Pizza and Gelato Diet – Lake Como
Lake Como wasn’t on the bucket list until a few friends of ours visited over the past year and came back raving about it. Becca was itching for one more summer trip, so we booked it on a whim when we found cheap flights and an Airbnb. We’re so glad we did, because it’s one of our favorite places in Europe, and we can imagine ourselves going back there again and again. Picturesque Italian towns line the lake against a backdrop of the Alps, and the only thing to do there is walk around taking in the beauty and eating the delicious food.
Day-by-Day
Friday 9 September
The best way to get to Lake Como from London is to fly to Milan and rent a car or take the train. It was a 90 minute drive to the town of Lezzeno, where we were staying, but the town of Como is only an hour from the airport. Drivers beware – the road on the east side of the lake is narrow and winding and not well lit at night, which made for a treacherous drive in.
Saturday 10 September
We picked our Airbnb because of the beautiful view described in the listing, so in the light of day we were thrilled to see that it did not disappoint. The flat itself was clean and simply fitted with everything we needed, and it made for a perfect base for the weekend. Lezzeno is a ten minute drive from Bellagio, one of the biggest towns on the lake. The town of Lezzeno is minimal – there’s a couple hotels and restaurants, and one or two shops, but one night we found ourselves without wine for happy hour because the shop had closed. To get up to our Airbnb from town, we had to walk up a series of steps and navigate some winding old stone pathways, which seemed to be hundreds of years old. It’s certainly a great place to stay if you’re looking for for a local, off-the-beaten-path experience, and we didn’t mind the hike for a few nights (helped balance out all the gelato too!).
Ferry Around the Lake
One of the best ways to take in the beauty of Lake Como is from the water, so we bought a hop-on-hop-off ferry pass for the day for €15 each (one way tickets were €8 each, so it was a no brainier). We grabbed a schedule and started mapping out our day right from the boat. It was a bit tricky to navigate the times, especially since Lezzeno isn’t a main hub, but it worked out and we were able to explore several towns in one day.
Via Regina, 2, 22019 Tremezzina CO, Italy
Our first stop was Villa Carlotta, an old private-turned-public estate with beautiful gardens. Lake Como has several of these villas that are now tourist attractions, and we enjoyed walking around the gardens and seeing the old house.
Shopping in Bellagio
From Villa Carlottoa we got back on the ferry and got off in Bellagio, the so-called “Crown Jewel” of Lake Como. While it’s packed with tourists, Bellagio was gorgeous and we loved popping in and out of the little shops. We walked out to La Punta Spartivento, which is the northern tip of the Bellagio peninsula, where we were treated to more breathtaking views.
Via Eugenio Vitali, 8, 22021 Bellagio CO, Italy
Lunch was at Babayaga, a pizza place that our friends raved about. We sat outside and had a really nice meal, but we felt we could find even better pizza and were determined to do so on this trip.
Mennagio
We jumped back on the ferry and headed for Mennagio across the lake. The purpose of this stop was purely for gelato. We had read about two incredible places on one street, so it was an obvious stop for us. The town itself had a small main square lined with restaurants and a promenade along the water with a little artisan market set up. We then walked up Via Calvi 5 and got gelato from the shop on the left (if you’re facing away from the water). It’s a little hole in the wall kind of place, but the gelato was amazing – some of the best dark chocolate ice cream ever!
Frazione Villa, 4 - Villa, 22025 Lezzeno CO, Italy
Picking dinner restaurants was easy on this trip, since Lezzeno only had five or six to choose from. After enjoying wine and cheese on our balcony overlooking the lake, we trekked down into town for dinner. The menu was centered around lavaret , a local lake fish. Josh wasn't crazy about it but Becca liked it. The ambiance and service were great though, even if the food wasn’t our favorite.
Sunday 11 September
Strada Regia Hike in Lezzeno
Our Airbnb host was great in giving us local recommendations, so we took her suggestion to do a short hike in Lezzeno. The path wasn’t well marked and was a little precarious at times, but it felt good to get moving and see more of the town. We were treated to some pretty fabulous views as well.
Via Centrale 7, Angolo salita Monastero, 22021, Bellagio CO, Italy
We decided to go back into Bellagio for lunch, since our options in Lezzeno were limited. Instead of navigating the windy roads ourselves, we took the public bus which was easy, cheap and efficient. We had a delicious pizza (again!) lunch in town and did a little souvenir shopping.
JRC Wakeboarding
Hotel Aurora is the main hotel in Lezzeno, and it also has a restaurant and beach club. For €10 (or €5 if it’s after 2pm), you can use the sun beds, kayaks and stand up paddle boards. We spent the afternoon lounging and boating, enjoying the sun and beautiful views.
Via Sossana, 2, 22025 Lezzeno CO, Italy
After showering, we came back down to Aurora for dinner at their restaurant. It’s right on the water and when we made a reservation we asked for a nice view. We sat right on the edge of the deck, and the setting was lovely. We finally had the amazing pasta dinner we’d been craving – Josh had penne with spicy marinara sauce, and Becca had this incredible pear ravioli.
Monday 12 September Como
We saved Como for the last day, since it was on the way to the airport. We were a disappointed in the town – compared to Bellagio or Menaggio, it wasn’t as charming and seemed a bit run down. The train stops there, so it makes sense to visit if you’re arriving by train, but otherwise we wouldn't go out of our way for it. It was mid-morning on a Monday, and lots of the shops and restaurants were closed (including the restaurant we had picked out for lunch – LaVita e’Bella). We later learned that many places aren’t open all on Monday, or if they are, it’s only in the afternoon, so that was a bummer.
Funiculars Como Brunate
We took the funicular up to the town of Brunate, where there were lovely views of the lake and towns below. We walked around a bit, but didn’t have time to do the 60 minute round trip walk to the lighthouse. The restaurants at the top all smelled delicious, but none of them served pizza and we were still on the hunt for the perfect pie.
Trattoria Pizzeria In Borgovico
Via Borgo Vico, 79, 22100 Como CO, Italy From the bottom of the funicular we walked along the harbor and then cut inland toward lunch, which was a bit out of the way from the main town. It was well worth it though. We got one regular and one wood-fired pizza (they tasted pretty similar but the server insisted the wood-fired is their specialty), and were so happy to have found that idyllic Italian pizza we were looking for. We could only eat half since we were saving room for gelato, so we took the rest to eat on the plane ride home.
Gelateria Lariana
Via Cesare Cantù, 16, 22100 Como CO, Italy
Gelateria Lariana has two locations in Como, and it was up there with top gelato spots. They did it right and stuck a little wafer cookie on top, making for the perfect end to a perfect weekend.
Rose-Thorn-Bud
On every trip we share our rose (highlight), thorn (lowlight), and bud (what we're looking forward to).
Rose - the views (Becca), pizza in Como (Josh)
Thorn- getting bug bites on the hike (Becca), our lake fish meal (Josh)
Bud- Ellen and Rob’s wedding! (Both)
If you go, things to know…
What else is there to do? There are a ton of towns and villas to explore along the lake, but we only had time to see a few of them. There’s also supposedly a beautiful 6km walk that runs from Colonno and Cadenabbia on the west side of the lake called the Greenway del Lago do Como, We would have loved to do it but it seemed complicated to get there from where we were staying and decided to skip it.
Do you need a car? No. We only used our car to get to and from the airport, and if you stay in a town with a train station, you can easily get there from the airport and then travel around by ferry and public bus. If you want to stay in one of the less-traveled towns, getting there without a car will be more difficult.
Where to stay? This really depends on the kind of trip you’re looking for and your budget. There are some really nice luxury hotels along the lake, but we were doing it on the cheap which is why we chose Lezzeno. Staying in Bellagio was going to be much more expensive, and we liked the experience of staying in a less touristy town. Rick Steves highly recommends Varenna as a base, since it’s a main ferry hub between Mennagio and Bellagio. If we (hopefully) go back, we’d probably stay in Mennagio to experience the other side of the lake.
How long to go for? A three day weekend was plenty of time to feel relaxed and explore the area, but since it’s purely a leisure destination, you can really stay as long as you like.
Is it crazy expensive and fancy? People often assume Lake Como is a glitzy, expensive place since stars like George Clooney have made it popular. And while you can get that luxurious experience if you want, you can also have a really nice holiday there on the cheap. This was one of our least expensive trips, and also one of our favorites!
Did you see George Clooney? Sadly no!
