Beautiful Bellagio, Lake Como 🇮🇹

Trip date: September 2023

My friend Claudette decided to celebrate her big birthday in Lake Como and invited a bunch of us to join her. The party in Italy was set for Sept 26th making it a long month of travel for me; 26 days coincidentally! 

So after I visited Washington DC, Normandy, Paris, and finished traveling around Morocco, my friend Gail and I flew to Italy to join the festivities! We booked a direct 3-hour flight from Marrakech to Milan on EasyJet and then arranged thru the hotel for a private driver to pick us up and drive us the 1 ½ hours to Bellagio. 

Claudette had chosen the Hotel Belvedere and it was just the perfect spot! I booked a Double Comfort with Lake View (now called a Superior) which was a splurge but how often am I going to be in Lake Como? I wanted to gaze at the lake every day, all day!

When I checked in, one of the staff escorted me up to my 4th floor room where there was a bottle of chilled prosecco waiting. I had a big corner room with a private terrace overlooking the pool and the lake, as well as 2 Juliet balconies with views to the west and of the alps. Even my bathtub had a view of the lake! I was officially in heaven!

Lake Como is the shape of an inverted Y with Bellagio right in the intersection, it's literally in the middle of it all. Bellagio is very small; a village with about 3,820 locals and just 3 streets crossed by 7 lanes of stone staircases. Obviously it is very easy to walk around without a map!

The hotel is located about 3/4 of a mile from Bellagio center and just behind Pescallo, a tiny fishing village on the east side of the peninsula. This entire area looks like a postcard! It's all stunning!

It was a super relaxing week, which was absolutely perfect for me having been on the road for so long. Most afternoons were spent by the pool and in the jacuzzi which looks out to the lake. The hotel has a pool cafe and bar right there so snacks and drinks were never far. And the hotel had just opened an amazing spa and were letting guests use the facilities like sauna, vichy shower, salt rooms, etc for free. 

In Bellagio, along the waterfront, are the beautiful Gardens of Villa Melzi d’Eril. A few of us went one morning and it was a really lovely stroll. The property was owned by Melzi who was the Duke of Lodi, VP of Napoleon’s Italian Republic, and Grand Chancellor of the Kingdom of Italy. He only lived in the villa from 1810 until his death in 1816 but it is still owned by direct descendants of Melzi, the Gallarati Scotti family, and is there private residence. 

You can visit a small museum about the life of the Duke, the family Chapel, and the greenhouses. And really just wandering the property and taking in the stunning views is worth the €10 entry fee!

The cobblestone lanes of Bellagio's borgo (old town) are great for wandering. There are lots of little shops selling wood worked items, wine, clothing, leather goods, deli & grocery, etc. And of course there are cute cafes, gelaterias, and restaurants. 

As there were 19 of us (from Australia, the UK, and the US) restaurants were generally chosen by who had room for our large group. On the first night we went to La Punta and sat out on the patio. We were all so excited to be seeing each other that there wasn't a lot of focus on the food, I didn't even take a photo! I remember very good pasta and fish dishes however.

Right in the center of town is a restaurant called Suisse, in a hotel of the same name. Some of us had lunch there one afternoon, outside on their terrace which is right in front of the ferry docks. They do a pasta dish inside of a hollowed out wheel of Parmigiano. Fun to watch, delicious to eat!

A couple of nights later a bunch of us had dinner back here for one of the kids who's 16th birthday it was. She decided the pasta was better the first day, but it was still a great spot for a big group as they set us up on 2 long tables nearest to the water. 

Some of us went to Antico Pozzo one afternoon and had a wonderful lunch on their patio. I had the traditional cotoletta di vitello alla Milanese which is made with bone-in veal chop. 

Dinner one evening at Bistrot Antichi Sapori was super solid. It's a popular choice, and doesn't take reservations, so we did wait a bit. But it was fun and really well priced. 

Aperitivo wine bar was the perfect spot for drinks after dinner one evening. They have an amazing selection and offer over 40 wines by the glass! I just wish I would have had time to visit more than once!

We also had pizza at a spot called Nando's; I'd skip this as there must be better pizza in town! It was very disappointing. 

And of course, one evening we celebrated Claudette! She hosted a fabulous cocktail party and dinner at the Hotel Belvedere complete with a huge antipasto spread outside on their big terrace, and then sit down dinner for 19 inside with views of the lake. What a night!

Bellagio is just so serene and charming, I really couldn't imagine staying in one of the bigger towns. I was so happy Claudette chose this sweet location!

All Lake Como photos here.

Next post from Bellagio, Boating Around Lake Como