Eric did a heroic job of finding us reservations in Como and Milan, and we were able to have half a day in Rome to catch up on emails before taking a cab to the station and taking a 6 hour train ride to the San Giovanni station at Como.
Lucky us! Tuscany for a second time – this time by train! It is so difficult to describe how stunning the scenery is here. We have tried to take pictures but from a moving train or bus it is impossible to do the landscape or the crumbling yet highly photogenic farmhouses justice. The train took us the same route as our bus tour, through Florence and Bologna. We then changed trains in Milan for another train booked for Zurich, with a short stop at our station ½ an hour in. Suddenly, we no longer heard Italian, but rather Swiss German. I could recognize that it was German, but couldn’t understand a word.
We arrived at the station at 5:45 pm, in time to help two ladies from San Diego with their luggage. Eric was a trooper, helping both of them plus one other random passenger with their bags up two flights of stairs before carrying ours up.
Our hotel, the Park Hotel is close to the train station and just a few blocks from the lake. Although Eric had not slept well the night before, we took a leisurely walk around the beautiful lake, watching a family feed a swan, before trying to find a restaurant for dinner.
We had walked through the main square and had taken a side street when we found It. The Restaurant. The one we had been sent to Italy to find. Ristorante Nerochina. Italian-Asian fusion. Eric’s first thought was that it sounded weird, but we figured, where better to try Italian-Asian fusion than in Italy?
Let me tell you, everyone should try this place. To start: appetizer with fish tartare on a seasoned rice cake, with shrimp. Delicious, light, with complementary flavors. Then, the piece de resistance, as Eric would say. Antonia’s gorgonzola pasta with pears, and a hint of vanilla, served in a baked cheese bowl made out of Romano and Pecorino. Crazy, crazy good. Eric had the sea bass with tomatoes, potatoes and olives, which was also fantastic. But, the gorgonzola pasta was really the best. Eric was in ecstasy!
For dessert, Chantilly cream and strawberries in a dark chocolate bowl. We had lovely service – a great waiter, and a brief, complementary chat with the chef. We took two cards – one to give to the hotel for referrals, and one for us!
Check out their website here: www.nerochinacomo.com. If you are in Como, you must, must go here.
