We savored our first panini at Centrale Stazione while waiting to catch the train to Varenna, a town along the eastern shore of beautiful Lake Como. The Italian breads are so good! Sandwiches are prepared simply with no sauces. The fillings “speak” for themselves.

From the Varenna-Esino station in Varenna, we made our way to our hotel (Villa Cipressi, known for its gardens) where our tour was officially to start.  A message posted by the reception desk requested that everyone on the Rick Steves tour should assemble at 5:30 at the Hotel du Lac for wine, snacks and introductions. We couldn’t unload our luggage in our room fast enough to take the walk along the lake, a picturesque and very quaint pathway lined with private villas, tourist shops, restaurants, a gelateria and ferry dock where the path terminates. We had our first gelati (coconut and hazelnut). Even in the afternoon, the air was still hazy and laden with moisture that contributed to the high humidity.

At the appointed time, we met our guide, Robin, and the other tour members, a small group of about 25 people, mostly couples but a few singles, too. The orientation concluded with a walk to the ferry terminal where Robin explained in detail the options we had to explore on our own tomorrow, then handed out our ferry passes. We could feel the excitement building as our Italian holiday was officially to start.

Robin, our tour guide, gives us an orientation and hands out tomorrow’s ferry tickets

Lake Como is a beautiful lake, 30 miles long and, at its deepest point, 1,350 ft, the third largest lake in Italy. It is narrow and shaped like an inverted letter Y. The Mediterranean climate here insulates it from temperature extremes. The northern portions of the lake encroach on the Alps.