spending 3 days in bellagio starting october 1st (only 9 days to go - whoohoo! excited!!). just looked at the 10 day forecast and looks like it will probably rain.

i was planning on taking a slow boat ride around the lake and doing some hiking - neither of which sounds very good if it's raining hard.

any suggestions for a 'plan b' if it's raining? (first time there, btw)

thanks!

p.s. should probably mention that i will not have a car while i am there.

The last place you need a car is in Bellagio..what you WILL need are sturdy legs to get up and down all those stairs.

In the rain: shopping comes to mind.

Sit in a cafe/restaurant and have a coretto grappa. Enjoy! (Como can probably use the rain.)

Any weather forecast for more than a week in advance is not reliable at all, so don't worry too early.

We were there for 4 days in October a year ago. One of the days was overcast and damp (not heavy rain, but sprinkles), and we took the boat ride anyway...it was lovely! Just put on a few layers, and enjoy the beauty!

We were in Lenno in July (first time to the Lake Como area)and it rained one afternoon and evening. We didn't mind at all. We borrowed umbrellas from the hotel (they had quite a few) and walked to dinner and back. No problem! The boats from the dock near the hotel never stopped and we actually watched fireworks in the evening! So don't worry too much right now - wait and see what the weather is like when you get there. Take your boat ride if you can. Otherwise, go shopping or sit in a cafe and people watch. Enjoy! It was beautiful!

thanks for all the positive responses...and, yes, i'm not giving up hope of sunshine just yet - just want to have a backup plan.

will give my report on bellagio, ct and tuscany when i return!

An Austrian couple once told me there's never bad weather, only bad clothes. Dress accordingly, especially for your shoes.

Our trip last year we looked at weather.com and it predicted rain almost every day. It didn't happen. It rained 1/2 day, and the rest of the time the weather was fine. Just plan ahead and don't worry about it.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. We were in Bellagio last week and there was some thunderstorms in the evening, but it was clear by morning. Then another thunderstorm hit during the day, but it only lasted about an hour and then it was totally sunny again. Just take an umbrella, just in case

1- get a boat pass and explore other gems along the lake - like the famous Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo, on the other side of the lake

Menaggio - near Como and Tremezzo - arcaded cute lakeside town.

Como it self can easily occupy a day in the rain - fine cathedral and neat old town with lots of shops; lakeside walks

From Como hop the funicular to Brunate for a view of the lake from high up

And if all else fails, head to Como and take a few-minute train ride to either Lugano, Switzerland (bring passport) or in less than an hour to Milan, where certainly a bit of rain won't dampen the great cathedral and old art like the Last Supper.

And the boat along the lake need not be ruined by rain - unlikely to rain constantly i think.

Brunate funi