A week in Bellagio
 

Last month we spent a week in Bellagio. We took the train from Milan to Varenna and then down the hill to the first boat to Bellagio which happened to be a ferry.

It was at the beginning of the heat wave and our hotel, Hotel Florence, did not have air conditioning. We had a fan which helped somewhat.

Our room #24 was large and very nice with a window on two sides and a wrap around balcony. Number 26 was an equally nice room.

We bought a six day boat pass at 55.50€ apiece and we were on a boat every day as a way to keep cool. We got our money’s worth and it was nice not to have to stand in line for tickets each time.

Bellagio was a bit crowded with day trippers but the evenings were quieter. We were happy that we chose Bellagio over the other towns on Lake Como. We went to Varenna a couple of times and just didn’t see the charm. We did have a lovely lunch on the terrace of the Hotel du Lac in Varenna.

We really enjoyed the boat ride to the top end of the lake. The water is much choppier and there were a lot of windsurfers and sailboats on the lake. At Colico one has time for a gelato and/ or a drink and then get back on the boat for the return trip. That’s all the time needed in Colico.

We went to Como twice, once on Saturday market day. We took the hydrofoil back for an additionall 3€ supplement which was worth it because otherwise it is a long boat ride.

We visited Villa Carlotta and in Bellagio the gardens of the Villa Melzi which were uncrowded and very well kept. The entrance fee is 5€ and is good for the entire day.

We had lunch at the Hotel Belevedere which is very nice but a hike up the hill. We went back another night for dinner. It was the best and most expensive meal that we had in Bellagio.

We ate at Bilacus twice, liking it better the first time than the second due to the choices we made. We ate at Trattoria S. Giacomo twice and liked the food and the friendly servers. We also ate at La Punta twice. It also has good food and a nice setting. We did not eat dinner at our hotel because the menu didn’t appeal to us but it stayed quite busy so I’m sure it was good.

Bellagio has a laundromat which will wash and fold for 5.50€ per kilo.

A travel agent will book train tickets as Varenna is an unmanned station. We used the one around the corner from the Hotel Florence. It is open only from 8:30-10:00 AM. There is no cost for this service.

We enjoyed our stay in Bellagio very much.

Nice and highly useful report. Lake Como gets a lot of play on this board but mostly people trying to decide which hotel to select. Not as much info ever comes about what to do, where to eat, etc. Thanks.

Yes, good report. And very interesting about the laundromat. We looked all over without success and our hotel Du Lac told us there was no such thing in Bellagio.

Did you wheel your luggage from the train down to the boat in Varenna? How about returning? Wheel it uphill?

Hello Judi, thank you for sharing your week at Lake Como. I know your trip report will be of interest to many travellers as there is so many questions regarding Lake Como.

Your week sounds like paradise!! Wish I was there.

Thanks for your kind words. I hoped to be helpful.

Patrick, we just happened to see the laundromat on our way to La Punta restaurant. It is up the street that runs between the Hotels Florence and Serbelloni.

We are light packers ( 20 pounds or so) and it was easy to wheel our luggage downhill. We could have done the reverse but chose to call a taxi from the little cafe where we stopped for juice. It cost 7€ for a two minute ride. I guess she could charge whatever she wanted as taxis were scarce.

Nice report. I stayed in room 23 when I was at the Florence; I remember the nice views that number 24 had.
Two questions: what was on the Belvedere menu that you liked that wasn't on the Florence menu? I ate at the Florence restaurant (on the terrace by the lake) and thought it was better than Bilacus.
Second, do you remember where the laundromat was? Or its name?
Thanks! Glad you had a great time!

Thank you, Judi. This was both interesting and useful as we will be *somewhere* on Lake Como in October. What a difficult place to make decisions. Everytime I read something, I want to do THAT.
I especially appreciated the info about the restaurants and the transportation details.
Carol

Interesting report! Judi, taxis are more expensive when they are going uphill.

:-)

Yes, I know that is true, Catbert! :s-

BTilke, I remember that we had pasta and fish and that the presentation was very nice. We liked the ambience of the Belvedere restaurant and we also had a rather expensive bottle of wine.

We did have a nice lunch at the Florence and I am sorry now that we didn't try it for dinner. After eating breakfast there for seven days we just didn't want anything else from that kitchen.

We would often sit outside of the hotel for drinks and people watching and it was especially fun to watch the servers dart across the street from the outdoor restaurant to the kitchen.

Good stuff Judi---glad you liked Lago Como--hard not to.

Topping for anyone who missed this yesterday.

Sounds like a lovely visit, Judi. Thanks for the great report.

For the recent posters asking about Bellagio here is my web site with some photos. There are also a few photos of Santa Margherita Ligure where we spent five nights after our week in Bellagio.

http://homepage.mac.com/pj2592/PhotoAlbum54.html

Thanks for the report and the beautiful pictures. My daughter and I are staying at the Hotel Florence in the middle of September. Hopefully, it won't be that hot.

Has anyone eaten at the Serbelloni next door? A friend recommended one of their restaurants highly.

Thanks for the interestinga nd useful report, Judi. Bellagio is somewhere I am thinking of going after reading an earlier report. Did you go to the beach at all ?

Your report makes Lake Como sound so lovely. It has long been on my 'future' list. Since over the years many of the pictures one sees of Lake Como show the terrace at Villa d'Este, have Fodorites gone there for a drink, a lunch, or a walkaround?

You can catch scenes of Lake Como on the new Gwen Stefani video, Cool. It was filmed there a few months ago.

I had my best meal in all of Italy in Bellagio, and I don't think anyone could imagine where it happened. If some of you are interested, I'll explain.

Re Patrick's question <Did you wheel your luggage from the train down to the boat in Varenna? How about returning? Wheel it uphill?>

Hub and I wheeled our bags and duffles back up the hill to the train. Took just less than 10 minutes and was not strenuous. We are approaching our 60's and in B+ health. Hope that helps.

Thank you for the wonderful trip report, Judi.

Just saw the "Cool" video BTilke mentioned. I thought the setting looked familiar!

Waldo - I'd love to hear what happened.

We also had our most expensive (due to wine) Bellagio meal at Hotel Belvedere back in May. We thought it better than Bilacus, but not as good as La Punta. We ate off the fixed price menu (32 euro). I had orrechiette w/broccoli, mixed salad, swordfish and tiramisu. Husband had crepes w/cheese, veal roast, mixed salad and panna cotta. Needless to say, we were stuffed!

A couple of years ago, my wife and I visited Bellagio. During our visit, we stopped by the church on top of the hill, behind the town. On the way down the hill, we had to go down a few large flights of steps, diectly going down from the church. We saw a deli type store about one hundred feet to the right of the second landing of the steps as we were descending. We stopped in and we realized what a pleasant place this was. They had a large selection of cheeses, wines, cold cuts, etc. We also noticed a woman in the rear of the store in a kitchen. We asked, and found out that she would cook meals made to order. We looked at the menu and saw a large selection. She would cook the meals, and they would be ready at specific times. I ordered gnocci, and my wife ordered spaghetti Bolognese. We also ordered cheeses,
a bottle of wine and home made tiramasu. The price was unbelievably low. At the prescribed time that evening, we went to the store and picked up our food. It was prepared in aluminum dishes with accompanying stainless utensils, napkins, a bottle opener, plastic wine cups, condiments, etc. We were also given a nice large paper tablecloth. We then went down by Lake Como, spread out our feast and had a fantastic dinner AL FRESCO. Believe me, that lady knows how to cook. Needless to say, we went to that place a few times again and were never disappointed, as a matter of fact, we were ecstatic. I don't even know the name of the place, I only know its' location. I certainly will go there again if I visit Bellagio, which is probably the prettiest town in Italy.

Wow! That sounds great, Waldo! We were yearning for something like that during our stay in Bellagio. If we go again...I'll be sure to try to find this place!

For what it's worth, there are actually two laundries (not strictly speaking laundromats, since they do the wash/dry for you, you don't do it yourself) -- one charges by weight, the other by item. Sorry I can't now remember precisely the two names, but they're within a block or so of each other up the hill just beyond S. Giacomo on the way out to the point.

The one by weight is cheaper but they'll cram things in together; the one by the piece is more expensive by quite a bit but they'll iron and fold stuff.

Hi, Judi! I was drawn to your link to the photographs of Bellagio, and then I moseyed over to the Swiss albums, and lo! I didn't realized you were "that Judi"! I don't think I had ever seen your Lago Maggiore views. Gerra-Gambarogno is the epitome of undiscovered villages, but my heart skipped a beat when I saw your photograph from the lakeboat. I also really enjoyed the pictures of Sachseln and vicinity. Gilswil looks like it has my name written all over it. Did you notice Lungern? Later, with envy for your yearly trips! J.

Wonderful report and pictures on your photo site, Judi!

Thanks, all, for your kind words.

Caroline, we are not beach people so can't help you there.

Waldo, thanks for the interesting comments about your take-away dinners. That is good information!

Cassandra, you are correct; it was a laundry, not a laundromat where we took our clothes. We were charged by the kilo and they were neatly folded.

And J, dear, I am glad you peeked at my Switzerland albums. You know K and I went to Gerra-Gamborogno in your honor! In September we went to Lungern as well. That part of Switzerland is beautiful! You may not be at all interested in Argentina but it was a fabulous trip! We're off to Spain once again in October. It is about time for you to be back at school; I hope you have a terrific year!

Judi,
Your photos are awesome!! I have already printed out one of Santa Margherita Ligure which is going in my trip planning file for the French & Italian Riviera. I am trying to decide what else I can fit in on this trip and am also thinking about Lake Como 'cause it looks SO pretty. I saw that a couple of people posted here about Gwen Stefani's "Cool" video being filmed there but am wondering if anyone can tell me exactly where it was filmed on Lake Como (what towns) and what some of the places are that are in the video. Everytime I watch that video, I just want to pack my bags. :) I'm thinking about taking Easycruise in the Mediterranean in Sept/Oct and read that I can take a bus to SML but haven't even started trying to figure out where exactly in Lake Como I want to go and/or how I'll get there. I do not want to rent a car as I willbe travelling alone and have no desire to try to navigate by myself in a country where I don't even speak the language. That would be way too stressful. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks so much, Judi. We are finding we are going on an unexpected trip to Italy in June (we always find ourselves going back, even though we are building a new house and moving to a new state in May, so we thought we wouldn't travel much this year beyond our already planned Ireland trip, and trip to India and Bhutan in November)...but alas Italy is beckoning. We are meeting up with some friends and because of plane routing we are finding we are going to have 4 extra days after Milan, and we had just discussed going to the the Lake District to celebrate our "extra days" since we have been to Italy so many times but haven't spent time up at Como yet. I mentioned Bellagio to my husband just last night, and your info is very helpful!

Don't know if any of the previous posters will see this, so long after the original postings, but I want to say "thank you", to Judy especially, and to Waldo and all the others who posted such very helpful information. I know it will make a difference when we visit paradise, I mean Lake Como/Bellagio, in May. Thank you.

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