Sad to leave Garda but keen to make a Como comparison, we set off for the station as the first of the many daily lake-lapping cyclists emerged. With just one night in Como, we did our city sightseeing en route to the B&B, both of us with the unspoken yet emphatic aim of finding a swim spot as soon as possible.
Unlike Garda, where you can simply flit in and out of the lake at any point along the bank, Como's waters were less obviously accessible - either shielded by steep stone walls or layered with a complicated number of boats and fishing tackle. As the day wore on and our pizza wore off, we resorted to google maps, boldly typing in "swim near me". Ossuccio popped up but...it was over an hour's drive around to the other side of the lake and what's worse, by bus.
Abandoning our recent resolve to ditch budget bus travel, we hopped on the C10, arriving in Ossuccio in late-afternoon. If I were to single out a favourite place from the whole trip, Ossuccio would be the one (not only for its wonderful name!) A ridiculously beautiful little village on the lake's western shore, opposite an equally stunning island and complete with a jetty for jumping, it was the stuff of dreams.
Wasting only a few seconds to check return bus times, (next one not until 19:30, oh no! what a shame!), we donned our swimsuits and dived (dove?) in.
Our time in Como was almost over before it had begun, for our train the next morning was at 07:30. But with another 37km² of lake surface to plunge through, I'll certainly be back.
Next stop: clue below!
