My First Holiday in Lake Como

I’ll never forget my very first Lake Como holiday, when a friend of mine invited me to come and visit him in Lake Como. He said to simply hop on a bus from Lugano, Switzerland and take it to Menaggio where he would come and pick me up. What he didn’t tell me is where the bus station is.

Having absolutely no knowledge of Italian, I began asking people where I can get the bus to Menaggio and noone seemed to understand me, not even the so-called tourist office at the train station. Some just waved their hand saying "That way", others just looked at me like they had never heard of Menaggio in their lives before.

Eventually I figured out that the central bus station is a 10 minute walk from the train station but even at the bus station, nobody ever heard of a bus going to Menaggio and there were definitely no signs/timetables.

By a stroke of luck, I saw a bus that said Menaggio on it and stopped it right in the middle of the road! Of course the bus driver yelled at me, especially since I had no ticket, but at least I figured out how to get to Lake Como!

The ride into Lake Como was one of the most beautiful rides I had ever taken as the bus slowly descended into Menaggio and I saw a whole new world unfold in front of me with the orange-tiled roofs and the little white flags of sailboats scattered along the lake.

After several weeks of spending my holiday in Lake Como, I made it my new home staying at the dormitory of a local piano academy and my passion for the area grew even further.