Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bellagio
POP 3078
It's impossible not to be smitten by Bellagio's waterfront of bobbing boats, its maze of
steep stone staircases, red-roofed and green-shuttered buildings, dark cypress groves and
rhododendron-filled gardens. Like the prow of a beautiful vessel, it sits at the crux of the
inverted Y that is Lake Como; the Como and Lecco arms of the lake wash off to port and
starboard. Wander out of the old town centre to Punta Spartivento and gaze north up the
third arm towards the Alps. In Roman times, Pliny had one of his favourite villas here.
Bellagio is hardly a secret. On summer weekends, foreign tourists are overwhelmed by
hordes of day trippers up from Milan. Try to come midweek if you want a modicum of
peace. It makes a nice base for ferry trips to other locations on the lake, in particular Var-
enna, on Lake Como's east shore.
Sights
Before setting out to explore the town, pick up the three self-guided walking tour bro-
chures from the tourist office. They range from one-hour
(Historical Tour & Itinerary of
the Central Part of Town)
to three-hour walks that take in neighbouring villages, includ-
ing
Pescallo
, a small one-time fishing port about 1km from the centre, and
Loppia
with the
11th-century
Chiesa di Santa Maria
, which is only visible from the outside.
Basilica di San Giacomo
(Piazza della Chiesa)
Bellagio's most interesting Romanesque church is the Basilica di San Gi-
acomo in central Bellagio, built in the 12th century by master builders from Como.
CHURCH
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 the great and the good swing by: Austria's Emperor Maximilian I,
Ludovico il Moro and Queen Victoria, to name a few. You'll have to be content with the
villa's exterior (the interior is closed to the public) and the gardens.
Visits are by guided tour only and numbers are limited; tickets are sold at the small Pro-
moBellagio information office, in the 15th-century Torre di Defensa Medievale near the
church.
VILLA, GARDEN
