Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bellagio
POP 3080
It's impossible not to be charmed by Bellagio's waterfront of bobbing boats, or its maze of
steep stone staircases, dark cypress groves and showy rhododendron-filled gardens. Al-
though summers and weekends teem with visitors, if you turn up on a weekday outside
high season, you'll have the little village almost to yourself.
Bellagio's
tourist office
( 031 95 02 04; Piazza Mazzini; 9am-12.30pm & 1-6pm Mon-Sat,
10am-2pm Sun)
, next to the boat landing stage, has information on water sports, mountain
biking and other lake activities. Otherwise,
PromoBellagio
( 031 95 15 55;
www.bellagiolakecomo.com
;
Piazza della Chiesa 14; 9.30am-1pm Mon, 9.30-11am & 2-4pm Tue, Thu
& Fri, 9.30-11am & 2-3.30pm Wed, 10-11am & 2-3.30pm Sat & Sun, shorter hours in winter)
, in the
basement of an 11th-century watchtower, also has information.
Sights & Activities
Before setting out to explore the town, pick up the three self-guided walking tour bro-
chures from the tourist office.
Villa Serbelloni
( 031 95 15 55; Via Garibaldi 8; adult/child €9/5; tours 11.30am & 3.30pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct)
The
lavish gardens of Villa Serbelloni cover much of the promontory on which Bellagio sits.
The villa has seen plenty of illustrious people, such as Austria's Emperor Maximilian I
and Queen Victoria, and now the house is owned by the Rockefeller Foundation and is
closed to the public.
Guided garden tours, however, are possible; tickets are sold at the PromoBellagio office
in the Torre di Defensa Medievale near the church.
VILLA, GARDEN
Villa Melzi D'Eril
( 339 4573838;
www.giardinidivillamelzi.it
; Lungo Lario Manzoni; adult/child €6.50/4;
9.30am-6.30pm late-Mar-Oct)
Garden-lovers can stroll the grounds of neoclassical Villa Melzi
d'Eril, built in 1808 for one of Napoleon's associates and coloured by flowering azaleas
and rhododendrons in spring. The gardens, adorned with statues scattered about, formed
the first English-style park on Lago di Como.
VILLA, GARDEN
BOAT TOUR
Barindelli's
