Dave started the day by walking to find a place for last minute garbage then surprised Linda with pastries and cappuccinos. We relaxed on the balcony overlooking Lake Como in a cool morning breeze.
We left our Airbnb and tried both phone numbers we had to hail a taxi. One never answered and one said there weren’t any taxis available. So, we took off for the 20-minute walk to the train station. With tickets purchased, we waited 45 minutes for the train to Milan. Onboard, the mountains disappeared quickly and flat farmland appeared. The Milano Stazione Ferroviaria was just as we remembered… massive, crowded and fun. Our train to Reggio Emilia was on time and we waited at the gate board for them to name a platform for our 45-minute ride at 170 mph!
Taxis were lined up when we got there and, very quickly, we were on our way to the Airbnb downtown. Our hostess, Natalia, greeted us at the door and showed us around. Bikes for our use, treadmill (since they don’t have mountains here, I guess…LOL), a lovely little inside courtyard then one flight up to our space. AIR CONDITIONING was a very pleasant surprise as it will push 90 degrees for the two days we are here! The home has all the amenities – Dave is attaching photos. Natalia is wonderful, speaks Spanish and Italian but is from Ukraine (she spoke of getting her mom out but has other family still suffering there). We can correspond with her by texting which Airbnb provides.
We had lunch at Ristorante Canoss in the neighborhood. Inside was one long windowless room with dining tables and another room a two-cook kitchen. Our waiter was an older man and although we did not speak each other’s language, we could make out words like ragu (meat sauce) and pomodoro (fresh tomato) and aqua (gas or no gas) and caffe (coffee). And, of course, vino (wine). This area of Italy specializes in Lambrusco which is not like the one you think you know. We ordered a half bottle and got a tasty red wine that was almost fizzy. The rolls they served were Beautiful but had a very dry and crunchy outer shell with a soft, almost like stringy cotton, white inside. Both were pretty flavorless – no salt, no yeast scent, weird. The local couple at the next table ordered tortellini in broth then the waiter brought a large cart full of roasted meats/smoked and cured meats. He sliced off what they wanted and returned with a vegetable cart. It is a very interesting process. In the end, we enjoyed our pastas and the wine.
Dave had a walking tour for us and when it was over, we agreed that we should’ve gone back to the house to veg and saved the walk for the evening hours. It was 34° C = 94° F. The sun was relentless, but it was not humid. It was quite pleasant in the shade. The other oddity was that the stores all close from 12:30 till 3:00 then reopen till early evening. The city was eerily quiet.
Back at the house, we checked email and took naps.
After a nice rest, it was time to head out to dinner. It was a little after 19:00 (7 pm) and there was a notable difference between our last time outside. The first thing we recognized was that while the temperature was still hot, without the sun beating on us, it was very tolerable. The second was that the pedestrian crowds had increased and the city seemed more vibrant. We took our time getting to dinner since we were only 10 minutes away. That let us do some more window shopping. We found that things looked to be either quite expensive or inexpensive. There didn’t seem to be much “in the middle”.
We arrived at Tabarin Osteria slightly late for our 19:30 reservation. To be clear, they just opened at 19:30. There was a gentleman ahead of us and two women already seated. We had previously checked out the menu, so deciding was a little easier. Linda opted for the pickled vegetables. Dave ordered fried ravioli, fried bread (it’s starting to feel like the South) for us to share, and a spaghetti carbonara special that used a truffle sauce. Everything was great, though we really didn’t need the fried bread.
After finishing dinner, we walked around some more. Linda overheard a conversation about a great gelato place nearby, so we felt obligated to confirm the recommendation. Well, we must agree with the recommendation. K2 Gelateria did not disappoint. Dave had a small cup of Stracciatella (chocolate chip), while Linda had a medium with mango and chocolate.
We then walked to the Municipal Theater and a nearby fountain. The theater was a nice building, but, unfortunately, the fountain was not running. The light on the fountain with the water were supposed to be very nice. The piazza near the theater was interesting in that it had tri-color lights (red, white, green) under the benches.
We then strolled back home taking in views on many local bodegas and other “mom & pop” stores.
It was then time to call it a night.
2022 Italy Vacation 
170 MPH!! Can’t wait to hear what that was like. Appears to be another great day!
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