Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
hill above the town. The tourist office has maps that detail several trail hikes
from the top.
Bellagio
Bellagio is often called one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. Nestled amid
cypress groves and verdant gardens, its earth-toned old buildings climb from the
lakefront promenade along stepped cobblestone lanes. It has become a popular
retreat for everyone from Milanese out for a day of relaxation to Brits and
Americans who come to relax for a week or two.
It also occupies by far the loveliest spot on the lake, the section known as the
Centro Lago where the three legs of Lake Como meet. Bellagio is at the tip of the
peninsula at this fork with frequent ferry service, making this a great base for explor-
ing Varenna (see below) and other spots on the nearby shores of the Centro Lago.
LAY OF THE LAND
There are one to three
SPT
buses
(
%
031-247111; www.
sptcomo.it)
per hour from Como (70-min. trip), where you can get train connec-
tions.
Ferries
(
%
800-551801 or 031-579211; www.navigazionelaghi.it)
from
Como take 2 hours; hydrofoils 35 to 45 minutes. Schedules vary with season, but
from Easter to September a ferry or hydrofoil makes the trip from Como to
Bellagio and other towns along the lake at least hourly. The picturesque lakeshore
road
from Como, the SS583, can be very crowded in summer, so allow at least
an hour of traveling time by car.
Bellagio's
tourist office
is at
Piazza della Chiesa, 14; (
%
031-950204; www.
bellagiolakecomo.com),
a steep 1
1
⁄
2
blocks up from the port.
ACCOMMODATIONS & DINING IN BELLAGIO
Note that a wider selec-
tion of moderately priced hotels can be found across the lake from Bellagio, in
Varenna (see below). If you're traveling on a budget, your best bet is to lodge there
and then simply make Bellagio a day trip.
€€
The best deal is the little
Giardinetto
(Via Roncati, 12, just off Piazza del
Chiesa;
%
031-950168; closed Nov-Mar; no credit cards),
at the top of town. The
rooms are basic, but quite large and bright, with solid old armoires, big windows,
and—in the better rooms—box-spring-and-mattress beds rather than the stan-
dard cots. The best part: Doubles cost a mere
€
52 to
€
55 (breakfast tacks on
another
6 per person). Most rooms overlook a gravelly grapevine-covered ter-
race, where you're welcome to bring your own food for an alfresco meal, and those
on the upper floors even catch a glimpse of the lake from their balconies (espe-
cially rooms 18-20). Some, though, are on the airshaft or even come with no win-
dow whatsoever.
€
(Piazza Mazzini, 23;
%
031-
950335; Oct-Nov and Dec-Feb closed Wed),
a 15th-century lakeside villa right on
the main harbor square, have a pleasant but budget decor: parquet floors, stylish
solid-wood furnishings with lovely inlaid or carved details, and plain bathrooms.
Not only do you get water views, but the
€
100 to
€
154 for a double room
includes half-pension at the restaurant, so it's like getting two meals a day for free.
What's more, the restaurant is pretty good—Italian fare year-round, with an
inventive fusion flair in summer—served either alfresco under the arcades, in a
5
€€
-
€€€
The 10 simple rooms at the
Suisse
