Europe Italy

An Afternoon in Bellagio, Lake Como

July 6, 2018

Bellagio at Lake Como ItalyBellagio at Lake Como Italy

Bellagio

The next stop of our roadtrip after our stop at Interlaken took us to Bellagio on Lake Como. I’ve seen so many photos of the town before and always wanted to go, so it was great to get to finally tick it off of our bucket list. Located in northern Italy’s Lombardy region, it’s Italy’s third largest lake behind Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At 400m (1300ft) it’s also one of Europe’s deepest lakes, with the bottom of the lake being almost 200m (600ft) below sea level!

Getting there was definitely not fun though and by the time we arrived in Bellagio, I was a bag of nerves and didn’t want to leave. The only road into Bellagio from the town of Como is in my opinion, terrifying haha! The road can barely fit two cars at a time, there’s a speed limit of 90kph (55mph) and people definitely do that, when in reality it should be like 30mph haha! There’s a cliff wall on one side, and most of the time a drop down to the lake on the other, with a barrier to stop you falling off. People whizz around that road SO fast, cutting blind corners and almost clipping wing mirrors.

Luckily, we got stuck behind the local bus which is a full sized coach, so it wasn’t too bad in the end as he cleared the road for us, but trying to keep up with him was a task!

Bellagio at Lake Como ItalyBellagio at Lake Como Italy

Bellagio at Lake Como Italy

Bellagio at Lake Como Italy

Bellagio at Lake Como Italy

We parked the van at the main carpark near the lakeside and took the short walk into town. I had no idea how small Bellagio actually is! We walked along the lakeside, through the streets and stopped for a gelato – I got the coconut and limoncello, which was the most delicious combination I’ve ever tried! The coconut gelato in Italy is honestly the best, and I get it every time we visit.

There’s not too much to really do in Bellagio itself, as after about an hour of wandering around the town and getting lost, we ran out of things to see, so we found a bench by the water and just sat there for a while taking in all the views (and people watching – gotta love a bit of people watching right?!).

There’s plenty to do around Lake Como though, and I really wish we had more time to hop on a ferry and explore some of the other towns on the lake. There’s also a few ‘Villa’s’ that are dotted around the lake which you can visit, like the famous Villa Carlotta which is well known for it’s botanical gardens.

Gelato at Lake Como Italy

Hibiscus Flowers at Lake Como Italy

Campsite at Lake Como Italy Campsite at Lake Como ItalyCampsite at Lake Como Italy

Pizza at Lake Como Italy

Sunset at Lake Como Italy

Sunset at Lake Como Italy

We managed to find a campsite right on Lake Como about 20 minutes drive from Bellagio and it was my favourite place on the lake! The views were amazing, and they also did the best freshly made pizzas in the little trattoria on site which was filled with locals which is always a good sign.

We arrived in the early evening, parked up right on the lake and just sat and admired the views for a while before heading over to order some pizza while watching the sun set in the distance. Hands down one of my favourite evenings of the trip and it definitely made driving those insane roads to Bellagio worth it in the end.

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  • Reply
    Amanda
    July 6, 2018 at 9:53 pm

    Wow, wow, wow! So very pretty. We’re going to Italy this September for our honeymoon and I cannot WAIT!

    • Reply
      April
      July 7, 2018 at 9:04 am

      Ooh, that sounds so fun! Which parts are you visiting?
      xo April

  • Reply
    Emma bragginton
    July 9, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    Wow your photos are amazing and this post has made me want to wander around this romantic town eating gelato! Definitely on my bucket list!

    • Reply
      April
      July 16, 2018 at 9:10 pm

      Thanks so much! Italian gelato is so so good!
      xo April

  • Reply
    Lucy
    July 18, 2018 at 2:08 pm

    Oh goodness, the roads around the lakes are horrendous aren’t they? I don’t even want to imagine what it must have been like in a van! These photos are stunning though, I didn’t really warm to Lake Como and Bellagio when we went but perhaps I should reconsider xxx
    Lucy @ La Lingua | Life, Travel, Italy

    • Reply
      April
      August 10, 2018 at 6:59 am

      I’m not the best with thin country roads even here in the UK, but those roads were horrendous in the van haha! I’m just so glad we got stuck behind the coach to guide us round the bends, even if it was a struggle to keep up with him!
      xo April

  • Reply
    Camila @ Adventitious Violet
    July 26, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    Gorgeous photos and gorgeous landscape! Italy is so dreamy!

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