If you , you might have noticed the hashtag #blago2014 on my recent pics from Italy. The seed for that hashtag was planted almost a year ago, when Jillian approached a few blog friends with the idea of meeting up in Lago Maggiore, where she lives. Just an hour by train from Milan, it would be a good base from which to visit the Salone del Mobile. She gave our trip the working title Blago (Blog + Lago) and it stuck!
Relaxed, idyllic Lago Maggiore was indeed the perfect home base for a girly blogger getaway. With the Alps shining in the distance like a mirage, Lago was a dreamy background for early evening aperitivi (an Italian must-do!)… 
fabulous lunches in hole-in-the-wall enotecas, (read Judith’s mouthwatering post for the full report)… 
plus the occasional gelato, long rambling conversations about anything and everything, and breathtaking views around the rim of the lake. 
I admit, life could have been harder. Lago Maggiore, the second largest lake in Italy, is a shining blue expanse dotted with islands… 
ringed by scenic walking paths… 
and bordered by charming little villages. “Hah! I’ve tricked you guys into coming to rural Italy!” crowed a triumphant Jill on our arrival. I love city living—living in Amsterdam, in particular—but five days in such an idyllic setting really made me stop and rethink our lifestyle. 
That week in Lago, I almost could have packed up and moved (after convincing Marlon, of course). Could this city girl ever be happy in a little countryside town? Ply me with enough farm-fresh cheese and daily aperitivi, and I just might be. There’s glamour to be found in Lago Maggiore, too—from the elegant holiday mansions overlooking the lake, to the Moorish-inspired Villa Crespi in Orta, to the turn-of-the-century opulence of the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees in Stresa. 
This 150 year-old hotel was also once a military hospital, where a young Ernest Hemingway spent recovery time in 1918. He returned to the hotel 30 years later and set part of his novel A Farewell to Arms here. 
We were lucky enough to take an impromptu tour of the swanky €4,000-a-night Hemingway Suite, which is named after him—a wonderful peek into a glamorous past. 
I could have easily spent weeks exploring this beautiful area. While I cherished this precious time to myself, I wish I could have shared all this gorgeousness with Marlon and Tala. I really hope we can come back one day as a family!
Why don’t we all move to Lago yeah? Of just have a communal Blago country house for all the breaks we need. I wouldn’t mind.
Haaay totoo!
Looks gorgeous! What beautiful pictures. I think i now need a trip to Italy :).
So do I… and I was just there two weeks ago! It’s the Italy effect.
It is a good thing today is sunny otherwise I’d be totally depressed that I missed this!
I’m really jealous, but that is another story
And that room? WOW!!
The Hemingway Suite is actually four separate rooms. Really glamorous!
Wonderful Deepa! Cocktails, food, views, glamour, gelato… If this post doesn’t convince Marlon than I don’t know what will
We actually looked at job openings at the JRC where Tom works… but Marlon says everyone there is a “real” research scientist, not a corporate one like him, haha.