A few years ago I tried to get my husband to go on a trip to the lake country in northern Italy. My husband is a second generation Italian American from Naples and Sicily. Go north? Fuhgeddaboutit! They don’t serve red sauce! Please? Well, love wins every time and soon I was booking a room at the venerable Villa d’Este on Lake Como. My husband and I decided that on this trip, in addition to doing the usual travel sites, we would do the “Uncommon” by Ellen and Clark Griswold. First there was the Rio de la Leche, an 820-foot-long river that flows white foam and water from mid-March to mid-October. And then it just dries. Next was a 75-foot statue in the hills above Lake Maggiore of Cardinal San Carlo Borromeo. It took 83 years to build this thing. There is not much to see, but when you look at the horizon, you see a castle towering over the lake. We get closer and discover that it is a 13th century Roman castle full of tapestries from the 17th and 18th centuries and the largest collection of BARBIE DOLLS in Italy. Now THAT was a surprise.
The biggest surprise awaited us back at the Villa. We had been so busy that we didn’t realize that the Village was preparing for its annual 4th of July party in honor of the American soldiers who liberated them during World War II. They started this celebration in the late 1940s. Since we weren’t familiar with the parties, we were late to sign up for their magnificent wine pairing dinner. So my husband and I ate at a local trattoria and headed back to the Villa. From our balcony we had a magnificent view of the Villa and Lake Como. Around 9pm an orchestra began to set up in the magnificent courtyard. We walked out onto our patio with an excellent bottle of Chianti and watched them settle in. We were then transported back in time to the 1920s. The singers performed songs like It had to be You, he’s not misbehavingY old river. Then they went into the 30’s and 40’s with the era of big bands and singers singing. We were taken right back to the 50’s with the Big Bopper and the jitterbug. While all this was going on, small rowboats were moving out into the center of the lake to set up a flotilla of fireworks. Meanwhile, the locals parked their vehicles on the mountain roads behind the Villa. You cannot imagine the beauty of the fireworks that are reflected in the lake and the surrounding mountain ranges. The fireworks lasted about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, local residents clapped, whistled and expressed their delight at the event. I have to consider this night as one of my best travel memories. Oh, and I heard that George Clooney is going to this event. Honey, I think a trip to Villa D’Este during the 4th of July would be perfect, don’t you? Please?
