I dreamed of visiting Lake Como for years, although it’s not for the reasons you may think.  Sure, the region has been a sought-after destination for the rich, famous and often times both for centuries, as well as others looking for a laid-back slice of la dolce vita.  While all this sounds as sweet as an Aperol spritz, my motivations were different.  Rather, the driving force behind my trip was to visit the small town of 80-ish people that my grandmother was from.  After making this very special stop, we spent the next couple of days exploring some of the lake’s most notable highlights.

For orientation, Lake Como resembles an upside-down Y-shape, with the famed town of Bellagio at the center of the tip of the promontory where Lake Como splits into three branches.  On the eastern shore you have Varenna and on the western shore you have Menaggio, creating a sort of mid-lake triangle.  The namesake city of Como is located at the bottom of the western branch of the lake.  Most people may arrive by train and rely on buses, ferries or private transport.  It’s no surprise that the summer months bring both increased heat and crowds, making good planning all the more important.  With that, here’s a look at how I spent 3 days on Lake Como along with some helpful tips for planning a first-time visit to this iconic Italian destination.

Day 1
After an incredible 4 days of hiking in Switzerland’s scenic Lauterbrunnen Valley, we drove across the Swiss border via Lugano.  It was instantly clear we had entered Italy, from the demeanor of the officer at the crossing, the bronzed bodies walking along the street and colorful apartment buildings draped with pink bougainvillea. We soon arrived at the lovely B&B Le Eriche, a sweet 2-room B&B run by Piero and Fiametta that’s less than 10 minutes up the windy road from Menaggio with gorgeous views.  We were welcomed by Fiametta, who led us to our cute-as-a-button pink Camelia room with a spacious bathroom, small kitchen area and doors that opened to our private patio above the lush green garden and incredible views overlooking Lake Como.  It felt as if we were staying with a distant relative, rather than at a hotel in an upscale destination.

Staying here rather than in a major town was intentional so that we would be better positioned to visit my grandma’s town a little way further up the road. It was a deeply meaningful visit where we explored every nook and cranny of the town, attended Saturday evening mass and took as many photos as possible to preserve the long-anticipated experience.  Afterwards, we headed down the hill for dinner in Menaggio where we had a reservation at Pizzeria Lugano (Via Como, 26).  The place was packed with groups of people waiting on the street for tables to become available.  It was wonderful to be back in Italy and our first meal of delicious pizza accompanied by a couple of Campari spritz did not disappoint.  We capped off the evening with a gelato from Il Gabbiano for our passeggiata along the picturesque waterfront promenade as a concert played from Piazza Garibaldi in the distance.

Day 2
The next morning we got up early and were treated to a traditional Italian breakfast on our patio, consisting of coffee, juice, toast with jam and butter, cereal, fruit topped with just-picked mint from garden and an assortment of cookies and cake, which was staged and served by Fiamatta with precision and care.

The weather was overcast and drizzly and by the time we reached the Navigazione di Logo port in Menaggio the rain was really coming down.  The port has docks for both regular battello ferries as well as traghetto ferries, which transport both passengers and cars and only operate between the towns of Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia (indicated by B and T on timetables). There are also fast vs. slower services on the Como-Colico line that runs the full length of the lake, and different timetables for weekdays vs. weekends and holidays, which is enough to make your head spin when trying to plan your trip in advance.

This is a good time to introduce tip #1 – embrace the chaos of the ferry system.  Your best bet is to download timetables online and get familiar with different route options, but purchase tickets and verify times at the port by checking the posted schedules and destinations on the digital boards at the dock.  We read online that we would be met with long lines, especially during our visit in July, which wasn’t the case when we arrived (perhaps a benefit of the rain?).  Instead, we walked right up to the ticket window and purchased a biglietti giornaliere day pass that would allow us to hop on any boat throughout the day.  The ferries did get much busier and more chaotic as day went on, with long lines of people waiting to board the popular mid-lake routes.  We actually found it easier to hop on and off the traghetto boats, even if they weren’t direct.  Plus it was fascinating to see how well they worked, with cars driving on last and off first.

We arrived in the well-manicured town of Varenna and were greeted by the town’s colorful buildings high above the ferry port.  Turning right, we walked along the romantic, red-railing promenade fittingly called the Passeggiata degli Innamorati (aka “Lover’s Walk”) that stretches between the port and town center.  At the end of town we arrived at Villa Monastero, which leads to tip #2 – visit a villa or two.  We had timed tickets to enter this former monastery turned lakeside villa, which boasts lush gardens of cypress and palm trees, flowers and fountains, and incredible lakeside views framed by elegant columns, and beautiful interior with ornate furnishings across two floors accessed via a marble staircase.  Another option is the nearby Villa Cipressi.

As we were leaving the villa, the sun emerged as did the crowds, the narrow streets and waterfront eateries now teaming with people.  We browsed the shops a bit and then grabbed a gelato at Bar Il Molo, which leads to tip #3 – never pass up an opportunity for gelato, especially when doing something hot or strenuous or both.  That would come next, as we made the trek up to the 11^th century Casetllo di Vezio via a path from the northern part of town, which we might have skipped if we had known just how steep and slippery the climb would be straight up the stony path.  It’s a 20 minute walk, we thought.  Yes, but castles are high up so what we saved in time we more than paid for in incline.  Sweaty and exhausted, we explored the towers of the medieval fortification, which offered a beautiful viewpoint high above Lake Como, along with exhibits of armor and “ghosts” keeping watch over the castle’s olive grove.  Afterwards we headed back down via dirt path along the Sentiero del Viandante hiking route, which ended up being a better alternative for our decent and dropped us off near the parking garage across from villa Monastero.

Boarding a ferry to Bellagio was a hectic process, and when we arrived the town was bustling. It felt bigger than Varenna (although not as big as I expected the famed resort town to be), with more shops and restaurants up and down its steep streets called salite, Salita Serbelloni being the most famous and most photographed.  To escape the crowds, we headed to Pescallo, a small fishing village on the other side of the Bellagio promontory.  More steep steps lead us to a quiet neighborhood draped in ivy and tip #4 – look for opportunities to get off the beaten path.  We found the water and dipped our toes into the cool, crystal-clear lake, soaking in views along with a handful of swimmers, boats and the occasional swan crossing.  If only we had known how pleasant Pescallo would be, we would have brought our bathing suits and spent more time here rather than venturing out to the Punta Spartivento observation deck at the tip of Bellagio, which left us feeling a bit underwhelmed about our visit as we made our way to the port and took a boat back to Menaggio.

Showered and ready dinner, we hopped in our car and drove about 5 minutes or so south to the sleepy little town of Griante, partially to scope out parking for the next day’s adventure, but also get off the beaten path a bit (see tip #4).  We ate at Pizzeria La Torre San Martino among mostly Italians who were also enjoying the beautiful summer evening from the tables on the rooftop patio.  The vibe was laid back and we didn’t mind the slower progression of food as we sipped our spritz and waited for our pizzas to arrive.  We ordered a Margherita and a Diavolo, both delicious with cracker-thin crust expanding past the borders of our plates, and couldn’t resist the pistachio tartuffo with a caffé to cap off our meal.

Day 3
Despite the morning starting out sunny, the rain quickly moved in as we drove towards Griante.  Once again most of the day’s activities would be outdoors, but a rainy day in Italy is still better than any other day not in Italy, right?  We snagged a parking spot in a lot on Via Indepedneza and stopped by Alimentari Panatti (Via Roma, 6) to purchase bus tickets for later in the day (it’s cheaper to buy them in advance rather than on the bus) and walked about 20 minutes to the beautiful Villa Carlotta (there’s tip #2 again).

The villa is separated from the street by imposing gates with a gold letter “C” emblazoned in the center, behind which sits a gorgeous fountain with waterlilies at the foot of the towering villa. We began our visit in the sprawling gardens where we seemed to find nearly every type of flower, plant and tree imaginable, many of which were specifically brought to Villa Carlotta.  There were signs for long or short versions of the path throughout its various sections including the lush Ferns Valley and impressive Monumental Trees, each designed and maintained with an acute level of precision and care.  Wandering through the gardens was an absolute treat.  The villa itself is spread across 2 floors and features a collection of artwork as well as rooms set up with lavish furnishings, decor and incredible mosaic floors.  What I found most intriguing was the cameos room, which showcases a collection of more than 400 plaster tokens that served as souvenirs for 19^th century travelers to preserve memories of the Grand Tour in Italy.

We wrapped up our visit around mid-day and headed to the Villa Carlotta bus stop for the next part of our adventure, which leads to tip #5 – walk the Lake Como Greenway for different perspective of Lake Como.  The Greenway di Lago di Como is a 7-mile easy walk that travels up and down through a handful of towns between Griante and Colonno along the western shore of the lake.  You can read more about this in detail in my post Walking the Lake Como Greenway.  Despite the rain, it was a unique and beautiful way to experience Lake Como, perhaps even made better by the rain as it often felt as if we had the route all to ourselves.

Returning to B&B Le Eriche, we took advantage of a narrow window without rain to walk a few minutes down SP7/Via per la Grona to Ristorante Pizzeria CO.RI. for dinner.  This hidden gem is located on the site of holiday apartment rentals and features a large covered terrace with panoramic views overlooking Menaggio and Lake Como below.  We were warmly greeted and sat at a table with a front row seat to the epic thunder and lightning storm to come.  The sky lit up like fireworks with booms that echoed all around us, then transitioned to heavy rain and hail, followed by low-hanging and fast-moving white-out clouds, before the entire cacophony repeated again throughout the course of our meal.  It was certainly a sight to see, and luckily we had a liter of house red wine to keep us occupied as we waited for the power to be restored.  Shortly after our food arrived, the highlights being a caprese salad with burrata and the most delicious gnocchetti, light and fluffy little pillows of goodness served with the most delicious basil pesto and more burrata.  We waited out the storm again over a caffe and shot of limoncello that accompanied our check.  It was a memorable meal to say the least and strangely the perfect close to our time on Lake Como before heading to Milan in the morning.

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