ITALY & FRANCE LAKE COMO DESTINATIONS T


he third-largest of Italy’s lakes and shaped like an


inverted ‘Y’, Lake Como is close to the Swiss frontier, about 25 miles from Milan. Since Roman times, a dependable subtropical climate, due in part to the lake’s immense volume of water, has drawn those in search of relaxation. The British – of aristocratic means or aspiration – discovered the region from the mid-19th century. Today, Como’s shores are


populated by villas owned by the great, the good and those with clever accountants. From old-money grandees and business tycoons to oligarchs and Hollywood royalty, Lake Como exerts an irresistible allure. However, for the most part,


those visiting keep a low profile – it’s about being, rather than doing. Here’s a run-down on four main resorts.


w BELLAGIO See: Located where the lake’s ‘legs’ separate, Bellagio is the best known of Como’s villages. Most ferries stop here, and for clients who want to explore it’s an excellent base – the tourist office is right next to the jetty. There’s a wide choice of upmarket cafes and restaurants, though as tourists far outnumber residents, it’s harder to find a simple trattoria. Café Rossi, off Piazza Mazzini, is delightful and


oozes old-world character, while steep cobbled lanes, home to some of Como’s fine-silk emporia, lead to Piazza San Giacomo and its Romanesque basilica. If shopping’s not your bag, the


well-kept gardens of neoclassical Villa Melzi make a romantic shoreline stroll. Elsewhere, 17th-century Villa Serbelloni, the Rockefeller Foundation’s secretive retreat for scholars and artists, offers guided tours of its formal gardens – no photographs permitted. Nearby: The Fondo


Bellagio


5 July 2018 travelweekly.co.uk 63


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