La Dolce Vita (Or How I learned to hate George Clooney in only 3 days)

March 12, 2026

“How many fond fools serve mad jealousy?”

-William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors,  Ac2, Sc1

I think its not fair.  I am the same age as George.  I am even three inches taller.  And there is no doubt I married better.

That is not why I hate George Clooney.

Nor am I upset with Mr. Clooney because he has ridiculously good hair, is at least 30 pounds lighter than me, and got to play Batman in the movies   (Albeit his suit was the silly one with nipples - so there is that justice).

Yes, yes he was one of People Magazine’s 50 most beautiful people, twice.  I take comfort that I made the top 200, but I digress.

No,  none of that is the reason for my disdain.

It’s the fact he gets to live here, at Lake Como in the Italian Alps of Northern Italy.

This 1200 foot deep glacier lake cut into the granite mountains of Northern Italy is the deepest in Europe.  It is a stunningly beautiful part of the world where you wake up to mountains that spring up from the shores of clear cold prussian blue waters surrounded pine and juniper trees, and by Baroque and Liberty style villas with lush gardens.  Interspersed among these mansions are medieval style fishing villages and even a castle or two.

Varenna Italy

The castle above the village - an impossibly steep hike

Our hotel

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “The beauty of Lake Como is so unbelievably paradisiac that I'm worried it can fade away at any moment.”

William Wordsworth was an English Romantic poet.  He moved here in 1790 to hope find peace to the inner demons he battled.  In Wordsworth’s view, the Earth itself is jealous of Lake Como, because she’s aware of its unique beauty. The lake is “a treasure whom the earth keeps to herself, confined as in a depth of Abyssinian privacy”.

There are towns dotted all along the long lake.  We stayed in Varenna, a medieval fishing village of around 800 people.  Little fishing is done there today, but it still retains the old world charm.  Nearby is Bellagio which is somewhat larger and definitely more upscale.

Bellagio

The first two of our 3 days here were cloudy, misty and cold.  But on the third day, the sun rose, the fog burned off , and you could see the magic of this place.  In the high season, when the flowers are blooming, and the gardens are in there full glory, it must be spectacular here.

Lake Como is the very picture of La Dolce Vita “The Sweet Life”.  La Dolce Vita is an Italian phrase translating to "the sweet life" or "the good life," representing a lifestyle focused on pleasure, relaxation, and enjoying the finer things. Popularized by Federico Fellini's 1960 film, it embodies an unhurried, hedonistic approach, focusing on savoring moments like good food, leisure, and socializing. 

You do not come here to do anything.  There are no specific sites to visit.  All you have is the beauty of the world for you to look upon.  You come to experience everything sweet and wonderful life has to offer.

The view from our hotel room balcony

It cannot last.  You know this to be true.  So you breath it in, drink some excellent wine, and eat some wonderful food slowly.  You want to savor the moments.  The world can wait for now.  You are enough. 

“Pay attention to the moments you live in and find your place in them. Be content with your portion. I’m a very small part of something beautiful on this Italian lake, and that’s enough.”

― Adriana Trigiani, The View From Lake Como