We ended our two week Italy (and a bit of France) vacation in Bellagio on Lake Como. Lake Como is only about 1.5 hours from Milan, which is like going to the Catskills from NYC. We wanted to relax in a beautiful, serene area
, and I adore mountain lakes, so it was the perfect last stop.
Lake Como is about 30 miles long and an astonishing 1,500 feet deep. The foothills of the Swiss Alps rise above the lake and villages, providing for dramatic scenery and vivid colors contrast of blues, greens, pinks, and golds. The roads are similar to other older mountainous areas in that they saw no need, after the invention of the automobile, to make them wider than one lane (sometimes barely two if you’re lucky). Just stay to your side, honk around blind corners, and remember: 5 points for hitting one of the many honey badger cyclists (they don’t give a shit), but 10 if that cyclist is wearing a triathlon uniform.
Bellissimo Bellagio
Bellagio is known as the “Pearl of Lake Como” and is called the prettiest town on the lake, which is saying a lot because even the most simple village looks like a scene from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast; I wouldn’t have been too surprise if the teapots to start dancing. There isn’t an ugly corner anywhere. The whole town is perfectly manicured, yet you never see anyone doing yard work. I think there’s some weird alpine enslaved elf thing going on.
Even the abandoned hotel, the Hotel Grand Bretagne, is hauntingly beautiful. The hotel, built in 1861, was a respite for English recovering from tuberculosis, but is now derelict. Rumor is that someone is restoring it to a grand hotel once more, but no work is evident, kinda like NJ transit infrastructure.
Bellagio Belly
We had great dinners in Bellagio. Check out those blog posts:
Lake Como Food Coma, Part 1: Alle Darsene di Loppia
Lake Como Food Coma Part 2: Baita Belvedere
For lunch, we stopped by two cute little salumierias provisions (which we ate on our balcony; see below). The folks adored we could ordered and ask questions in Italian. Or they were amused by the weird, new language we were speaking. But we got our meat and local cheese.
And of course we had lots of gelato. Gelateria del Borgo at the top of the hill is a perfect daily stop on our walk to town. By the end of the trip I was definitely fluent in “gelato Italian” and could ask for samples and order without the server having pity on me and switching to English. I always get hazelnut, but sometimes go crazy and get a scoop of pistachio, since it’s really great in Italy because of the supply of Sicilian pistachios. They had an interesting take on it — Oro di Sicilia, or “Gold of Sicily” — sort of smashed pistachios in a sweet cream.
Outdoor Fun (#ActiveCouple)
#ActiveCouple is a hashtag a dear friend created for us because he realized — as we were all skiing — that we’re quite an active couple (that’ll be even more evident in future posts). That hashtag is an honor and a burden to maintain, so active coupling we a-went.
We went for a hike up to the top of the nearby mountain. There are tons of major hiking paths with very serious people, but we opted for a nearby morning hike (didn’t’ want to drive those tiny roads unless necessary since I value my life). It took about there hours since it is pretty steep and rugged in spots (and we got a bit lost finding it). Three old men with legs the size of tree trunks were hiking the same path up the mountain, clearing brush and remarking the paths, which made our panting and stumbling and sliding a little embarrassing. As we got to the top, the trail leads pass a huge mountain top estate (not George Clooney’s, I checked) with friendly and curious horses.
By the way, Italian trail distance markers are completely wrong and a joke on tourist. See the photo where it says Bellagio is 0.4 km away? No way would you even get to the outskirts of Bellagio in 1 km, let alone 0.4. More on this weirdness to come in a post about hiking in the Cinque Terre.
After your hike, walk to the local beach. It is a pebble beach, the kind that are round and don’t cut your feet (but don’t be a martyr — wear water shoes if you have them). The stones warm up and make a lovely bead upon which to place your towel and take a nap. The water is crystal clear and actually pretty warm — just cool enough to feel refreshing but warm enough to stay in for a long time. The water gets deep pretty quickly once your in, so it’s perfect for swimming and playing.
Shopping
I’m not a huge souvenir person or shopper. Practically, I live in a tiny apartment and am running out of places to put shelves (Shelves solve everything. Pretty sure they could solve the problem of how to divide Jerusalem). Ideologically,, who needs more “stuff?” (Well, me if I lived in a bigger place, but I’m trying to sound morally superior.)
So I usually stick to food and photos. But I still keep my eye out for a useful, special souvenirs, and I found them in Bellagio. (Note that shopping and food is usually better, cheaper, and a bit more local as you walk up the hill away from the port.)
I bought an unique, large cutting board for 45 Euros from a La Bottega del Legno. The Tacchi family keeps the tradition of wood carving alive since 1855, making it one of the oldest shops in Italy. If I had the space I would have bought one of their beautiful wooden bowls (I mean, I was someone to collect stuff). The prices are very reasonable and the craftsmanship superb. My cheeseboard fit all souvenir criteria: useful (my blog has the word “cheese” in it, so yeah — I will use a cheeseboard), adorable (it has cheese mouse on it!), and memorable (wonderful town and shop).
From a local ceramic store, Articolo da Regalo Mariani di Boleso Ivana, I bought an olive oil plate and stopper. Again, useful (pairs lovely with my olive oil from my tour at Fattoria Ramerino), pretty, and memorable.
Lodging
We stayed at Miralago B&B and Apartments, which had gorgeous room with a fantastic, full breakfast (yogurt, eggs, meats, cheese, cereals, bakery items). The price is fantastic (105 Euros a night). We had the room on the top right with a balcony with a view of the lake and a little spot to enjoy a lunch of salumi, cheese, and prosecco. The B&B was a beautiful 5-10 minute walk over to the old town, which was on the other side of the peninsula — looking at the photo below, on the right there’s a cluster of houses towards the top — that’s the old town. Directly across on the left is a little harbor — that’s Pescallo Bay (an old fishing hamlet) and where our B&B was.
One route to the old town and port from the B&B is through a beautiful, old stone staircase that winds past local homes and gardens. I really adored this walk.
Memories
We didn’t get to any other towns on Lake Como — after nearly two weeks of travel, we just wanted to rest and relax. Besides, how could any town be more picturesque and tastier than Bellagio? It’s definitely a place to visit if you’re in northern Italy and want a taste of what it must have been like to be an 1880s bored aristocrat doing the obligatory “grand tour” of the continent, like in the novel by Henry James, Portrait of a Lady… but with wifi and suntan lotion and none of that 1800s dying of tuberculosis and cholera.
More Posts on Italy
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