Although we hated to leave Verona, we were excited about our next destination: Lake Como. It takes about two-and-a-half hours by train to get to the town of Como, including changing trains in Milan. Once we reached Como, we had to take a bus to the ferry, which took us to the town of Bellagio, our home for three days.
The ferry ride was spectacular. We spent most of the time out on the deck, admiring the lake and the gorgeous snow-covered mountains surrounding it. Lake Como is the third-largest lake in Italy, and it’s also the deepest (1,345 feet at its deepest point). It has an interesting shape, like an upside-down “Y,” with Como at one southern end (west), Lecco at the other southern end (east),and Colico at the northern end. The shores are dotted with small medieval-era villages everywhere you look. The Romans discovered Lake Como over 2,000 years ago and recognized it right away for its potential to serve as a retreat. Julius Caesar conquered the lake in 49 B.C. and named it “Larius,” a name that is still used by some today. People began building holiday villas there in the first century A.D., which is fascinating. Somehow you just don’t think of people in those days as going on holiday.
Over the years Lake Como has served as home and destination for many famous people. Alessandro Manzoni, author of The Betrothed, was born in Lecco. Both Longfellow and Tennyson came here to write, and Liszt and Bellini both composed famous pieces here. The lake remained popular until World War II; that’s when Mussolini and his mistress were captured in the lake town of Dongo and shot to death nearby. Talk about scandal! In fact, it was so scandalous that it took over 20 years for the rich and famous to return to its shores once again. Today, it is again a popular tourist destination and home to the wealthy, including George Clooney.
The ferry took about two hours to reach the town of Bellagio, and we enjoyed every minute of the ride. But we couldn’t wait to see Bellagio, which sits right at the intersection of the three lines of the “Y.” We had booked a room at the appropriately named Hotel Bellagio, which we found right near the dock, but up a very steep cobbled lane. Chip wasn’t too thrilled about lugging our suitcases up it! But as soon as the door to our room opened, it suddenly became well worth it! Our room was nothing short of spectacular—it overlooked the lake, and we were so close that it appeared as if we were almost floating on water. We looked right across the lake onto the towns of Cadenabbia and Tremezzo. This was quite possible the most gorgeous room we’ve ever had in all our years of traveling, and we wondered how we could ever leave it. But we managed as we had so much to explore in this amazing little lakeside town. 
We took to the streets, which are such a thrill to explore. The cobbled lanes of Bellagio rise from the lake at precarious angles up the mountain. The streets are all stepped, making car traffic impossible, resulting in blissful silence, save for our footsteps on the stones. Bellagio has been a popular resort town since the 19th century, but we were pleased to find out that we had arrived before the tourist season, leaving these medieval streets 
practically empty. We had so much fun walking up and down the lanes, not knowing what we’d find around the next corner. We then walked along a street that encircles the town until we reached the lake again. Here we discovered the Lido, a throwback to the popular days of lakeside resorts in the 1920s. We almost expected to see a man in a one-piece bathing suit step out at any moment to watch his children make his way down the slide into the frigid waters of the lake!
We also discovered a wonderful park overlooking the lake and the town of Bellagio. Even though it was freezing outside, the pansies were in full bloom.
We returned to our room so that we could watch the sunset from our room. As the sun went down, the lights of Bellagio and the other small towns on the lake began to glow. It was simply magical!
The ferry ride was spectacular. We spent most of the time out on the deck, admiring the lake and the gorgeous snow-covered mountains surrounding it. Lake Como is the third-largest lake in Italy, and it’s also the deepest (1,345 feet at its deepest point). It has an interesting shape, like an upside-down “Y,” with Como at one southern end (west), Lecco at the other southern end (east),and Colico at the northern end. The shores are dotted with small medieval-era villages everywhere you look. The Romans discovered Lake Como over 2,000 years ago and recognized it right away for its potential to serve as a retreat. Julius Caesar conquered the lake in 49 B.C. and named it “Larius,” a name that is still used by some today. People began building holiday villas there in the first century A.D., which is fascinating. Somehow you just don’t think of people in those days as going on holiday.
Over the years Lake Como has served as home and destination for many famous people. Alessandro Manzoni, author of The Betrothed, was born in Lecco. Both Longfellow and Tennyson came here to write, and Liszt and Bellini both composed famous pieces here. The lake remained popular until World War II; that’s when Mussolini and his mistress were captured in the lake town of Dongo and shot to death nearby. Talk about scandal! In fact, it was so scandalous that it took over 20 years for the rich and famous to return to its shores once again. Today, it is again a popular tourist destination and home to the wealthy, including George Clooney.
The ferry took about two hours to reach the town of Bellagio, and we enjoyed every minute of the ride. But we couldn’t wait to see Bellagio, which sits right at the intersection of the three lines of the “Y.” We had booked a room at the appropriately named Hotel Bellagio, which we found right near the dock, but up a very steep cobbled lane. Chip wasn’t too thrilled about lugging our suitcases up it! But as soon as the door to our room opened, it suddenly became well worth it! Our room was nothing short of spectacular—it overlooked the lake, and we were so close that it appeared as if we were almost floating on water. We looked right across the lake onto the towns of Cadenabbia and Tremezzo. This was quite possible the most gorgeous room we’ve ever had in all our years of traveling, and we wondered how we could ever leave it. But we managed as we had so much to explore in this amazing little lakeside town. 
We took to the streets, which are such a thrill to explore. The cobbled lanes of Bellagio rise from the lake at precarious angles up the mountain. The streets are all stepped, making car traffic impossible, resulting in blissful silence, save for our footsteps on the stones. Bellagio has been a popular resort town since the 19th century, but we were pleased to find out that we had arrived before the tourist season, leaving these medieval streets 
practically empty. We had so much fun walking up and down the lanes, not knowing what we’d find around the next corner. We then walked along a street that encircles the town until we reached the lake again. Here we discovered the Lido, a throwback to the popular days of lakeside resorts in the 1920s. We almost expected to see a man in a one-piece bathing suit step out at any moment to watch his children make his way down the slide into the frigid waters of the lake!
We also discovered a wonderful park overlooking the lake and the town of Bellagio. Even though it was freezing outside, the pansies were in full bloom.
We returned to our room so that we could watch the sunset from our room. As the sun went down, the lights of Bellagio and the other small towns on the lake began to glow. It was simply magical!
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