Weiss Family our adventures beyond southern california

I am new to this part of Italy. There is a series of large lakes in this northern segment of Italy, right next to Switzerland. We are staying in the small town of Varenna, on the east side of Lake Como. The snow capped mountains rise dramatically from the lake side and the towns are right along the water, hugging the sides of the rocks. Varenna faces the beautiful Bellagio, but most of these lake villages are equally beautiful. We are staying in a large two-bedroom apartment, that is connected to a lovely small hotel. This offers us the best of both worlds. The apartment gives us more space and greater flexibility with a kitchen, so we don't have to go out for all our meals. The association with the hotel provides daily maid services, a big breakfast buffet, and helpful individuals to aid us in logistical matters. A typical days has us jumping on a ferry after breakfast. The 30-60 minute ride takes us to one of the nearby towns. Each of these town is home to a few dramatic villas that are open to the public. The buildings are beautiful, but the real joy is viewing the gardens. Beautifully crafted and cared for, these amazing gardens are cut into the hillside and display huge plants, the results of hundreds of years of careful care. It is still cool, and we continue to wear fleece, but there is strong sun and we are in full spring mode and everything is blooming! The kids are in food bliss - pastas and pizza. When we are not eating or visiting gardens, we spend a surprising amount of time at the lake's edge, skipping rocks. Reading also takes up a great deal of our time. I'm reading about Michelangelo in preparation for Florence, and Elijah is ripping through his book supply, often finishing a book in one or two days. We have seen so many places and have had such fine adventures, it is hard to comprehend that we still have about 100 days of travel left before we come home to Santa Barbara.