Fireworks on Lake Como: Celebrating the 4th of July the Italian way

A few years ago I tried to get my husband to go on a trip to the country of lakes in northern Italy. My husband is a second generation Italian American from Naples and Sicily. Go north? Fuhgeddaboutit! They don’t serve red sauce! Please? Well, love wins every time and soon I was booking a room at the venerable Villa d’Este on Lake Como. My husband and I decided that on this trip, in addition to doing the usual travel sites, we would do the sites trip. “Rare” by Ellen and Clark Griswold. First there was the Rio de la Leche, an 820-foot-long river that flows white foam and water from mid-March to mid-October. And then it just dries up. Next up was a 75-foot statue in the hills above Lake Maggiore of Cardinal San Carlo Borromeo. It took 83 years to build this thing. There isn’t much to see, but when you look at the horizon, you see a castle towering over the lake. We get closer and discover that it is a 13th century Roman castle filled with 17th and 18th century tapestries and the largest collection of BARBIE DOLLS in Italy. Now THAT was a surprise.

The biggest surprise awaited us back at the Villa. We had been so busy that we didn’t realize that the Village was preparing for its annual 4th of July party in honor of the American soldiers who liberated them during World War II. They started this celebration at the end of the 1940s. As we were unaware of the festivities, we were late to sign up for their magnificent dinner with wine pairing. So my husband and I ate at a local trattoria and headed back to the Villa. From our balcony we had a magnificent view of the Villa and Lake Como. Around 9 pm an orchestra began to set up in the magnificent courtyard. We walked out onto our patio with an excellent bottle of Chianti and watched them settle in. We were then transported back in time to the 1920s. The singers performed songs like It had to be You, he is not misbehavingY old river. Then they moved on to the 1930s and 1940s with the era of big bands and singers singing. They took us right back to the 50’s with the Big Bopper and the jitterbug. While all of this was going on, small rowboats were moving toward the center of the lake to set up a flotilla of fireworks. Meanwhile, the locals parked their vehicles on the mountain roads behind the Villa. You cannot imagine the beauty of the fireworks that are reflected in the lake and the surrounding mountain ranges. The fireworks lasted about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, local residents clapped, whistled and expressed their delight at the event. I have to consider this night as one of my best travel memories. Oh, and I heard that George Clooney is going to this event. Honey, I think a trip to Villa D’Este on the 4th of July would be perfect, don’t you? Please?