![Map of Italy]() Our Arrival. Our journey to Bellagio was an
adventure in itself. We left Zermatt on the morning of September 2nd and
took the private train back to Brig. From Brig we took a train to Milan,
Italy. (That train ride was interesting - after passing into Italy the
train stopped at a town named Domodosola at which the Italian police came
aboard complete with police dogs, checked our passports twice, and
remained on the train apparently looking for someone.) Bellagio is at the
tip of the peninsula dividing the two legs of Lake Como. If traveling by
train, you must go to the city of Como or the town of Varenna, and then
take a bus or boat to Bellagio. We chose to take a train from Milan to
Varenna because Varenna is much closer to Bellagio. From there we took one
of the frequent ferries to Bellagio across the lake (this took 5 to 10
minutes). |
 ![Bellagio as seen from Lake Como]() Our Orientation. Bellagio
is a very small village on a steep hill. Most of the hotels are level with
the lake, but Hotel Belvedere, where we were staying, happened to be one
of the only hotels up at the top of the hill. Because of our luggage, we
took a taxi to the hotel. Hotel Belvedere was great - we were given a room
that had a huge patio with a beautiful view of Lake Como. The hotel
is at the top of this hilly peninsula, so our view actually overlooked the
other side of Lake Como and the fishing village of Pescallo. The lake was
a gorgeous deep blue and bordered on all sides by the beautiful slopes of
the Italian Alps. Everywhere we looked was like a scene from a
postcard. |
 ![Typical street of steps - the building is Ristorante Bilacus - a great restaurant]() Highlights. Even though
we took a taxi to the hotel, the rest of the visit we walked back and
forth between our hotel and the main street of town down by the Lake. The
walk is steep but should not be missed. Many of the streets are not
actually meant for cars - they are streets full of steps which climb at
about a 45 degree angle from the lake to the top of the town, bordered by
restaurants and shops. So in order to really see this town, you'll get a
workout. |
![Nicole in the gardens of Villa Melzi]() Many of
the towns along Lake Como have famous gardens, and one of the famous
gardens in Bellagio are those of Villa Melzi. The massive Villa
itself was built in 1808 for Duke Francesco Melzi d'Eril, vice-president
of the Italian republic founded by Napoleon. The gardens are beautiful and
large. They are supposed to be incredible in the spring when all the
azaleas are in bloom. A stroll through the gardens also provides a great
way in which to explore more of the lake. |
![Gardens of Villa Melzi]() ![The Villa Melzi]() ![Stone steps in the gardens of Villa Melzi]() |
![A graveyard]() On a walk out from
the center of town we came across an interesting graveyard - gothic in
style. There were many Britons buried there. It seems Bellagio is a
favorite spot with the British as we encountered many British tourists
during our stay. The graveyard also had many graves of young children and
infants. Maybe there had been a smallpox outbreak. We also found an
orchard near the graveyard and a couple of blocks from our hotel. It
looked a little unkempt - possibly it was a big orchard at one time. The
gates looking into it are picturesque. The Basilica of San Giacomo, built
between 1075 and 1125, is also an interesting visit. It contains mosaics
from the 10th century and an alter from the 6th
century. |
![A gate to a forgotten orchard]() ![Boat docks of Bellagio]() ![The Basilica of San Giacomo]() |
![A characteristic building and street]() We spent
much of our time the second day souvenir shopping. The town has many
stores selling Italian pottery, antiques, leather, and silk. In fact, silk
production is the region's trademark (second only in production to China,
we read). We also took a ferry to Cadenabbia on the other side of the
lake. From there we walked to the town of Tremezzo, on the way passing the
Villa Carlotta (the Villa which Tremezzo is famous for). Tremezzo and
Cadenabbia are both fine towns, but we thought they lacked the charm and
beauty of Bellagio. |
![Lake Como as seen from our hotel balcony]() Final Impressions. Lake
Como looked so refreshing that it was all we could do not to jump in and
cool off, as the temperature was in the 80's during our visit. The
livelihood of many of the towns along Lake Como seems to be based in
fishing, if not tourism. In fact, it is our suggestion to eat plenty of
fish during your visit to Lake Como, as this is what they are famous for.
We had many delicious dinners and lunches of fresh fish or pasta with
seafood, etc. We would recommend eating at Ristorante Bilacus - you can
sit outside on their garden terrace and they have wonderful beef
carpaccio. |
![A gazebo in the gardens of Villa Melzi]() Bellagio
is a beautiful town. It has a very Mediterranean, tropical feeling, with
palm trees, flowers, balmy weather, and buildings of red, orange, and
gold. The cobblestone streets and arcaded buildings give the town so much
charm. There is a beautiful lakeside promenade lined with flowering trees
which border the lake, and there are many other pretty paths on which to
explore areas a little outside of town. As we mentioned, Bellagio sits on
the promontory where Lake Como forks, and so it really has one of the
grandest views of the lake. In fact, Bellagio holds the labels "the Pearl
of Larius" and "the prettiest town in Europe." |
![A view of Lake Como from a gazebo]() Be sure
to learn some Italian basics such as "buon giorno," and "grazie," but for
the most part villagers had no problem understanding us. It's very small
and there are only a couple of churches and no museums that we know of. So
it's not a town for typical sightseeing. It's a village in which to relax
and take in the atmosphere. It's a place to "get away from it all" and the
peaceful scenery and quiet of Bellagio help lend to this feeling. It was a
nice break for us and we wished we had more time to spend there - four or
five days would have been nice. Even though the village is small, there is
plenty to do, such as lake activities, visiting more towns and gardens,
and shopping. We enjoyed our ferry ride across the lake to Cadenabbia and
Tremezzo, and if our stay had been longer we probably would have taken
more boat rides to other towns along Lake Como. |
| Related Links. The
following are links we found useful before our vacation. We also recommend
reading many travel books, especially the green Michelen guides for
reliable information.
|
Many of
the towns along Lake Como have famous gardens, and one of the famous
gardens in Bellagio are those of Villa Melzi. The massive Villa
itself was built in 1808 for Duke Francesco Melzi d'Eril, vice-president
of the Italian republic founded by Napoleon. The gardens are beautiful and
large. They are supposed to be incredible in the spring when all the
azaleas are in bloom. A stroll through the gardens also provides a great
way in which to explore more of the lake.
On a walk out from
the center of town we came across an interesting graveyard - gothic in
style. There were many Britons buried there. It seems Bellagio is a
favorite spot with the British as we encountered many British tourists
during our stay. The graveyard also had many graves of young children and
infants. Maybe there had been a smallpox outbreak. We also found an
orchard near the graveyard and a couple of blocks from our hotel. It
looked a little unkempt - possibly it was a big orchard at one time. The
gates looking into it are picturesque. The Basilica of San Giacomo, built
between 1075 and 1125, is also an interesting visit. It contains mosaics
from the 10th century and an alter from the 6th
century.
We spent
much of our time the second day souvenir shopping. The town has many
stores selling Italian pottery, antiques, leather, and silk. In fact, silk
production is the region's trademark (second only in production to China,
we read). We also took a ferry to Cadenabbia on the other side of the
lake. From there we walked to the town of Tremezzo, on the way passing the
Villa Carlotta (the Villa which Tremezzo is famous for). Tremezzo and
Cadenabbia are both fine towns, but we thought they lacked the charm and
beauty of Bellagio.
Final Impressions. Lake
Como looked so refreshing that it was all we could do not to jump in and
cool off, as the temperature was in the 80's during our visit. The
livelihood of many of the towns along Lake Como seems to be based in
fishing, if not tourism. In fact, it is our suggestion to eat plenty of
fish during your visit to Lake Como, as this is what they are famous for.
We had many delicious dinners and lunches of fresh fish or pasta with
seafood, etc. We would recommend eating at Ristorante Bilacus - you can
sit outside on their garden terrace and they have wonderful beef
carpaccio.
Bellagio
is a beautiful town. It has a very Mediterranean, tropical feeling, with
palm trees, flowers, balmy weather, and buildings of red, orange, and
gold. The cobblestone streets and arcaded buildings give the town so much
charm. There is a beautiful lakeside promenade lined with flowering trees
which border the lake, and there are many other pretty paths on which to
explore areas a little outside of town. As we mentioned, Bellagio sits on
the promontory where Lake Como forks, and so it really has one of the
grandest views of the lake. In fact, Bellagio holds the labels "the Pearl
of Larius" and "the prettiest town in Europe."
Be sure
to learn some Italian basics such as "buon giorno," and "grazie," but for
the most part villagers had no problem understanding us. It's very small
and there are only a couple of churches and no museums that we know of. So
it's not a town for typical sightseeing. It's a village in which to relax
and take in the atmosphere. It's a place to "get away from it all" and the
peaceful scenery and quiet of Bellagio help lend to this feeling. It was a
nice break for us and we wished we had more time to spend there - four or
five days would have been nice. Even though the village is small, there is
plenty to do, such as lake activities, visiting more towns and gardens,
and shopping. We enjoyed our ferry ride across the lake to Cadenabbia and
Tremezzo, and if our stay had been longer we probably would have taken
more boat rides to other towns along Lake Como.