The next day we left Cinque Terra, returning to Milan by train, and then connected with a fast one hour train to Varenna on beautiful Lake Como. From there we took the ferry across Cadenabbia Griante.
Lake Como is the beautiful setting for many small Italian villages, all of which are a short ferry ride from Cadenabbia Griante. From here you can hike or bike around the steep foothils of the Italian alps, or take sightseeing excursions to Menaggio, Bellagio and other villages.
Getting around Cadenabbia, Chapel San Martino high on the hill were we hiked our first day encountering some of our friends along the trail.
View from San Martino
Our all day ferry ride to the end of lake and back, lots of sail on the lake.
Breakfast on the lake at La Marianna
The Bed & Breakfast “La Marianna”.
In the year 1853 the newly wedded lady Marianna opened together with her husband the inn “La Marianna” in the street “Strada Regina” along the lakeside. The old house of stone was next to the coach house of the villa Margherita, where Giuseppe Verdi was composing “La Traviata”, and situated perfectly for those who came from both Como and Lugano by carriage or even on foot. Also for the “comballi” (authentic local boats) which distributed the merchandise over the lake there was a convenient pier. This pier also attracted fishermen that wanted to drink a glass of “nostranino” (local spirit) and eat a plate of arborella (a local fish) either fried or on carp.
In this way the inn became famous and work was guaranteed, so it passed on from mother to daughter, etc., until the early 1990’s. Then it became easier to find work in Switzerland with better salaries and less worries, and so the owners decided to sell the inn. However the inn remained for sale and closed for almost a decade.
July 2001 the small hotel has been reopened to the public after a few months of renovation which have made it possible to offer all the conveniences of a 3 star hotel. The atmosphere is both a bit old fashioned and a bit modern; just a few rooms, all with private bathroom and furnished in another way using the furniture of the “old Marianna”.
The owner Paola, together with her husband Tiziano and their children Marta, Carlotta and Giacomo have been the hosts of Menaggio’s youth hostel for 19 years. With this enormous amount of experience Paola opened the Bed & Breakfast “La Marianna” in 2001.
After a complete reconstruction it reopened July 7th 2001. Its 8 rooms are tastefully decorated and offer a splendid view on the lake, the Bellagio peninsula and the Grigna mountains. The owner, Paola, runs the inn personally and she will await you smiling. At breakfast she treats you with home made bread, jam and cakes. At dinner on request she offers you the possibility to have a simple dish like pasta, salads, piadine, or a plate of cheese and salami, ham, sausage, etc.
On the ground floor you can find the restaurant “la Cucina della Marianna” where Paola’s husband Ty with his partner Antonio offer creations of locally produced seasonal ingredients, with appropriate wines.
| Cadenabbia History and Information – Read about John the Crazy |
Just Walking Together 