The Lure of the Lake

Tale Two

Before embarking on our journey to Lombardy, I had conversations with many well-travelled people who told me how beautiful the Italian Lakes are.  I was excited to see for myself the place that had inspired so many poets, artists and musicians and to discover what was so special about Lake Como.

Well over 2,000 years ago the ancient Roman poet, Virgil, was drawn to the lake which inspired some of his poetry.  The birthplace of Pliny the Younger in 61CE and the inventor of the battery, Alessandro Volta in 1745, Como and the surrounding lakes have lured scientific and creative minds (and hearts) to their natural beauty.  Pliny's uncle (Pliny the Elder), author of the encyclopaedic work Natural History, was also born in Novum Comum (Como).  Both uncle and nephew were motivated to write about the ebbing and flowing natural spring leading to the lake. In 1498 Leonardo da Vinci visited the site in Torno to study the spring himself and less than one hundred years later the Villa Pliniana was built there, incorporating a grotto fed by the spring which in turn flowed into the lake. Byron, Shelley, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini were amongst the many notorious guests enlivened and touched by the villa and the lake over the following centuries.

In 1787 Goethe embarked on his two year Italian Journey.   Towards the end of this journey he sailed the length of Lake Como and sketched the shore and mountain views - 'he was trying to grasp and fix the last moments of happiness as they slipped away' (Boyle, 1992, p.514).    In 1790 Wordsworth wrote a poem of the lake in which he declared it 'a treasure whom the earth keeps to herself'.  Almost thirty years later Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote to his friend that the lake 'exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty' and in the late 19th century Henry James wrote to his sister that 'One can't describe the beauty of the Italian Lakes, nor would one try if one could'. 

On that note, who am I to try? Here are some photos!

 

As you can see, the lake is beautiful and whilst I'm sure it has changed greatly in the last century alone, its appeal and magic remain strong.  No matter how many times we saw the lake, from which road, hill, mountain, garden or shore, we could not take in enough.  Time is lost as the mind tries to absorb the colours, the heat, the water and the contrast of the forests against the backdrop of the mountains.  The colourful red roofed villas clinging onto the steep hillsides are  interspersed amongst the lush green foliage like gems.  Walking through the narrow streets, being drawn down to the lake was a delight in itself.  Above your head, bridges of stone or intricate wrought iron connect villas to wonderful roof garden terraces, where you long to take just a moment to be embraced by the sight and colours of the flowers before once again marvelling at the lake. 

In Lake Como you see and feel all four of natures elements in their glory.  I can't recall another place that has brought out an awareness of this in me.  Visiting the lake evokes a feeling of enchantment where nature and wildlife are pushed to the fore.  Whether in the hills or on the lake shore we were always surrounded by butterflies.  I don't remember ever seeing so many.  In our villa up in the hills we were frequently visited by two bewitching deer.  As if taking part in the fairy-tale they would appear before us just under the terrace and allow us a brief glimpse of their majesty before vanishing into the forest.

Yes, I think I too have fallen under the spell and the lure of the lake.

 

Reference: Boyle, N. (1992) Goethe The Poet and The Age Volume I  The Poetry of Desire, Oxford Paperbacks