Bring on the mountains

 

Tuesday                                                                                October 12, 2021

Today we're driving to Lake Como, traveling 450 KM from the Tuscany region to Lombardy.  On our left, especially around Pisa, is the Ligurian Sea.  On our right is the Apennine Mountains.  They run along 2/3 of the spine of Italy, and we will be crossing them to enter the Italian Lakes region.

As we drove north, the terrain changed rapidly from the rolling hills of Tuscany to the more dramatic mountains of the Apennines.

Majestic mountain vistas continue to appear to our right as we drive north toward Liguria and Lombardy.

Most interesting is the area around Carrara, where the pure white marble has been quarried since Roman times.

When I first saw these mountains above Carrara, many years ago, I thought they were snow covered.

The marble gleams in the sunlight, and on the Autostrade  you pass many factories with large white marble slabs 

The cities on the peaks become more dramatic and you wonder what it must be like to go up and down their streets.

The mountain peaks become more dramatic as you approach the lake region, here, north of Bergamo

Nearing Lake Como and Lecco, the traffic became intense, with everyone leaving in long lines of cars

In the twilight, we just see the southern tip of the right leg of Lake Como

Spectacular evening lighting on the lake, as we approach our destination of Bellagio.