Bellagio — the Pearl of the Lake, Villa Serbelloni Gardens & the Ferry Triangle
Bellagio (population 3,000, on the tip of the Lariana promontory at the point where Lake Como divides into the Como branch to the southwest and the Lecco branch to the southeast, the most celebrated lakeside village in Europe, nicknamed the Pearl of the Lake) is accessible by ferry from Como in 50 minutes, from Varenna in 15 minutes, and from Menaggio in 15 minutes — the three-ferry triangle circuit is the classic Lake Como day trip.
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Piazza Mazzini — the Lakefront Heart of Bellagio
Piazza Mazzini (the main lakefront square of Bellagio, the ferry dock at its south end, the aperitivo bar terraces overlooking the lake, the gelaterias and silk boutiques on the stepped streets immediately behind it) is where all Bellagio visits begin and end. The Salita Serbelloni (the stepped pedestrian street climbing steeply from Piazza Mazzini to the Villa Serbelloni gate, the most photographed stepped alley in the lake district, lined with silk shops, the best-placed for the characteristic Bellagio silk scarves at €30-150) and the lakefront promenade (the 1km walk north from Piazza Mazzini to the Villa Melzi gate, the oleander hedges and the lake-level view of the Alps) are the village's two defining pedestrian routes.
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Villa Serbelloni Gardens — the Rockefeller Foundation Garden on the Hilltop
Villa Serbelloni (the Rockefeller Foundation study centre on the hilltop above Bellagio, the garden accessible by guided tour only, 2 tours daily at 11am and 3:30pm April-October, €10 adults, tickets at the Bellagio tourist office on Piazza della Chiesa, tours limited to 30 people and selling out in advance in July-August) occupies the highest point of the Lariana promontory with views down both branches of the lake simultaneously — the garden (formal Italian terraced garden on the lake-facing slopes, English-style naturalistic garden on the hillside, the camellia collection, the centuries-old plane trees, the view from the highest terrace at 240m altitude encompassing both the Como and Lecco branches to the south and the entire Alpine horizon to the north) is the most spatially complete garden experience on Lake Como.
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Villa Melzi — the Empire-Style Garden at Lake Level
Villa Melzi d'Eril (Via Lungolario Manzoni, Bellagio, €8 adults, late March-October daily 9:30am-6:30pm, built 1808-1810 for Francesco Melzi d'Eril, vice-president of the Napoleonic Italian Republic, the first Empire-style villa on Lake Como) has the most accessible and least crowded garden of the three major Bellagio villas — the English-style landscape park (the lawn running to the lakefront, the Egyptian sphinxes flanking the entrance path, the Japanese garden corner, the Moorish kiosk, the chapel containing Antonio Canova's studio-pieces) and the lakefront position (the plane tree avenue at the water's edge, the view north towards the Alps framed by the lake surface) make it the correct starting point for a Bellagio garden visit.
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The Lake Como Ferry Triangle — Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio
The Lake Como ferry triangle (the car ferry service operated by Navigazione Laghi connecting Bellagio, Varenna, and Menaggio — the three principal lakeside towns at the centre of the lake, each ferry crossing taking 15 minutes, the triangle service running every 30 minutes 6am-10pm daily, the car ferry ticket Bellagio-Varenna or Bellagio-Menaggio at €6.40 per passenger one-way, the unlimited day pass at €15.20) is the most efficient way to experience the lake's central section. The ferry deck (the best position for photographing all three towns from the water, the Alps visible in all directions) and the contrast between the three towns (Bellagio the most touristic and picturesque, Varenna the most authentic and atmospheric, Menaggio the most practical and local-life-centred) are the key elements of the triangle circuit.
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Varenna — the Most Authentic Village on the Lake
Varenna (the medieval village on the east shore of Lake Como, 15 minutes by ferry from Bellagio, population 800, the quietest and most photogenic of the three ferry triangle villages) is built on the sheer east face of the lake, the village accessible only via the lakeside path (the Passeggiata degli Innamorati — the Lovers' Walk — blasted from the cliff face, the most romantic walk on Lake Como, 20 minutes from the ferry dock to the north end of the village). Villa Cipressi (€5, April-October, the terraced garden descending to the lake, the historical documentary collection of the Ricordi family who owned the villa) and Villa Monastero (€7, April-October, the garden of 350m along the lakefront, the former Cistercian monastery converted to a private villa in the 17th century, the most botanically diverse garden on Lake Como) are the two lakeside gardens above Varenna's ferry dock.
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Bellagio Silk — the Lake Como Silk Industry
Lake Como produces 75 percent of Europe's silk fabric and is the world centre of the high-end silk finishing industry — the Como silk tradition (the silk weaving and printing industry established in the 16th century, the lake's mild micro-climate and the historically clear waters of the River Cosia used in the dyeing process, the 1,500 textile companies still operating in the Como province in the 21st century) produces the silk used by Hermes, Versace, and Armani for their scarves and ties. The Bellagio silk boutiques (La Tessitura at the north end of Salita Serbelloni, the Como silk from the Como factory outlet at Via Cantu 9 in Como city at 30-50 percent below retail price) sell the definitive product of Lake Como's industrial heritage; the Museo della Seta in Como city (Viale Roosevelt 9, €10, Tuesday-Friday 9am-noon and 3-6pm) documents the silk industry's full history.