is only a short ride across the lake to Bellagio. The town is anchored at one end by the white neoclassic Villa Melzi known for its exquisite gardens and at the other end by the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, playground of the rich and famous. 

Small boutiques and art galleries line the winding cobblestone streets and the old arcades, cafes and ferry jetties give the waterfront a fin de siècle air. Stendhal, who considered Bellagio the most beautiful place in the world, spent his happiest summers here enjoying opera, fighting duels and falling in love. 

During the 18th century the Russian upper classes, the charming and sentimental figures familiar from the pages of Chekhov and Tolstoy, made the hotel their own. Guests coming down to breakfast would often see the Empress of Russia, Prince Metternich or Queen Victoria buttering their toast in the hotel dining room. The Hotel Serbelloni still has an aristocratic air about it. 

Sunset, Lake Como

With the sun starting to set behind the mountains, it was time to board the ferry boat and return to Como. Standing at the rail, watching as the lake unfolded before us, the light soft and sheer, it was easy to see why, since the days of the Romans, all who pass fall this way fall in love with Lake Como. 

For the latest in fashion news, views and now photos from the fashion capital of the world - follow me on twitpic.com/Italianlife

What's Auntie Pasta up to now? Tune in on Thursday and find out.

AUNTIE PASTA: La Cucina Deliziosa

COMO, Italy - Lake Como is not the place people usually travel to for the food.

 Via Balbianello, Lake Como

The lure of the sapphire blue water, seductive picture perfect landscapes and the heady scent of jasmine and honeysuckle tend to conjure up thoughts of love and romance, not fish and risotto. But in a 13th century stone tower in the medieval heart of the town of Como a small revolution is taking place, a culinary revolution led by Chef Stefano Visini. It is no accident that he chose such an old building for his restaurant for the 40 year old Como native is a traditionalist - of sorts.

 Chef Stefano Visini

The morning I went to Como to interview Chef Visini the sun was so bright sparks of light were jumping off the surface of the water. And as large white ferryboats transported locals and tourists up and down the Y shaped lake, Visini and his staff were busy in the restaurant’s tower kitchen prepping food for the mid-day crowd. The Chef was preparing swordfish, sturgeon and salmon that would appear on the lunch menu as a trio of smoked fish with a sauce of raspberry purée and fresh ginger. His assistant was busy shelling fresh fava beans and toasting pancetta that would be used later, along with pecorino cheese di fossa, in a fresh pasta dish.

“I use the classics as a starting point much the same way architects use basic construction principles,” he says, “but then my creativity kicks in and I’m off and running, or off and cooking actually. I totally enjoy what I do, and what I enjoy most is coming up with new and unexpected tastes for my clientele.”

It was at a private celebration at the legendary Villa Balbianello that Chef Visini had the opportunity to flex his creative culinary muscles. Often cited as the most magical residence in all of Italy, the villa was featured in the classic film ‘A Month by the Lake’ starring Uma Thurman and Vanessa Redgrave. Built at the end of the 16th century by an important Renaissance Cardinal, the loggias, terraces and buildings that cascade down the slopes of a lush, dark green promontory to the lake provided the perfect setting for the Chef to create his culinary magic.

 Lake Entrance to Villa Balbianello, Lake Como

“It was every chef’s dream,” says Visini, “a private party for 150 guests set in one of the most beautiful places in the world with the added bonus of an unlimited budget.”

The guests were ferried from Como on a private yacht, and as they climbed the torch lit stone stairway to the villa’s terrace, which is slightly larger than a tennis court, they were handed flutes of ice cold Champagne ‘Pol Roger Brut Reserve. Waiters dressed as sea captains then offered a selection of appetizers. Marinated salmon with spicy caramelized pineapple; a salad of shrimp, asparagus and tiny new fava beans; and a tomato gelee’ with mussels and spring onion are only three of the eight appetizers that were served, each on their own individual sterling silver spoon.

Handsome Waiters

When the guests were called to table, the multi-course menu started with an antipasto of sea bass filets flavored with Martini Dry, served on a bed of braised red onions and accompanied by river shrimp and a sauce of raspberries and fresh ginger. The two primi piatti were shrimp and lobster ravioli in a lobster sauce, followed by a creamy fish risotto served with tiny candied tomatoes and a puree of fresh peas. The secondo, or main course, was a rosette of veal wrapped in paper-thin slices of Lardo di Colonnata, served with Chanterelle mushrooms, and fresh asparagus spears drizzled with a delicate Madeira sauce.

Tomato Gelee' Appetizer

As the golden moon moved across the star lit summer sky, waiters began serving the caravan of deserts, one more sumptuous than the other. A dense chocolate cream with orange sauce came first, followed by an eggcup of wild strawberries marinated in 80-year-old balsamic vinegar, served with a vanilla and bourbon sauce and a miniature aspic of linden honey. Next came a mousse of fresh mangos, served on a bed of tropical fruits and garnished with fresh coconut curls. Crème caramel topped flaky little butter cookies, and that was followed by seven more delights plus an assortment of delicate miniature pastries.

 Ristorante Visini

"I used several classic Italian recipes in the Villa Balbianello menu,” says Visini, “for example, strawberries marinated in aged balsamic vinegar have been part of our cuisine since the dish was first served to Italian princes during the Renaissance. I added the bourbon, vanilla sauce and honey aspic just to give the dish an extra kick. And the candied cherry tomatoes are my version of a centuries old Sicilian tradition of serving the tiny tomatoes with honey.”

 Pastries from Ristorante Visini

As impressive as the menu was, I was even more impressed that all the food for the party was prepared in the restaurant’s tiny kitchen and transported to the villa by boat. But Visini assures me that it is normal operating procedure, and that he is used to working in tight spaces. “However, it can get a little tricky sometimes,” he admitted as he looked around his shiny second floor kitchen.

 Interior of Ristorante Visini

An amazing amount of food is produced in that small kitchen. Not only does it serve as the main kitchen for Ristorante Visini, but it is also the headquarters of Visini's catering operation and the heart of the rosticceria, which sells food to take out, and the pasticceria or pastryshop. Corrado Visini, the chef's brother, is the wine steward and keeps the operation stocked with a large assortment of really good wine.

 Chef Visini

Later that afternoon the Chef and I sat at an outdoor table in front of the restaurant and talked about food.

“Travelers don’t really think about food when they are in Como,” he said, “they come here and eat pretty ordinary stuff. The draw is the beauty of the lake and the charm of the town. But I want to change that. I want people to go home with more than just wonderful visual memories of their visit; I want them to have wonderful taste memories as well. And years from now, when they are reminiscing about the great time they had in Como, I want them to say, “. . . . . and remember that meal we had at the Ristorante Visini, now that was really something special.

 
Ristorante Visini
Antica Torre dei Mercanti
Via Ballerini 9 (Around the corner from Coin dept. store)
22110 Como  Tel. +39 031 242 760
Email: info@visini.it http://www.visini.it/

LIFE: My Best Friend

My Best Friend and her husband

SARONNO, Italy - After a whirlwind two week visit my best friend flew back to the USA on Friday. The house seems strangely empty without her. The other day we figured out that we have been friends for more than 50 years. We met when we were just kids in school and have been sharing the changes in our lives ever since those long ago days. We promised to be "old ladies together forever", and so we are.

For me, she is the sister I never had, for her, I am the sister she never had to live with. As young marrieds our kids were the first in our town to have “two” mothers, although she did more actual mothering than I ever did.

Fisherman's Island, Lago Maggiore

We’ve been down many a long road together, often living miles and oceans apart, but always connected. From the onset I was the adventurous one, the one who always had to know what was around the corner and over the hill. She was more settled, content to stay and be nurtured by her family and friends.

But it wasn’t that she didn’t dream of far-away places too. California was high on her list. As far back as high school she talked about wanting to see San Francisco and years later when I moved there I was very disappointed that she never came to see me. I was living in the city of her dreams and yet the idea of flying across America, even with her husband, was apparently a bit too overwhelming. Knowing that, you can understand why making this trip to Italy by herself was such a momentous event - for both of us.

Milan's Cathedral

I remember how uneasy I felt when she moved from our home town to a house on a river in upstate New York and back again, and then, after her husband died another move, this time alone to Buffalo, New York to be near her youngest daughter and help out with the grandchildren.

Galleria, Milan

Without a doubt there was a little part of me that needed her to be in place, a touchstone that I could return to every now and again and maybe a little part of her needed me to bring the world to her. In the end it never really mattered. Our friendship has endured decades in spite of, or maybe because of our differences.

Santa Margherita Ligure, Italian Riviera

Through the years she has followed my moves from one town and country to another, most with unpronounceable names. She has tried to imagine what tapperelle look like, questioned why we have bidets and marveled at living in a place where you can go to Switzerland for lunch and be home before dark.

Rapallo, Italian Riviera

So now she has seen all of those things and more. She has traveled to the Italian Riviera and stood at the edge of the Mediteranean Sea. She has walked the shores of Lake Como and understands why George Clooney bought a house there. She's ridden on buses and trolleys, funiculares that go up steep hills, subways that whizz along the underbelly of a city, boats that skim along deep blue lakes and trains that take you along the edges of the snow capped pre-alps of Switzerland. With constant good humor she experienced just about every form of public transportation known to modern man and survived. No small feat for someone who hasn't been on public transportation since she was 14 years old. 

Lake Lugano, Switzerland

In my heart I know she will never make this trip again and she knows I probably won’t make it back to the States any time soon, so this is a very difficult moment for both of us. I'm going to miss her. She makes me a better person and I, hopefully, expand her world. But it’s more than that. We have a deep and lasting connection that will endure no matter where we are and when we are no more.

Saronno

“This is our last day,” she said to me on Thursday morning, “we have to enjoy it.” And so we did. 

Photos: Some of the places we visited.