Dreaming of Lake Como

I’ve always had a soft spot for Lake Como, ever since my first glimpse of Bellagio 15 years ago. With Lake Como shimmering beneath the intense blue sky, it was impossible not to be smitten by tiny Bellagio nestling on a promontory that juts out into the inverted ‘Y’ shape of Lago di Como. Everywhere you look is incredibly picturesque with the Alps at the northern end, thickly wooded mountainsides, stunning gardens and ornate villas.

Interesting facts about Lake Como

• The lake is of glacial origin, fed mainly by the Adda river which enters at the northern end near Colico and flows out at Lecco.

• With a depth of over 425m, it is Italy’s deepest lake and the third largest after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore.

• The total length is 46 kilometres with around 160 kilometres of shoreline.

• Madonna, George Clooney, Gianni Versace, Sylvester Stallone, Julian Lennon, Richard Branson, Sting have had or currently have homes on the lake.

• Film makers love Lake Como. Many movies have been filmed in part on the lake including Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Ocean’s Twelve and Casino Royale.

Silk from Como

Silk from Como is revered worldwide which began with the introduction of mulberry trees around the lake by Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, in the 15th century, to the delight of local, greedy silkworms.

In 1869, the silk industry had a boost due to the foundation of the famous silk factory called Paolo Carcano, a 5 star school for craftsmen, with the purpose of training the most talented silk masters in all of Italy. Over time, silk from Lake Como gained so much popularity that, in 1972, its production exceeded that of China and Japan.

Today, Como produces 85% of all silk made in Italy and provides 70% of Europe’s silk.

Bellissima Bellagio

Known as the “Pearl of the lake”, Bellagio is the most famous of Lake Como’s villages and believed to have been inhabited since prehistoric times. Today it is picture perfect with a profusion of potted flowers, tiny cobbled streets and an almost surreal feeling when the lake is at its best. The gardens are spectacular between March and May when the flowers are in full bloom. After tourism, the most important industry for the economy of Bellagio is plant nurseries with as many as thirty family businesses on the promontory. They grow outdoor plants that are sold all over Italy and Europe.

Bellagio is swarming with tourists in the peak season, but you can always escape the crowds. The magnificent grounds of neoclassical Villa Melzi d’Eril, built in 1808 for Duke Francesco Melzi d’Eril, friend and political associate of Napoleon Bonaparte, are on the lake’s edge just a few minutes walk from the town centre. The gardens are stunning in spring and filled with colour from flowering azaleas and rhododendrons. The villa remains the private property of the descendants of this illustrious family. The present owner is Fulco Tommaso Gallarati Scotti, 57 year old son of Count Ludovico Gallarati Scotti, who died aged 89 in 2013.

Exploring the promontory

Many people don’t realise that the promontory, particularly on the eastern side, is scattered with a lot of small hamlets. A short ten minute walk across the promontory from the Como branch of the lake to the Lecco branch takes you to a tiny fishing village called Pescallo. At the beginning of the 13th century Pescallo was one of three places on Lake Como offering the largest quantity of fish to the market in Como. Here we find Michele, owner of Bellagio Watersports, who guides people on a two hour kayaking tour. Having discovered Michele years ago, I can promise you that the best way to experience the lake is on the lake.

Continuing on from Pescallo past hundreds of olive trees we come to Villa Giulia, originally built in 1624 for a proto-physicist, Eudemio Camozio. At the end of the 18th century Count Pietro Venini, a native of Bellagio, completely renovated it and called it Villa Giulia in honour of his wife. Over the years Villa Giulia has belonged to a King of Belgium; a Polish Baron and a Romanian nobleman, but today it is owned by a family from Milan.

Walking through another quiet hamlet, we arrive at the Latteria di Bellagio - the Dairy Shop. Founded in 1933, the products in this shop come from milk supplied by about a dozen farmers from the immediate surrounding area known as the Larian Triangle. They run relatively small family farms where cows graze up in the mountains during the summer, therefore guaranteeing delicious milk. Passing by large plant nurseries, we return to the Como branch of the lake.

Lakeside villages

All day until late at night ferries crisscross the centre of the lake stopping at Cadenabbia, Menaggio, Varenna, Tremezzo and Lenno. Cadenabbia is a delightful, non touristy, rural little village that has a great track leading to San Martino church well worth an hour’s walk for the spectacular views overlooking both branches of the lake.

Menaggio and Varenna are simply gorgeous and a short ferry ride from Bellagio. Tremezzo is home to Villa Carlotta, a place of rate beauty where masterpieces of nature and art live together in perfect harmony in over 70,000 square metres of gardens and museums. The 17th century villa is named after a Prussian princess who was given the villa in 1847 as a wedding present from her mother.

A mere kilometre from Lenno is Villa Balbianello, commissioned by the arts patron and scholar, Cardinal Durini, and last owned by the first Italian to climb Mount Everest, the adventurer Count Guido Monzino. This is where scenes from the James Bond movie, Casino Royale and Star Wars were shot. The villa is now an Italian National Trust property.

And then there are the shops!

In Bellagio the streets are lined with small shops that will tempt even the non shoppers. Azalea Silk of Como and Azalea Italian Style are family run since 1960 and offer a wonderful selection of silk ties, scarves and shawls. The Bellagio Corner Shop has stunning jewellery and has been a family run business for 100 years. I love the fact that there are still a lot of artisan owned shops which is one of the many things that make Italy so special.

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb