Favorite Place: Lake Como, Updated Edition
The summer after my freshman year of college, I had the opportunity to take a few classes at OU's study center in Arezzo, Italy. On one of our free weekends, a few friends and I decided to visit Lake Como, which is located in the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. Now, the only lakes I had visited before this trip were brown, murky lakes in Texas. I had never liked lakes because of this; I did not feel comfortable swimming in their clearly dirty water. However, Lake Como is now my definition of beauty, and I would gladly swim there at any opportunity. The crystalline water flanked by perfectly green vegetation and the Swiss Alps, the 75-degree weather with sunny skies, and the natural scent of flowers were unlike anything I have ever experienced.
Looking back at this post from before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I feel even more nostalgia. I'm so glad there are several vaccines available now, and I hope that OU students can begin studying abroad freely sometime this year or next. While there are much worse things that can happen in someone's life, I am sorry for any college students who had their study abroad experiences cut short or cancelled because of the pandemic.
Regardless of my written attempt, I don't believe Lake Como with its surrounding scenery can be given its due justice without pictures. I will first show an image of the lake focusing more on its natural elements.
Likely because of its beauty, many people desire to live near Lake Como, and beautiful pastel architecture is readily visible along its coast.
When I was there, my friends and I first took a ferry across the lake to visit the village Bellagio near the center of the two "prongs" of the lake. We walked around the local cobblestone paths and saw the houses up close, complete with so many plants and that natural floral scent I mentioned earlier. I have never been to another human settlement that smelled of nature and flowers rather than pollution; this was such a unique part of the experience for me.
Finally, we were able to rent kayaks and explore more areas of the lake. This was an incredible experience, and the beautiful weather made it easy to stay on the lake without discomfort or sunburn.
If you ever visit Italy (post-pandemic, of course), I highly recommend visiting Lake Como! The only money we spent was for train tickets, the ferry ticket, and the kayak rental, which were all affordable.
See you next time,
Robert from Rob Blogs
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