Help in Bellagio
 

I will be traveling to Bellagio in August and staying at the Villa Serbelloni. Any suggestions on activities or places not to be missed? We will be 3 adults and two teenagers. Thanks for the help

I do hope you'll post a trip report when you return so we can find out if, in your opinion, the rooms are worth the price or not since that has proven to be a rather controversail subject here in the past.
If you can bear to tear yourself away from the self-proclaimed "most beautiful town in Europe" I think you'd probably enjoy exploring nearby Varenna and Menaggio...the shopping in these two isn't quite as upscale as in Bellagio but you might also appreciate the contrast with the other two towns. Just being on the lake should be exciting and hope you have a fabulous trip.

You will love Bellagio. We stayed at Villa Serbelloni in May and found our lakeview room fantastic. The 2 restaurants in the hotel are very good. We loved the food at the casual Mistral restaurant even more than the formal one. In terms of activities, there are quite a few things you should consider.

1. Visit some gorgeous villas in the area - Villa Serbelloni, Villa Carlotta and Villa Belbianello are probably the highest rated.

2. Have dinner at Locanda Isola Comacina - a private island on the lake with the restaurant being the only thing. It's quite an experience. Note: the only transportation to get there at night is a private taxi which will cost close to E200, but we shared with a couple of others.

3. Take the ferry to go to various towns in the area, e.g. Menaggio, Veranna, even down to Como (if you have a lot of time). The ferry is the most convenient transportation around the lake.

4. If you like boating or water sports, rent a boat to go on the lake for the afternoon for the whole family. We got a 14 foot from a boat rental place in Lezzeno, which cost about E140 incl gas for 3 hours. Without a European license, you can get a 14 foot, which is plenty for 5. The only thing is you cannot dock at the villas, so you'll just be touring the lake, but it's great. Ask hotel for location.

5. If you have lots of time, take a drive to Lake Lugano in Switzerland, it's about 1 hour away. You can also drive north to the Swiss Alps.

Finally, don't forget to leave some time just sitting by the pool or patio in the hotel. That alone is worth the trip.

Have fun.

In the summer there is a nightly disco at the lido for young people, teens and 20s. Depending on the age of your teenagers, might be fun for them. As most of the summer helpers are teenagers from around the world this is a great place for the kids to mingle and seems very safe from a parental concern angle.

Additional suggestions:
1. Visit Villa Monastero in Varenna.
2. Have dinner outdoors at Bilacus in Bellagio.

Is anyone interested in cycling? The Tour de France? If so, you must visit the Madonna del Ghisallo which is a small chapel named for the patroness of cyclists. It's about 10 kms. from Bellagio in the hills south of town.

The chapel is a shrine to the past and present giants of cycling, and their jerseys (shirts), photos and bicycles cover the walls. The Tour di Lombardy stops here every year (mid-October) for the riders to pay their respects. Visiting Ghisallo is the ultimate pilgrimage for serious cyclists.

We hired a taxi in Bellagio to take us, wait 15 minutes and return us to Bellagio. The driver turned out to be a cycling enthusiast, as is my husband. It cost us about 60 euros (my husband tipped his new friend very well), but the experience was worth much more.

I second the recommendation of the Ristorante Bilacus. Excellent!

Villa Balbienello was very pretty. We were there in March and the trees didn't have leaves but it was still so breathtaking.

Try and passby Villa d'Este nearer to the town of Como. The estate is gorgeous and the grounds are beautiful.