My journey to Lake Como is about to end as I am leaving for Istanbul tomorrow. It was another fascinating trip that will remain in my memories for as long as I live. I made new friends during my stay and I was thrilled to see my other friends whom I met in 2018 & 2019. My circle of friends is widening and it’s great because I am coming back next year for an exhibition to take place in the center of Menaggio, in Piazza Garibaldi. Once again, Alessandro & Elisa (Tablinum Cultural Management) invited me for a solo exhibition.
My month-long stay was also memorable because I stayed at Villa La Mirabella where I truly felt at home because this small hotel is a family-run affair like most of the places I have become familiar with in Griante, where Giuseppe Verdi composed operas at his publisher’s villa. Griante has a particular location where there are many grand villas such as Villa Carlotta, Villa Collina, Villa Margherita, Villa Giuseppina, and Villa Norella. On a historical note, Mussolini and his mistress, Claretta Petacci, were captured on 27 April by local partisans near the village of Dongo on Lake Como and were executed the following afternoon, two days before Adolf Hitler’s suicide, in the small village of Giulino di Mezzegra, in front of the gates of Villa Belmonte.
The area is filled with history where lies the most famous of all, the Natural World and, most importantly, Lario, my beloved Lake Como. When I walk along the shore of the lake, I am so pleased to hear that familiar sound ‘Ciao Marlene’. It has that sweet sound that I love and I am determined to learn ‘La Bella Lingua Italiana’.