Rivers and Lakes

[MarieP]

Thank you @arturolla for this lovely photo. That is a viewpoint I did not get when we visited at Lake Como. 

[MarieP]

@Myrathor a very interesting little lake. This was at low water levels? Have you ever seen it at highest water level?

Can people only cruise it with a guide or can anyone take a boat onto it?

And why funny?

In the second photo, what is that carved on the rock? 

[MarieP]

Thank you @ErmesT. The photos are lovely. They remind me how important our rivers and lakes are. In this city although we are surrounded by two rivers, one of which especially is very important to commerce, with the big freighters and tourist cruise ships coming and going, but I don't think of this city as a primarily water-based economy. We sail on our rivers but we don't fish in them.

When we visited the Netherlands last year, particularly Kinderdjik, we truly began for the first time to appreciate and understand how important water is to some communities. They talked about how they watch and are aware of the water level rising and falling, and how their windmills work with the water.

[MarieP]

@Myrathor what beautiful lakes these are.

Are you saying nobody ever swims in these lakes? 😉 I never would!

How big are these lakes? Is it possible to hike around each one? I see the first one has a road running along one side.

[MarieP]

@ErmesT Ahhh I want to return to visit Italy again now 🙂

You mention villas. Is there anywhere a list of villas one can visit? I know there are lists of castles in different regions and countries (I am a crazy person for castles. Villas are also on my list.)

Speaking of villas, when we were at Lake Como, we visited two villas. One was Villa Carlotta. It was recommended to us, mostly because of its brilliant gardens. Touring the building inside was also interesting and the food in the cafe was delightful.

Our impulsive villa visit was to the Villa Del Balbianello. We had no idea what it was, but we noticed it while we were on the Lake Como boat. Here are two photos I took of it before we visited.

Balbianello 1Balbianello 2

We decided it was too beautiful to miss. What a fascinating place. Not only is it magnificent but the history behind it was fascinating. Now it is part of a public trust, and a scene in the recent Casino Royale was filmed here. I had to watch the movie again just to wait for that scene and I recognized it immediately, I stood right there.

But more interesting for me was that the house was once owned by Count Guido Monzino, an explorer who led the first Italian expedition to climb Mt Everest. He climbed the Matterhorn, explored Patagonia and the North Pole, Greenland, Africa. He filled the house with artifacts, and things he collected from at least half a dozen different cultures, including Mayan, Egyptian, subSaharan African. His various gear, medals he was given and other items are also exhibited there. I don't know if any of the artifacts had any anthropological significance but they definitely demonstrated a fascinating life.

[ravik]

WE ALSO

[MariaBi]

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[Myrathor]

Hi @MarieP High levels of water during the flood. If the level is outside bezpočnou level, the lake is inaccessible. But this occurs only rarely, when Jara snow melts or when heavy rains.

High levels of water during the flood. If the level is outside the safe level, the lake is inaccessible. But this occurs only rarely, when the spring melting snow, or heavy rains. Maly Staw a Wielki Staw

[ErmesT]

si @MarieP, ci sono tantissime Ville che si possono visitare, molte in stile Palladiano o disegnate dallo stesso Palladio. Vedi, avere Venezia vicino è una bellissima cosa, ma fa perdere di vista tutto il bello che c'è attorno, e che è molto.

Quando vuoi, ti aspettiamo volentieri, per un bel giro per ville e cantine (non si può venire in Veneto e non percorrere le "strade dei vini") -:)

[MarieP]

Ahh @ErmesT in Italy I would never overlook the wine 🙂

It is so true, that if I visited every kind of place that I wanted to see: vineyards, villas, mountains, lakes, ancient ruins, good restaurants, piazzas, rivers---I think I would need every day for the rest of my life and that would be years.

You mention the Palladiano style--I should confess I do not know enough about architectural styles, without researching them. That is one thing I never consider when looking through a palace or a castle or a villa (or simply a house). I just consider how it feels, how it is furnished, did it feel lived in and significant to whomever lived there.