Assassin cats, gnomes & salamanders… oh my!

Let me preface this entry with the fact that I’m in love… not just with Fabio, but also with Italy.  So if that sort of tone is going to make you barf then you’d better stop reading now before the cheesy onslaught begins.   

Last night I got back from my 10 day trip to visit Fabio’s home in Blevio on Lake Como. For those who knew me when I was married and a spazoid-hyper-planning-maniac, it’s probably astounding that I didn’t really think too much or research Como in a travel book before I left. 

 

The awesome part about not doing any research is two-fold: 1) not having a lot of expectations and 2) the wonder of being surprised. 

I like to think I’m maturing, but maybe I’m reverting.   Anyway, this isn’t really about me.  It’s about the magical country of Italy!!   Note:  I am aware that what is magical for 10 days could be annoying on day 11 and maddening on day 30, but again, I’m in love, and I flew home on day 11.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So…  Fabio’s house is off the narrow road that circles Lake Como.  Much of the road is rimmed with tall stone walls, no shoulders, and various pastel-colored pizzerias, polenterias, and other various -ias.  Driving on it feels a lot like an arcade video racing game…especially with Fabio’s crazy Italian driving skills.  There’s tunnel after curving tunnel opening out into views of tall mountains, blue Lake Como, and peachy, pinky, yellowy villas. 

 

 

Specifically, Fabio lives on an old Roman street that is off this narrow road around the lake. His street is narrower still and typically used as a footpath between the villages if that gives you a better idea of the practicality of its width.  Most of the time we hiked the 5 minute walk up the steep cobblestone street to his gate.  But a couple times we drove “the little car” – one of two types of 4WD cars can squeeze between the tall stone walls and stay attached to the ground on the tight curves. Once up the hill, his house is set back  in a terraced garden, full of pear, fig, cherry, and every other kind of decadent juicy fruit you can think of…best of all a PERSIMMON tree.  It’s dropped leaves for the winter but is still covered in persimmons and looks like it’s been decorated for Christmas with big orange holiday baubles. 

 

Further magical inhabitants of the garden… a regulation-size bocce court WITH full-court lighting for night games.  (This came with the house; Fab doesn’t have an obscure bocce fettish.)  Regardless, I don’t think that even the courts in Central Park are lit for night games.  There are also some transient residents: i gati assasseni (the assassin cats) that required us to form a CSI Blevio unit to investigate their nightly wrongdoings.  But my favorite is a bright orange and black spotted salamander that makes nightly appearances slowly crossing the snow-covered walkway to his house.  I can’t tell you how shocking it is to see this rainforest-colored amphibian lumbering around in the Italian snow. 

As part of his Christmas gift, I planted a surprise gnomo (gnome) off the garden path to guard over Fab’s fairytale giardino (garden) and make friends with the enchanted salamander.  The gnomo has a nice spot next to a trunk not far from the persimmon tree.