Venice

There is no other city in the world like Venice.

































Typical Venetian souvenir shop:


Everything is different in Venice:


Your eyes are not deceiving you. The building on the left is indeed leaning towards the tower. And the tower on the right is indeed leaning toward the building.

Lugano, Switzerland

No trip to Italy is complete without a quick jaunt into Switzerland. If Lake Como was a weekend spot for millionaires, then Lugano is the billionaires' hangout. The place doesn't even have souvenir shops!

 

 

Lake Como

Lake Como is the weekend house destination for millionaires. Actually, since it's in Italy, it a weekend villa destination. This was the image of Lake Como on a quiet Saturday afternoon:



The town of Como wraps around the southern end of the lake. The diagonal line in the middle of the mountain is the funicular line to the top.


And here's a closer look at the station:




The view from the top is absolutely incredible. The mountains in the distance are Switzerland.


View of the Como Cathedral on the way back down:






Typical Lake Como view:


One of the ways to travel around the lake is in a seaplane:


The town of Bellagio:


The villas that line the lake are famous. One of them is where they filmed the last scene of Casino Royale.


There are roads that go around the lake, which are narrow and twisty. Where the lake is surrounded by mountains, the roads go through tunnels. The tunnels is where the first chase scene of Quantum of Solace was filmed.


Check out the little villa (or monastery?) on the cliff:


The Italian Alps:










The mountains around the lake are criss-crossed by trails, and they lead to some unexpected destinations. This one is the stone quarry that was used during World War II: