We have been to Bellagio four times for up to two weeks at a time. We stay away from the tourist crowds and find it beautiful with our expansive lake views from up high.
We canceled a reservation there last year as we still feared traveling with COVID still around.

I don’t get the not getting, either! We were on Lake Como nearly 30 years ago and loved it. We stayed in Bellagio in a charming hotel with great views, took a ferry around the towns, and found it a spectacularly beautiful location. We liked it more than Lake Maggiore. We stayed on Isola dei Pescatori and our room in the hotel was next door to the church with its bells ringing all night.

To each his own. We enjoyed it and thought it a lovely location.

Perhaps it is as simple as an identifiable name to Americans? When I see/hear Bellagio, I think of the hotel with the fountains in Vegas, not actual Italy. Americans may associate with it in that way. Just a guess...

Or perhaps we just need to blame George once again for the Oceans 11 remake which featured those stinking fountains? 😉

We only stayed there for less than a day on a drive from Switzerland. I don’t remember if it was crowded, it was certainly lovely .
If one is only interested in visiting non touristy, not crowded spots, it would leave out Venice, the Hermitage, MOMA, Semana Santa, Vatican Museum , Siena, Amsterdam, The Portrait Gallery , a good chunk of Paris…etc
I still regret getting to the St Vitus Cathedral in Prague and turning away because the line was huge and “ touristy”.

I fully agree with Kleeblatt.
All bigger Lakes of Lombardy are nice as a weekend destination for people living in Switzerland, Tyrol or southernmost Germany or for hiking in winter and spring, when when the North of the Alps may be rather too cold for that.
I usually go in the Lake Maggiore area because i't easy to reach from Berne; especially in April/May, when there are thousends of blooming flowers, first white narcissus and lilies of the Valley, later rhododendron. .
Hiking is excellent in the Swiss part of the area (with tons of very well signpostetd panoramic trails, leading from bus stop to bus stop resp boat's pier or ristorante. The most lifts and mountain railways to spectacular viewpoints are in the Swiss part too..Boat rides along Lake Garda, Como, Lugano or Maggiore are very pleasant too.
Lake Como is nice, but not better than the other Lakes and more difficult to reach from the airports of MXP or ZRH than Lake Lugano or Lake Maggiore. Lake Garda is easier to reach from VRN and VCE..

When everyone figures out the Lake Como question, we can then address why people swoon over Venice while some of the same people say Florence can be seen as a day trip from Rome or during a long train connection... That is if they don't suggest skipping Florence altogether.

I will report back in 2 months.

I am going to Milan for the first time which will be my 8th time to Italy. I meant to go years ago but never made it. I don’t even know if I would have gone to Lake Como but I will be going this time. I wouldn’t call myself an inexperienced traveler either as I’ve been traveling internationally for 20 years now. I’ve checked off I think most of the must sees Italy has so now, I want to see other things and why I am going. If I am in Milan for a week, why not check it out and see it for myself.

Haha, Travel_Nerd! I also wonder why some people come on here with no information, wanting a stranger to plan their trip!

In terms of not getting the appeal of someplace, I am loosely paraphrasing, but to those who enjoy a place no explanation is necessary, to those who don't, no explanation is possible!

We are all very unique people with our own preferences, even within that, we can like different types of trips at different points in our life. It sounds like we will do a good job of keeping it all spread out, so no one place will be unbearable.
Happy travels, everyone!

We have also enjoyed time on Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore but prefer Lake Como. Staying in one place and using ferries to explore the whole lake is very relaxing instead of driving every day. . We went to Lake Como way before George Clooney bought his villa there.

Michael, I have ordered that book.

Plus, how can one make generalizations after just one visit?

I know plenty of Dutch and Belgian people who have been to lake Como and love it. Lake Garda is popular too. Why would it be an 'American thing' to visit Como? It is gorgeous, there are some wonderful hotels, it's easy to get to via Milan. Perfect for a short break. Sure there are lots of other beautiful places, it's all down to personal preference. Switzerland has some stunning places to visit, but I much prefer Italy; better food, friendlier people and less expensive. Good stop-over on the way to Italy by car though :cool:

The 3 bigger lakes along the Swiss-Italian border (Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano, Lake Como) are all nice, for sure.
But if I had only 2-3 weeks for a visit of whole italy, I would never waste my time in this area.
There is one exception, however. After a overnight flight to Milan, it might be a good idea to relax one day on Lake Maggiore, just a few miles from MXP airport.

On the other hand, the 3 Lakes are a must in a trip around Switzerland, however:
Bernina Express - Lake Como - Lake Lugano - Lake Maggiiore - Centovalli Express - Simplon Postbus - Brig/Aletsch glacier - Zermatt.........

Along the lines of neckervd, I can see that if I were working in Milan, I'd consider staying in Como as it is a smaller city (pop 489,000 versus Milan's 1.35 million) yet still within commuting distance (about 40 minutes by train plus station commutes, etc.) from Milan.
Como is also about a 2 hour bus ride from Milan Malpensa airport which is a major Italian (air) gateway. (Stresa on Lake Maggiore is about the same)

As a daytrip-to-Milan base, Varenna (Rick Steves' pick) is a bit far, but definitely suitable for a 'decompression after the flight across the Atlantic' place - it's a 3 hour commute by public transit from Mallpensa. There are easy ferry connections of short duration between the three sites of Varenna, Bellagio, and Menaggio - again, a simple, low stress, easy public transit way of spending a relaxing day.

Of course, people have their own reasons for visiting x or y, as others have pointed out. No idea what the national origin is of tourists to the area.

Lake Maggiore (Arona) is about 1 hr by train or bus from Malpensa airport, half of that by car or taxi.
Malpensa airport is 1 hr 20 min by train from Como city (St. John station or Lake station).

Lake Como is beautiful but my tip would be to hire a car so that you can explore the little villages around the lake but inland a little and off the beaten track. Not only are the prices much better but there are some real hidden gems to be discovered.

Varenna-Esino to Milano Centrale is just 1:05 hour (no change), so definitely daytrip possible IMO.

loved Varrena

Lake Como is objectively beautiful.

I am glad there are other places that are beautiful as well! Oh, to be lucky enough to get to see them all!