Lately, I’ve been thinking about my visit to Lake Como Italy prior to the pandemic. Expansive, breathtaking mountain views have always been a desired destination. Pair that with generally good weather, rich history, dazzling gardens, quaint houses situated among elegant palazzos, delicious food and hospitable people makes for a near idyllic vacation spot. The roads are narrow, moderately treacherous, and fun to drive.  You can get lost in a second, then spend 30 minutes trying to find your way back.

Lake Como has long been a destination for vacationers.  With its 99 miles of shoreline and an average depth of 505 feet, it is the 3rd largest lake in Italy and shaped like an upside-down “Y”.  It features two main towns at the South ends, Como and Lecco, with Bellagio set on the promontory of the peninsula in the middle of the lake.  The magnificent pre-Alps rising out of the lake’s perimeter makes for a stunning landscape. Southern Switzerland lies just to the west of the lake.

Getting to Lake Como is not particularly difficult, but it does take some planning. Flying into Milan is a good choice.  From there a train can take you to Como.  Renting a peppy, nimble car to propel you on the A8 & A9 Autostrada towards the lake might be more your speed.   A smallish car, if it fits your cargo needs, can get you through those narrow streets and tight corners with ease. The small villages and sights not accessible by train or lake ferry become a mere exhilarating drive away.

If traveling with a group of people, it can be advantageous to rent a villa (house).  Ours was in the town of Moltrasio, about 15 minutes from the city of Como.  The view was stunning (see the full moon above, rising over the lake). The house was situated on a hillside several hundred feet up from the lakeshore.  That could be said for nearly every house around the lake, making for sweeping vistas during the day, and millions of lights sparkling in the night. We cooked for ourselves most mornings and nights, but ate lunch out while on our travels. There was a small one-room negozio di alimentari (grocers) about a block up the via Luigi Galvani and a proper Carrefour (supermarket) in Como. Finding good food in Italy is not a problem.

A week at Lake Como can be as tranquil or hectic as you wish.  Sitting on a balcony overlooking the lake, watching the boats meander along the rocky shores while enjoying an espresso and biscotti is hard to beat.  But then you would be missing the Italian style gardens and charming, ancient villages, great food, famous sights, and local wine bars.  But it’s your vacation…good luck choosing.

We started our exploration in the city of Como itself, located at the Southwest tip of the lake (pop. 80,000).  We checked out the Roman ruins and then took the funicular up the hillside to the village of Brunate for a spectacular lunch with a view to match at Bellavista Ristorante.

During the following 6 days we visited Bellagio, Verona, Sirmioni, Milan and Lugano Switzerland.  As you can imagine each day was a highlight of the trip. 

Milan is a large, bustling city. It’s an industrial center, a fashion mecca, and the home of great art. The train ride from Como was only about 40 minutes.  With its efficient subway system, it was easy to get around Milan.  Sadly, the line to get into the Duomo di Milano (cathedral) was very long and so we never got there.  However, now I have a reason to return to Milan!  We did make a reservation at the Santa Maria delle Grazie and its attached convent, the home of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper.  It is painted onto the wall of the refectory (dining room) of the convent.  It’s fading with age as it was painted between 1495 & 1497.  So my advice would be to go soon to see it.

Verona is a day trip from Como, but who can resist the call of romance, “Wherefore art thou Romeo”? Verona’s Roman coliseum is still in use. The auto-free walking streets make navigating the town easy.

The resort town of Sirmione sits on the tip of a peninsula in Lake Garda, about halfway between Como and Verona.  It is a laid back place to visit, complete with a medieval castle, Roman villa, and a beach made of stones.  It also has gelato.

Coming back from Sirmione our guide took us to two other interesting spots: the site of the murder of Mussolini and his girlfriend by partisans at the end of WWII, and the Lake Como villa of George and Amal Clooney (from afar and since sold)  Both were fascinating, one creepy and one dreamy…guess which is which.

Bellagio is so special it has a Las Vegas casino named after it. The original is a resort town in the middle of the lake, a short ferry ride from Cadenabbia or a heart-stopping drive skirting the edge of the hills along the peninsula.  Either way you choose to get there, you’ll be pleased you did. The stone stairs winding through Bellagio’s steep hillsides take you to all sorts of shops, ristorante, and views.  The hilltop is dominated by Villa Serbelloni and Villa Melzi graces the shoreline. Bellagio is a little gem worth a day trip at least.

Blending the best of Italian and Swiss culture is Lugano Switzerland.  It’s only a 30-minute train ride from Como.  It’s on Lake Lugano, a beautiful location on its own.

But sometimes the best days are those with no particular destination, spent with the locals.  A walk into Moltrasio, downhill towards the lake was perfect.  Getting an up-close view of everyday life is the most rewarding kind of day for me.  It ended with a stop at a one-room street-side bar overlooking the lake, listening to that wonderful Italian language, watching the boys soccer team practice while sipping a Campari or Aperol and soda…bei tempi!

It’s difficult to describe that Italian ambiance.  I could write much more about the week at Lake Como, but the only way to experience it is to go there. Your taste buds, eyes, and mental health will thank you.

(Top photo: View from our balcony of a full moon rising over Lago di Como.)