As soon as we left Pavia Thursday morning and started heading north we could see snow covered mountains in the distance. It was a beautiful sunny day and I suspect the snow was all new from the storm we’ve had in the last few days.

Booking hotels is always a bit of a gamble. A hotel can look great and have great reviews online but then turn our in reality to be a big disappointment. Especially at the end of our trip when we spend two nights in places we hope we will have a hotel and a room that we will find enjoyable to relax in. The hotel Duke booked on Lake Como, the Grand Hotel Cadenabbia, is in a nice location but it is old. I was a bit worried the room might be small and dark. So it was a huge and very exciting surprise to see our room. We had booked a lake view room but I’m sure they upgraded us. We have a big sunny bright room with two big doors that open out on to a terrace overlooking stunning Lake Como. It’s heavenly.


During the afternoon we went for a walk along the lake and had snacks on the terrace.

