Dream Lake Como. Choose our rental properties. Love it!
01
Menaggio
8 km north of Tremezzina, Menaggio has a cute cobblestone old centre. The central
square overlooking the lake has a couple of cafes that are perfect for lake-gazing and people-watching. It is possible to take a minor road out of Menaggio for Plesio and then follow a walking trail for about two hours to the Rifugio Menaggio. At 1383m altitude, the views down over the lake are ample reward for the climb.
02
Bellagio
Worldwide known as the “pearl of Lake Como”,
Bellagio is suspended like a pendant on the
promontory where the lake’s western and eastern arms split and head south.
It’s impossible not to be smitten by Bellagio’s waterfront of bobbing boats, its maze of steep stone staircases, red-roofed and green-shuttered buildings, dark cypress groves and rhododendron-filled gardens. It sits at the crux of the inverted Y that is Lake Como; the Como and Lecco arms of the Lake wash off to port and starboard.
Wander out of the old town centre to Punta Spartivento and gaze north up the third arm towards the Alps.
Garden lovers can also stroll the magnificent grounds of neoclassical Villa Melzi, an artistic and botanical jewel overlooking Lake Como .
The gardens of Villa Melzi extend along the lake shore and harmoniously fit into the hilly framework of Bellagio peninsula that divides the two brancges of the lake.
Inside the villa, the chapel and the greenhouse of the orange trees, today a historical museum, are splendid expression of neoclassical style and as such declared a national monument.
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Villa Melzi gardens will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting from March 23rd, 2024
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03
Varenna & Castle of Vezio
A beguiling village bursting with florid plant life, exotic flowery perfumes and
birdsong, is a short ferry ride away from its rival in postcard beauty Bellagio. Its pastel-coloured houses defy the standard laws of physics, seemingly gripping for all they’re worth to the steep slopes that rise from the lake.
Once you will arrive by ferry to Varenna, you will land near the Passeggiata degli Innamorati (Walk of lovers), one of the most inspiring and romantic walks along Lake Como, The Passeggiata degli Innamorati leads to a beautiful and much-photographed bay, the famous Riva Grande. Here you will find several cafes, restaurants, local artisan shops and ice cream parlors.
A visit to Villa Monastero is definitely one of the best things to do in Varenna. The villa, located a stone’s throw from the central Piazza San Giorgio, was once an old monastery that later became a patrician residence.Villa Monastero has a beautiful botanical garden which contains many species of rare plants and 2 km along the lake shore.
You can also visit the Casa Museo, a museum collects four centuries of history in an elegant setting with fine decorations and furnishings .
Villa Monastero is opened from March to beginning of November.
Only 30-minute walk from the center of Varenna, you can reach the top of the hill that houses the Castle of Vezio, a medieval fortress that has stood for more than a thousand years on the promontory overlooking Varenna. The Castle of Vezio is a medieval fortress that has stood for more than a thousand years on the promontory overlooking Varenna.
The terrace adjacent to the castle offers a breathtaking view of Lake Como and is home to the “ghosts,” which are white plaster sculptures made each year in the summer with the help of people who pose for an hour.
Also noteworthy is the permanent exhibit dedicated to the Lariosaurus, an extinct marine reptile from the Middle Triassic, which gave rise to a legend similar to that of the Loch Ness monster.
The castle, open from March to November, can be reached by two roads:
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the shorter, but rather steep road, starts next to the hotel Montecodeno and the walk takes about 20-30 minutes, also offering shelter from the sun
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the more scenic alternative is the Scabium trail, the beginning of which is almost in front of Villa Monastero; it takes 40 minutes and is also rather steep, but offers splendid views of Lake Como (although it is mostly under the sun).
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04
Dongo & Gravedona
The territory of Alto Lago (North Lake Como)
offers a beautiful pedestrian - cycling path
along the lake from Dongo -Gravedona and back. About 5 kilometres perfect if you love bycicle or if you just want to walk, the landscape is amazing and you have also the possibility to jump into the lake and enjoy it.
