Our Days on Lago Como

Since Wednesday, we have been staying in Bellagio on Lago Como.  While part of Italy has arguably some of the most beautiful scenery, clouds and drizzle take something away from that accolade.  After our less than spectacular journey here, the next day, we just walked into the centre. We took a slightly longer route that had a sidewalk most of the way.  It was pouring rain so we stopped at a little cafe and had a light breakfast.  From there, we continued walking into the town and checked out the shops and sites.  The place is not convenient for people like me with back or hip issues as most of the town is on a steep hill with tricky cobblestoned alleys going up and down.  I haven't stayed in Bellagio for over 25 years, preferring instead the more downscale town of Menaggio, which is also easier to reach by car.  It didn't take long to check out the shopping - nothing of interest for either of us - and I realized we perhaps should have stayed elsewhere and just done a day visit here.  

We wandered around, took lots of photos, had lunch - one of the best Caesar salads I've even had in Europe at the Ristorante Bellagio on the lake front.  Given by the time we'd finished lunch, it had started raining again, we decided to take the bus back.  Thankfully, the stop is not far from our apartment building.   Later, we walked back to town taking a different route - it was much quicker but did involve being awfully close to passing cars at times.  After a drink at a lakeside bar, we found a restaurant, called the Carillon, that looked interesting and ate there.  The only problem was that the last bus left at 8 pm and the restaurant didn't open until 7!  We only ordered a starter - scallops with red onion served on a citrus sauce with grapefruit mayo.  It wasn't cheap but it was very good.  We chatted with the waiter as we wanted to eat there again but expressed our concern about the taxi situation.  He assured us it could be sorted out so we made a reservation to eat there on our last evening before leaving.

The next day the weather was slightly better so we decided to get a day pass for the ferry (15 euros) and crossed the lake to Varenna.  This village is the one highly touted by Rick Steves.  However, I have never seen its appeal.  We walked along the walkway to the village but there were only a couple of shops, a geleteria, and a few restaurants.  Perhaps I needed to hike up the steep stairs here to appreciate what its all about.  We did see a fashion shoot going on, in spite of the very cool weather.

Yes, that is fresh snow on those mountains!

Our next stop was Menaggio where I have stayed a number of times.  It is a much more "down to earth" place, I think.  We did eat lunch here at the Osteria Il Pozzo where I'd eaten before.  Then, it was time to get the ferry back to Bellagio where we managed to find a grocery store down a road not far from our apartment to buy some wine, cheese, etc. to eat in and save some money.  

I thought the "wine filling station" at the Migros grocery store was a great idea!

On our final full day here, thankfully the sun came out.  Bellagio is at its best in the sunshine.  We had breakfast at our hotel and then walked down a path beside it to the lake where it is possible to swim although the beach didn't look great.  It is also one of the entrances to Villa Melzi with its beautiful gardens, little chapel, villa and museum.  The entry fee is 10 euros and you can come and go all day through the gardens which is a good deal.

The gardens of Villa Melzi are considered to be among the most beautiful of Europe. The complex was created between 1808 and 1810 for Francesco Melzi d'Eril (1753-1816), Duke of Lodi, Vice-president of Napoleon's Italian Republic and, later, Grand Chancellor of the Kingdom of Italy.

You can see how stunning the setting is in the photo from the villa's website

   

The chapel on the grounds of Villa Melzi

Later today, we plan to walk back to the centre down that challenging walk, to have a special dinner at the Carillon for our last evening here.