ITALY & FRANCE LAKE COMO DESTINATIONS RIGHT:


Villa Serbelloni, Bellagio


FAR RIGHT: Varenna


BELOW: Villa del


Balbianello, near Bellagio


SAMPLE PRODUCT


Tui Lakes & Mountains


offers a week’s all-inclusive at the three-star


Hotel Britannia Excelsior in Cadenabbia from £734, including flights from


Gatwick to Milan and transfers on September 22. tui.co.uk


Novasol offers a five-star holiday apartment for up to four in Griante, with one bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen/ diner, shared pool and lake-view balcony. Prices start at £805 per apartment for seven nights’ accommodation starting


September29; flights not included. novasol.co.uk


5 July 2018 travelweekly.co.uk 65


Ambiente Italiano’s (Italian National Trust) flagship property, Villa del Balbianello, lies close to Bellagio. The villa was bequeathed to the FAI in 1988 by its last owner, the collector and explorer Guido Monzino. The loggia contains a collection of maps and books, while upper floors of the villa are dedicated to Monzino’s expedition memorabilia. Balbianello has also played a supporting role in many movies, including Casino Royale and Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. Stay: The Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni is an elegant and historic family- owned five-star hotel with a Michelin- starred restaurant. Its guest register features John F and Jackie Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and a host of contemporary figures.


Behind the narrow beach, cobbled lanes populated by smaller bars, cafes and restaurants lead up to Piazza San Giorgio


Plus there’s space for your Bentley out the front. Doubles from €473. villaserbelloni.com


w VARENNA See: Facing Bellagio, on the central lake’s eastern shore, Varenna has a reputation for being quieter and less


‘touristy’ than other villages. Certainly, its pastel-coloured waterfront presents less of a grand façade, lending a lower- key, more authentic feel. Behind the narrow, stony beach,


cobbled lanes populated by smaller bars, cafes and restaurants lead up to the central Piazza San Giorgio and its frescoed 14th-century churches. The gardens of Villa Monastero (entry €5) are a highlight and extend a mile and a quarter to Fiumelatte, claimed as Italy’s shortest river. Also close by, the terraced botanical gardens of hotel Villa Cipressi can be explored for a small fee. Accessible by a steep track, the


fortress of Castello di Vezio dominates Varenna, rewarding those who make the climb with panoramic views.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88