The Jewel of the Italian Lakes – Lake Como

Lake Como is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful areas of Northern Italy’s Lombardy region. With its stunning natural beauty, this is the ultimate picture-perfect destination.

Nestled into the foothills of the Alps, Lake Como sits in the shadows and awe-inspiring beauty of the snow-capped mountains, with ancient villages and opulent villas scattered along the views.

Lake Como, known in Italian as ‘Lago di Como’, is 20 miles long, narrow and said to be one of the deepest lakes in all of Europe. Shaped like an upside-down letter ‘Y’ the lake is home to many pretty towns and villages along with perfectly maintained gardens and public parks.

With dramatic scenery cascading all around, history and renaissance architecture to admire it is easy to see why Lake Como is such an appealing place to explore. Known for its glamour and appeal to the rich and famous, celebrities including George Clooney, Sylvester Stallone and Richard Branson all have homes on the lake. This tranquil area of Italy will leave you wanting to live a life of luxury too, surrounded by the picturesque scenery and calm, serene atmosphere the lake creates.

The city of Como is a shoppers paradise, a town famed for its silk production you can be sure to find the finest quality silk scarves and ties, perfect dress accessories for enjoying dinner and a sunset one evening. A top sight to see in Como is the Duomo. The impressive 15^th-century church is a wonder of gothic and renaissance architecture with an impressive dome. Milan is only half an hour by train from Como and is also very close to the borders of Switzerland.

There are many principle towns that sit upon the lakes shore with the most popular being Bellagio, a pretty town with traditional cobbled streets and home to sprawling villas including the ‘The Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni’ one of the oldest but most elegant hotels on Lake Como. With mesmerising views, divine food and a Spa there is plenty to tempt everyone.

Lenno sits on the coastal stretch of Lake Como known as Tremezzina and is enveloped in lush vegetation. Calm waters create a tranquil environment for relaxing walks and alfresco dining on the stunning promenade and a quaint old town centre provides history, charm and rustic beauty to explore.

A good town to stop by if you enjoy outdoor sports is Menaggio. Home to an 18 hole golf course, as well as opportunities for swimming, water skiing, riding and mountain biking, the difficult decision will be what to try first. If something more gentle is required then there are many walks to explore either relaxing or a little more challenging.

Transport is very good at Lake Como with the main provider being regular boats up and down the waters, buses provide a good service on dry land and connect many of the smaller towns and remote villages. Don’t forget to look up the different travel pass options and tickets before you leave, buying tickets in advance could save time and make travel a lot more relaxing.

While visiting Lake Como don’t forget to absorb the beauty and splendour of an area like no other, with dramatic scenery all around, quaint villages in sorbet colours, pretty public gardens immaculately maintained, fine cuisines to tempt the taste buds and views to take your breath away you can be sure to take away memories that will leave a picture painted in your mind forever.

To find out more about our first class rail holiday’s to Lake Como or our holidays to Italy and beyond, call 01347 825292.