On The Shores Of The Great Como

I have never been on a trip of such magnitude, where offerings of wine, champagne and chocolate dessert were deposited before me at regular intervals. Every three or four hours, servants with white gloves attended to my needs of nourishment and hydration (if one considers replenishment equaling a pleasant buzz). My taste buds did not have time to rest. I would not expect the same kind of service if I had achieved a rank of nobility.

At my cousin's wedding in the village of Blevio (north of Como, Italy), no expense was spared. If every union of two lovers was celebrated in this fashion - a week-long celebration with high-end cuisine, luxury, and glamour - than there would be a vast reduction in the number of divorces around the world...unless couples expected life to continue in the same manner as their fairytale weddings.

A look at the wedding dinner menu (served in six courses) sheds light on the week's extravagance:

Crudite with Gorgonzola cream
Stuffed vegetables Ligurian Style
Vegetables puff pastry with sweet Pecorino cream

Risotto with rosmarin and lemon rind

Chianina beef Tagliata with rosmarin flavour

Crispy vegetables with Modena Balsamic vinegar
Spinach pie
Caponata with light pesto

Apple sorbet with Calvados

Wedding Cake & Italian Confetti

(Italian confetti, by the way, are sugar-coated almonds; traditionally, they are distributed to guests in odd numbers, but generally 5 each - symbolizing the qualities of health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life; we consumed a lot of them, so maybe Ryan and Alexa will be extra healthy and wealthy and happy)

The villa pictured above (Villa Maria Taglioni, named after the owner and celebrated ballet dancer) was the site of the wedding ceremony, and acted as guest quarters and dining hall. Not pictured is the second villa (Villa Maria Serena) where I stayed with half of the wedding party, south of this building. I was unable to get an exact date on the age of the buildings, but both appear to be Neo-gothic structures from the nineteenth century that have undergone major renovations. The villas look pretty new if you inspect the exteriors, but the stone sea walls look ancient.
The property contains a boat dock, a heated swimming pool, an underground parking complex, and a huge park that used to be a botanical garden in the late 1800s. Though it's hard to explain exactly what this experience was like, the best way to relate is by looking at the Villa del Lago website.

After this vacation, the term "wining and dining" means something different to me. And I don't expect to ever reach these heights of luxury ever again. That's why I want to capture this as much as possible. I lived like a duke or earl or baron for seven days.