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Lake Como, Italy
The best way to see Lake Como is by boat. I had read this tip in numerous guide books prior to my first trip to the Italian Lakes in the fall of 2018. Growing up in the suburbs of Northern New Jersey, my family wasn’t really into boats. The one and only boating memory I had was from a trip to Florida while visiting my grandparents. Their friends owned a yacht and took my entire family on a tour of…
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Varese, Italy
I had planned a day trip to Varese the last time I visited Lake Como in 2018, but with so much to see and do around the lake — not to mention the 90-minute drive it would take to get there — Charles and I never got around to it. Fast forward a year later, I made Varese a top priority on my solo trip to Northern Italy. Varese is a genteel city of 80,000 in a province that shares…
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Varenna, Itay
Varenna is one of the most charming villages in all of Italy, and it even retains its charm in the rain. On the day I was supposed to explore Varenna and its environs, it precipitated nonstop. Luckily, it was a gentle and windless rain, which enabled me to stick to my itinerary and still enjoy the pleasures of Varenna—with a slicker and umbrella in tow. Set on the eastern shore of Lake Como, Varenna was founded in the sixth century…
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Villa Carlotta & Chiesa di San Martino, Lake Como, Italy
In October of 2019 I did something a little different—I took a solo trip to Italy. By choice, I was between jobs and had some extra money stashed away, and decided to take advantage of this rare moment in my life by doing what I love most—traveling. I was away for 10 nights, during which I spent time on Lake Como with a day trip to Varese, then moved on to Bergamo with visits to Lake d’Iseo and Lake Garda,…
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Como, Italy
The city of Como is charming, walkable, and relatively non-touristy. It’s located at the southern tip of Lake Como’s Ramo di Como branch, and very accessible to the cities, towns, and lakes of northern Lombardy and Piemonte. Charles and I drove through Como en route to Filario Hotel, where we stayed for several nights while exploring the Lake Como region. I originally wrote off the city as being just a transportation hub for connections from Milan, but after getting a…
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Filario Hotel, Lezzeno, Italy
The Well-Traveled Fella has a list of set criteria when choosing a hotel. I like a clean and modern design throughout, at least a 4.5 Google star rating, a free-standing shower, a king-size bed (when travelling with Charles), a decent view, a room with at least 300 square feet of space, and a non-exorbitant price tag. In searching for a hotel in and around Lake Como, I found it particularly challenging to uncover options that met my standards. There are…
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Greenway del Lago di Como, Italy
The Greenway del Lago di Como is a pleasant seven mile trail that stretches along Lake Como’s central western shore. Starting in Colonno, the Greenway passes through the bucolic villages of Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo, and Griante. There is plenty to see along the way, from lavish villas and gardens to Romanesque and Baroque churches…and not to mention the endless stunning mountain and lake vistas. After a morning visit to the Villa del Balbianello, Charles and I grabbed…
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Villa del Balbianello, Lenno, Italy
Perched on the wooded promontory of Il Dosso d’Avedo, the 18th century Villa del Balbianello commands panoramic views of Lago di Como, making it one of the most exclusive estates in the Italian Lakes. A Franciscan monastery first occupied this site in the 13th century, its twin campanili remaining a part of the present-day design. In 1785, Cardinal Angelo Maria Durini purchased the property and converted the monastery building into a villa and added the loggia for optimal viewing of…
