My husband and I leave for our Italy vacation in 13 days! We will be in Lake Como for our anniversary on 5/24. I'm looking for suggestions on ways to celebrate. G rated,please, I do have some ideas of my own I think we'd like to see Villa del Balbianello that day, my husband is a bit of a Star Wars geek.

Balbianello is a must. Villa Carlotta is also interesting. If the weather's nice, just strolling the towns, riding the ferries and enjoying the views is what the lake offers best.

But are you there for only one day (5/24)? And please tell me you're NOT staying in the town of Como but rather somewhere in the mid-lake triangle.

You could have a blow-out dinner at the Villa d'Este, but that would almost require your staying there or nearby because the latest ferry to mid-lake wouldn't be late enough.

Tell us more of your interests and timeframe.

I saw on another post that filming will be going on at Villa Balbianello during May for a new James Bond film. I'm not sure how to check it out, but I'd prepare myself that it may not be open.

Jean - We are going to be in Como for a week. We are staying Cernobbio, which I'm guessing in your opinion is as bad as staying in Como. Having never been there before, I'm guessing any place on the lake is going to be closer to heaven than Jersey. How late do the boats run? Our evenings out may have to be in and around the Como area if they don't run much at night.

The are many lovely villas in the Cernobbio area. Unfortunately, they are not open to the public, but they do add charm to the landscape, something sorely missing in the town of Como.

The only real problem in staying in Cernobbio is the limited ferry service. Go to www.navigazionelaghi.it to check the schedules of car ferries, hydrofoils and traghettos (passenger ferries). Although the site is in Italian, it's fairly straightforward. Colico is the northern terminus and Como the southern terminus for the main service on the western leg of the lake. Unless you have a car, you will be quite limited in how far you can travel each day from Cernobbio.

Thanks for the advice Jean. I changed my hotel reservations and we're spliting our stay between Cernobbio and Menaggio now. This way I hope to enjoy even more of the lake area. Now we'll be staying in Menaggio on our actual aniversary, so we'll be looking for an evening out either there or Bellagio.

Menaggio and possibly a special dinner in Bellagio are good choices.

We have not been, but there is supposed to a top quality restaurant on Isola Comanche which is near to Menaggio (I think they serve a fixed menu and take several hours to serve the whole meal).

We usually stay in Varenna and take a hal board plan.

half board plan.

I've read a lot of good thigs about Locanda dell'isola Comacina on these boards. Seems like a fun dining experience, we may do that.

alabamawhirly - Here is the website for the island on Lake Como

http://www.comacina.it/isola/isle.htm


Hope you have the best time you have had together.

VS :-"

Good plan, alabamawhirly! If you decide on dinner in Bellagio, you still must be aware of the last ferry back to Menaggio. It's likely you'll have to plan on having dinner when the restaurant opens (most usually open at 7:30) so that you won't be rushed. I can recommend Bilacus for great food at reasonable prices and very friendly service. (Many locals dine here.) The restaurant is a bit well-lit to be seriously romantic, but they do have tables on the charming outside terrace when the weather's good. It's located on the main "salita" (stairway street) of Bellagio. When you arrive in Cernobbio (or by email before you leave home), ask the hotel to call and make a reservation for you.

Dinner on the island might not work with the ferry schedule, but the restaurant should be open for lunch by late May. The only thing that keeps me from recommending this restaurant is the time it takes out of your day. If you want the slower pace and "atmospheric" experience of Lake Como, then a meal on the island would be fun. But if you have lots of things on your wish list, I wouldn't rate this dining experience near the top.

Do a search on this board for Varenna restaurants. There have been several threads of late describing some great experiences. Varenna itself is worth a few hours; it's quite different from both Bellagio and Menaggio.

Have a wonderful time in one of my favorite places in the world.

We enjoyed an anniversary dinner at the restaurant in Vella Serbelloni in Bellagio.

Alabamawhirly,

It would not be exactly inexpensive, but there is a water taxi (operates out of Bellagio). This would let you get around the last boat of the night back to Menaggio situation.

If you need, then I can give ph # (maybe their e-mail address as well).

Double_Vergasser - I would love the name/number/e-mail of the water taxi company. Anything you have would be appriciated!

Thanks everyone for all your help! I'm so excited about this trip. Only 5 more days!

At this moment, I can not find the little book I brought home from Bellagio (I will search) but

[email protected]

might do the trick.

(You also might e-mail your hotel in Menaggio about water taxi service).