Ciao, Italy

My summer in Germany started off with quite an experience.  As the Ls were driving back to the bed & breakfast (b&b) after picking me up from the airport the night I arrived, they told me they had a weekend adventure planned.  They asked if I wanted to know what it was or if I wanted it to be a surprise.  I chose the latter.  So shortly after lunch the next day, we packed up - the Ls did tell me we would be gone from Friday afternoon until Sunday evening, would be in a warm place, and would go swimming so that I could pack accordingly - and left.  We drove about four and a half hours, passing through the gorgeous Black Forest area and then into Switzerland and then into Italy!  

A village on a Swiss mountainside

Turns out they had rented a house via Airbnb on Lago Maggiore in Italy!  Ciao, Italy! 

(This means that in less than two days, I breathed the air of three different countries.  That blows my mind.)

The house was quaint and beautiful, so quintessentially Italian.  "Just like an Italian family home," Mrs. L said.  And it possessed stunning views of the lake and the small town of Maccagno.

View of Lago Maggiore and Maccagno from the bedroom window

Part of the door of the house

The weather was warm and sunny the entire time we were there.  The air itself seemed to carry sunshine.  

Part of the path leading to the gate of the house

On Saturday, the Ls and I explored several of the towns around Lago Maggiore, one of which was called Cannabio.  It was a slightly larger town.  We walked around, window-shopped, and ate lunch there.  And I took a lot of pictures of doors.  So many lovely doors!  I'll probably make a post containing only photos of cool doors I find.

Cannabio 

Another pretty door!

Bikes for rent

A fun bag for sale

Mrs. L explained to me that in Italy, eggs are not washed before sale, so they retain a natural protective covering over the shell.  This keeps the egg from spoiling without refrigeration for a longer amount of time.  So people in Italy do not need to refrigerate their eggs.

We ate gelato of course!  It was delicious.

I waded and swam in the lake and left some (temporary) footprints to prove it.

Another shot of the path leading to and away from the house

Grape vines growing on a trellis

The trellis of grape vines made an excellent frame for a photo of the house

I know my photos don't fully capture the charm of the house and the town and the lake, but if you could see it and live in it for a weekend, you would understand why I would be perfectly happy to live there the rest of my life.

Amusingly packaged butter pats

I have never been to Italy before, and going like this was an excellent first experience.  I loved it all.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to the Ls for taking me there.  Hopefully one day, I will go back.  But until then, ciao, Italy.