So, I’ve been on the lake for three weeks now and I have come to the conclusion that, after seeing all of the resorts that I can possibly see in three weeks, Bellagio is my favourite surrounding the stunning Lake Como. Not only is it beautiful, but as you take the ferry across from Cadenabbia you see the town in all of its glory and it truly is stunning. All of the buildings are almost perfectly in symmetry with the Hotel Metropole, greeting you as you arrive as the hotel is intricately placed right on the lake-front.
Not only is Bellagio the most beautiful town on the lake, it is also the most famous. Its spectacular location at the junction of all three arms of the lake offers visitors breath-taking views. You can walk the maze of cobbled streets and alleyways that will take you right back to medieval times, so it comes a no surprise that the area has been the inspiration for many artists, poets and writers throughout the centuries.
My favourite thing in Bellagio is being sat in the outside hotel splendid bar which is situated right on the lake front with canopies to protect you from the scorching midsummer sun while you sit with a chilled glass of prosecco. Many-a-time, my colleagues and I have sat there watching the boats go by as we enjoy a Hugo, Spritz or a glass of vino bianco. It’s the perfect way to wind down after a busy day!
My second favourite place is a little wine bar set in one of the medieval, cobbled streets. They serve an array of wines to suit all pallets and tastes and provide you with enough food to feed the 5000! One out last visit, my friend and I ordered a meat and cheese platter which arrived with a full basked of freshly bread and a delicious pot of honey which complemented the cheeses beautifully. It’s safe to say that we were obliged to have another glass of wine to settle our stomachs before we ambled back to the ferry port!
Above the town is the perfectly situated Villa Serbelloni which was once owned by Duke Alessandro Serbelloni. His passions were parks and gardens and he spent €1million on the property with 75% of this going on the gardens and only 25% on the house. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the gardens are spectacular and well worth visiting. You will see lots of plans and trees, but perhaps bizarrely no flowers as the Duke was allergic to them!
As a little interesting fact about Bellagio, the residents of the town were never affected by the plague and they grew clean and unaffected corn so they used to make bread for people in the neighbouring towns to which they would then sail the bread out to a plinth in the lake and leave it there next to a jar of vinegar. Then the people from the surrounding villages would sail out to the plinth put the money in the jar of vinegar then sail away. The vinegar was there to make sure there were no bacteria left on the money and the plague wasn’t passed on to the residents of Bellagio. As you can see, not only is the place truly beautiful, but so are the people of Bellagio; this was a very generous gesture to their neighbours.
Words by Natalie Albon, Resort Representative in Lake Como.