This is my travelogue of our May/June 2004 trip to Northern Italy. We started our trip with a stay at the Villa d'Este at Lake Como, then took a seven-day cruise on the Po River, and ended with three days in Venice. I hope you enjoy my pictures and commentary.

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In 1993, my girlfriend Roberta and I went on a tour of Italy for our vacation. I proposed to Roberta when we reached Venice, and one year later we were married. For the past several years, we planned to return to Italy to celebrate our ten-year anniversary.

Our 2004 trip started with 16 hours of travel. We took a flight from Los Angeles to Atlanta, and then on to Milan, where a private car took us to the Villa d’Este at Lake Como.

Our 1993 tour included a stop at Lake Lugano, which is very close to Lake Como. On our way from Lugano to Venice, we stopped at Como for a boat ride on the lake. During the boat ride, our tour guide pointed out the Villa d’Este. We were awestruck by its beauty, and I told Roberta that we would stay there someday. Since then, we've traveled to many places in Europe; but I never forgot the Villa d'Este, and when we decided to take this trip, I made sure it included a stay there.

In 1568, Tolomeo Gallio, Cardinal of Como, built a villa as his private residence and named it Garrovo, after the stream on its grounds. It was owned in succession by a Napoleonic General, a Queen without a crown who renamed it Villa d'Este, a Russian Empress, and minor aristocracy.

The Villa d'Este has 161 rooms in two villas. The main villa dates back to 1568, and is known as the Cardinal's building. The smaller Queen's Pavilion, was built in 1860. The two villas combined into one property in 1873 and became the Villa d'Este.

The picture to the left was taken from the middle of the lake an shows the two main buildings. The Cardinal's building is on the left, and the Queen's pavilion is on the right.

We had a long but good flight and drive to the Villa d'Este, and we arrived at about 11:00 a.m. We unpacked and showered, then went down to the pool café for lunch. We had been awake for over 24 hours; so, after lunch, we decided to nap by the pool. The hotel overlooks the lake, and the view is surreal. When we were there, a blue mist that hung over the lake for most of the time. It felt like we were looking at a painting.

The terrace was added when the villa became a hotel. The villa used to sit on the very edge of the lake.

This is the lakeside entrance to the main lobby. The 1442 date is on the mosaic because that was the year that the hotel site was first inhabited. During that year, a group of nuns took refuge there from a civil war. Their church was where the hotel gardens are today.

The hotel's main restaurant is in the enclosed solarium. The included buffet breakfast is also served in this room.

This is the Plane Tree at the Villa d'Este. It's almost 500 years old, and is a hybrid of a North American Sycamore and an Oriental Plane Tree. This tree really impressed me. It's one of the outstanding landmarks in the garden.

The garden was landscaped in the 16th century by architect Pellegrino Pellegrini. Throughout the centuries, the owners devoted themselves to preserving and improving the gardens.

The mosaics and water ladder also date back to the 16th century.

After our dinner we walked back to the hotel and had a drink on the veranda. We're very active people, but we've learned to rest as much as possible on the day we arrive in Europe. So, after our drink, it was off to bed.

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