The pearl of Lake Como
At the tip of the promontory where Lake Como divides into its three branches, Bellagio is called the "pearl of the lake" and is one of the most famous villages in Italy. From its shores the view opens over all three arms of the lake and the mountains, a position that has attracted aristocrats, artists and travellers since the eighteenth century, from Stendhal and Liszt to modern celebrities.
The village is a cascade of narrow stepped lanes, the "salite", lined with shops of silk, leather and local crafts, which climb from the lakeside promenade to the Romanesque basilica of San Giacomo. Bellagio is surrounded by splendid villas and gardens: Villa Melzi, a neoclassical residence with an English-style lakeside garden of azaleas and rhododendrons, and Villa Serbelloni, on the hill above the village, owned by the Rockefeller Foundation, whose park can be visited with a guide. At the tip of the promontory, Punta Spartivento, the "wind divider", offers the best view of the lake's three branches.
Tip: ferries and car ferries connect Bellagio with Varenna, Menaggio and Cadenabbia in a few minutes; visit early or late to avoid the day trippers.
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