Casa di Lucia, Lake Como

I’m standing at the window of my second floor room at Casa di Lucia B&B in in Lecco, northern Italy. Below me is a formal Italian garden, and if I lean out further and look to the right, I can catch glimpses of Lake Como.
View from the window at Casa di Lucia's B&B

View from the window at Casa di Lucia’s B&B

Last night, a violent thunderstorm hit the town, dispersing much of yesterday’s humidity and also the hordes of Italian tourists who were here to celebrate Republic Day. This morning the air is fresh and clean, the lake is still again, and almost melancholic. Even the glistening gold statue of San Nicolo, patron saint of Lecco, seems more subdued.
The gold statue of San Nicolo on Lake Como, patron saint of Lecco

The gold statue of San Nicolo on Lake Como, patron saint of Lecco

About 50Km north of Milan, Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down letter Y. Lecco lies on the south-east coast and is less well-known than Como, the lake’s main town, which is on the south-west coast. The picture postcard tourist town of Bellagio lies on the point of the Y in between the two. Surrounded by dramatic rocky mountains which reminded me of the Dolomiti, and dominated by Mount Resegone, Lecco was once famous for its iron and silk production.
The town of Lecco on Lake Como, dominated by Mount Resegone

The town of Lecco on Lake Como, dominated by Mount Resegone

It is also famous as the setting which inspired Alessandro Manzoni to write his masterpiece I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed). Although not well-known outside Italy, the novel is considered one of the greatest European historical novels, though the well-known contemporary Italian writer Umberto Eco claimed “almost all Italians hate it because they were forced to read it in school.” The story tells of two young peasants, Lorenzo and Lucia, who are engaged, but are prevented from marrying by Don Rodrigo, a wealthy local tyrant, who wants Lucia for himself. He sends his thugs to threaten the priest who is supposed to conduct the wedding, the wedding is thwarted and the young couple flee in different directions.
Lucia's boat, a traditional rowing boat in this area, in which she fled

Lucia’s boat, a traditional rowing boat in this area, in which she fled

During their separation they face many dangers including plague, famine and imprisonment in their struggle to be reunited. While I don’t pretend to have read it, I did know the outline of the story before arriving in Lecco.
Statue of the writer Alessandro Manzoni, Lecco - not to be confused with the one who opened  the door at my B&B

Statue of the writer Alessandro Manzoni, Lecco – not to be confused with the one who opened the door at my B&B

So you can imagine my surprise when I rang the doorbell at Casa di Lucia and Alessandro Manzoni answered the door. No kidding. This charming B&B is owned by Alessandro, his wife, Lucia, and his mother Lucia, who lives in the downstairs apartment which opens out onto the elegant garden I can see from my window. I can assure you that Alessandro and Lucia ’s engagement was far happier than Lorenzo’s and Lucia’s. They met when Alessandro was working as an engineer in Padua. Twelve months later, they married and now have a son who is studying to be a mechanical engineer like his father. “All Italian students have to read I Promessi Sposi at school ,” explained his namesake. ”Just as you have to read Shakespeare. “Manzoni is the father of the modern Italian language. In the 1860s, before Italy was unified, we were speaking over 20 different dialects. “It was really only after TV was introduced in the 1950s that we began to speak one language.”
The (disputed) traditional Casa di Lucia, Lecco

The (disputed) traditional Casa di Lucia, Lecco

Later that day I went in search of the original Casa di Lucia in via Lucia which unfortunately wasn’t open to the public. Villa Manzoni, on the other hand, is open to the public. Built before the 18th century in neo-classical style, it winds around a sandstone-column courtyard. The museum extends across ten rooms and was busy with Italian school children when I visited.  I found it rather stuffy but was intrigued by the Sala delle Grisgalie with its three-dimensional monochromatic mythological paintings and colourful Murano chandelier. I was also intrigued to find some first editions and manuscripts relating to the novel in Rooms 9 and 10.
Sala delle Grisgalie with its three-dimensional monochromatic mythological paintings

Sala delle Grisgalie with its three-dimensional monochromatic mythological paintings

Lake Como extends 50Km north and there is much to explore on its eastern side in the surrounding valleys and mountains. Near the end of the lake at the northern end, the road veers off to the east to Valtellina, a valley which runs east-west, following the course of the Adda River, and home to one of Italy’s most dramatic wine landscapes. Vineyards here can be at altitudes up to 750m and on very steep slopes, reminiscent of those growing on the sheer cliff faces of the Amalfi Coast.  The valley has been producing wine for over 2000 years and is renowned for its bright cherry-scented wines made from Nebbiolo grapes, and known in the area as Chiavennasca. I sampled a glass of the Rosso di Valtellina with a heavenly pasta dish of Farfalle with a sauce made of cream of Taleggio and asparagus at Osteria del Crotto in Morbegno. Taleggio is one of my favourite cheeses and is produced in the nearby val Taleggio (but don’t go there on a Wednesday as all the outlets are closed).
Hand-made fearful with cream of Taleggio and asparagus, Osteria del Crotto

Hand-made farfalle with cream of Taleggio and asparagus, Osteria del Crotto

Just as well it was only a glass as the drive up the Geroa after lunch was so steep and riddled with hairpin bends that I was grateful to have survived. We were in search of the prestigious Bitto cheese at Gerola Alta and the higher we climbed, the cooler it got. It was hard to believe that Lake Como was less than an hour down the hill.
Tasting note: Bitto is a cheese to be enjoyed in small quantities, crumbly and melting in the mouth, its decisive taste leaves notes of dried fruit, hazelnut, walnut, butter, hay and dried flowers. The cheese must be savoured at room temperature and carefully chewed, allowing its flavour to  envelope.

Tasting note: Bitto is a cheese to be enjoyed in small quantities, crumbly and melting in the mouth, its decisive taste leaves notes of dried fruit, hazelnut, walnut, butter, hay and dried flowers. The cheese must be savoured at room temperature and carefully chewed, allowing its flavour to envelope.

A rare, expensive Italian cheese, Bitto is named after the Bitto river which flows through the valley and is made from 80% whole cow’s milk and 10-20% goats milk. It can be either semi-hard or hard, depending on how long it is aged. Many claim that the older it is, the better it is, as is develops a richer, sharper flavour with age.
The picture postcard town of Varenna, opposite Bellagio, Lake Como

The picture postcard town of Varenna, opposite Bellagio, Lake Como

Then it was back down the valley and along the lake via Varenna, a picture postcard village which looks out onto Bellagio, and back to Lecco. I was reluctant to leave Lucia’s gorgeous B&B, but she farewelled me with a delicious coconut yoghurt cake the next morning at breakfast, a piece of which I took with me on the train back to Bra. Please note: I would like to thank Federica Pozzi (a wonderful study tour guide at UNISG) for suggesting I go to Lecco, and her father, Pietro, for his generosity in showing me around Lecco, Valtellina, Geroa Alta, val Tallegio and Varenna.