Bellagio, Lake Como’s best-known tourist destination, lies at the tip of the triangle between the two southern branches of the lake. You can get there by road or get there by boat from Menaggio or Varenna.
Personally, I find Bellagio a bit overrated. During the season it’s overrun with tourists, and the shops are accordingly filled with overpriced souvenirs, most of which have nothing to do with the region (okay, I’m a souvenir snob – I only want something that authentically represents the place).
I concede that the views are stunning – but there are views at least equally stunning from other points on the lake.
But I end up in Bellagio a lot whether I want to or not, because our foreign visitors usually want to see it. My favorite way, during the summer, is to take the slow boat from Lecco.
Bellagio’s charm, for me, is in its verticals – everything runs uphill from the lakefront. (Which means that, to really appreciate it, you must be prepared to walk.)Above is a view up Bellagio’s main salita, with the (justly) famous Bilacus restaurant on the right. Below is a shop whose sign I’m fond of – I love the antique typography you can still find on many shop signs in Italy.
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Il Muro di Sormano: Where Bicycle Racers Hit THE WALL
On a sunny Sunday in January, we drove up to the triangolo Lariano – the peninsula jutting into y-shaped Lake Como, whose tip is Bellagio. It’s an area famous in Italian bike racing history (there’s even a church dedicated to cycling, with relics of famous racers – including their bikes) As we drove, part of the road was stencilled with Muro di Sormano, over and over again. We had never heard of this, and thought it must refer to some ancient ruin of a Roman or medieval wall.
After lunch at the top of the hill in Colma, we noticed a tourism signpost for “Muro di Sormano – 2 km” with an estimated walking time of two hours. This seemed like a lot of time to cover two kilometers. So we started walking down the very steep slope of a newly-paved road, which was painted with altitude markers and stencils of local plants, and viewing spots where you could look out and identify the mountain peaks all around. More mysterious were the large quotations from Italian cyclists, painted on the ground so as to be read from the bottom up.
We ran into a local couple who were happy to tell us all about it. I love hearing stories from people like this, who have been in a place forever and known every inch of it for decades. Myself, I have a breadth of knowledge about many parts of the world, but I will never have the depth of knowledge that comes with being deeply, permanently rooted in your native soil. I’m not sure I would trade, but I do enjoy seeing the other side.
As they explained, the “wall” of Sormano is the road itself. It used to be part of the Giro di Lombardia (and maybe the Giro d’Italia). Because of its steep grade, the cyclists perceived it as a wall. Which doesn’t appear to have stopped them – in one part of the video you can see what are apparently the record times for covering this damn-near-vertical distance.
Lake Como Travel Tips
^ above: View from the central western shore, above and north of Menaggio. Want to enjoy this view during your Italian vacation? You can rent the place where I took this photo
Lake Como, shaped like an upside-down Y, is easily reached from Milan by car or train. You can take the train to Lecco (on the eastern tip of the Y), Como (on the western tip), or Varenna (on the east side of the center of the lake, opposite Bellagio in the crotch of the Y). From any of these places you can take commuter boats all over the lake. Go here for video of the ferry ride.
FAQ: How to Reach Varenna from Malpensa Airport
- The Cheap Way: Airport bus to Milan Central Station (1 hour, depending on traffic, about 6 euros), then direct train to Varenna (about every hour, also around 6 euros)
- The Easy Way: hire a car, from e.g. Best Viaggi. Antonello is absolutely reliable, and speaks very good English.
Some places to visit on and near Lake Como:
- Places to eat
- Lake Como tourism & hospitality guide
- Guide to the center lake region of Lake Como
- Useful Fodor’s trip report on all three lakes
- The New York Times on Lake Como – leaving out, however, the entire southeastern branch of the lake!
My videos of Lake Como:
Got any great tips or sites for visits to Lake Como? Please share!
Gallery: Chiavenna in December
From our family post-Christmas lunch trip to al Cenacolo in Chiavenna.
Evidence of Global Warming?
I’ve seen this view many times (and it’s always astounding), but never captured it on film before.
Unfortunately, it demonstrates unusual dryness and lack of snow in the Alps for this time of year. Global warming? Climate cancer? Whatever you want to call it, it ain’t good.
