Villages of Lake Como
I may have been the only one who thought Lake Como was like one place, one singular location. I was proven wrong when we decided to do a “Lake Como” day. We started the day off by taking the train from Milan to Varenna, a village on Lake Como. It had to die for views, it looked like you were walking onto a movie’s green screen. The minute you make your way down from the train station, you are met with views of the lake and the neighboring islands and villages all located on Lake Como. Pictures do not do it justice, you need to see these views yourself. We grabbed breakfast at one of the only places open, Bar Molo, as it was still very early in the day. I had some tasty rich hot chocolate as it was a bit chilly being so early and we were near the water. After having some time to sit down and enjoy a meal, we made our way over to the ferry. From Varenna to a town called Bellagio, the only transportation is the ferry unless you have a boat of your own.
Bellagio is even dreamier than Varenna, in my opinion. It was perfect, from the staggering steps up to the shops to the water views. There were plenty of local shops ranging from jewelry, lavender, clothing, and food, there was nothing missed here. We spent most of our day exploring the town, shopping, and eating in Bellagio. With the number of picturesque places in Bellagio, I could have used all my storage space on my phone to capture the beauty there was. We stopped to grab a quick bite to eat at Restaurant La Terrazza in the outdoor area across from the Hotel Belvedere. We ordered two small oven-cooked pizzas and they hit the spot. After, right next to the outdoor area of the restaurant, they had a gelato shop set up, Gelateria Excelsior. We walked over and before even ordering, the server let us know that she has a gift where she can guess what flavor we would like and pairs it perfectly every time. I was a little bit cautious as I am a only chocolate type of ice cream gal but she surprised me and gave me a gelato flavor that looked like I was eating black ice cream. However, it was the best gelato I’ve ever had.
Our next and final stop was Como. We aimed to catch the next ferry from Bellagio but as it was our first time, we were not informed that the ferry can sell out. So we quickly had to pivot from ferry to bus ride. Now, I loved the bus ride simply because it takes you through all the towns and you get to see the mountain and hills as the bus drives right next to deep deep cliffs. Now my family on the other hand was not too pleased with how close we were to these cliffs and had to constantly look away. I was enjoying the views and the ride and even took a little nap in between. After arriving in Como, we realized we only had a little bit of time left before we needed to catch the train back to Milan. So as much as we wanted to explore Como, we opted to grab a nice sunset dinner at a rooftop restaurant right across from the lake called Fontana D’Oro. We ordered a seafood salad to start and that was the refreshing palate cleanser we all needed. Then I ordered the seafood risotto and words can not express the love I had for this dish. It was perfectly cooked, the juice from the seafood and the rice mixed so well, you could not put the fork down. I tore that plate up and was left with the desire for more but alas I made room for some dessert. The sunset was amazing to see from our dining table and we even got photobombed by another bird. The birds in Italy are very attention-seeking. After we wrapped up and made our way down the rooftop, we were greeted by the host of the restaurant it seems like a tradition in Italy to offer limoncello shots as a parting gift so we took one and made our way back to the train. Overall, these three villages are a must if you are making your way through Lake Como. They each offer their unique views of the lake and provide you with amazing memories for a lifetime.
