Lake Como

bfastareaWe got into Lake Como early after leaving Genoa as early as possible.  It is insanely gorgeous here.  We had breakfast by the lake.  Kind of speechless.  The photos do not do this place justice.  We are staying at Villa d’Este.  Our friend recommended we stay at Casta Diva Resort.  He knows the area because his parents live in Como.  It seemed like an equally beautiful spot but it was about a 30 minute drive from the restaurant we want to go to vs 5 minutes from Villa d’Este.  30 minutes just is too long in our book.

lakeAfter checking into our room we took a boat around the lake.  It is a huge lake with the most beautiful mountains that look like dark moss that just tumble into the water.  Plenty of gorgeous homes built lake side and into the hills.  It is just perfect.

stepsWe took the boat into Bellagio that is about 30 minutes by boat from the hotel and about an hour drive.  It has been inhabited for thousands of years.  The history is pretty amazing.  Now it is one big tourist place which is kind of unfortunate. We walked the stairs that were built sometime around the mid-1800’s and strolled through the streets.  Then we got back on our boat and went to lunch.

lunchviewWe did the touristy thing and had lunch at a restaurant in the middle of the Lake that has been around since the 40’s called Locanda dell’Isola Comacina.  The views are beautiful and it is pretty nice sitting on this little island in the middle of the lake.  The food is not great but they have been serving the exact same prix-fixe since when the restaurant opened.  Cash only.  I knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into but we were both glad we went.  This is the view from our table and the place was empty.

veggiesWe began with a mixture of vegetables, a tomato topped with lemon and olive oil and a plate of meats.  The best thing was the roasted onions.

troutThen we were served a roasted sea trout.  They fillet it at your table and then douse the fish with lemon, salt, pepper and olive oil.  Kind of over the top.  Doesn’t everything taste good when doused in olive oil, lemon and salt?

chickenNext out is fried chicken and a iceberg lettuce salad tossed with red wine vinegar and olive oil.   A weird combo.

cheeseThen a hunk of Parmesan cheese.

icecreamDessert of vanilla ice cream and oranges doused with brandy.

We drank the bottle of local white wine during our meal and said no to the last course of coffee and got on our boat back to the hotel for a huge nap.

waterfallThe drive back on the boat was just as jaw-dropping as the ride there.  We went under this roman bridge to see this beautiful waterfall.  Just amazing.

I will not be sharing our meal which we had at the hotel because it was seriously sub-par.  Disappointing but I am quite confident we will find good food on this trip!

Comments (Archived):

  1. JimHirshfield

    Do you just rent boats like car rentals? Or was this like a taxi – a boat with a driver for the afternoon? Either way, looks like it was THE way to travel.

    1. Gotham Gal

      private boat rental through the concierge.

      1. JimHirshfield

        Nicer that way…proceed at your own pace.

  2. irisheyes

    Try Al Veluu Ristorante in Tremezzo. I think the food view combo is fantastic.

  3. kirklove

    Nerd alert: They used Lake Como in Star Wars for the home planet of Naboo. Ha. http://www.hoylen.com/photo… :)PS: Say hi to George Clooney. He’s got a palatial crib setup in Laglio. Dope pad.

    1. Gotham Gal

      we saw them both from the water!

    2. sigmaalgebra

      Yes, I noticed that in the movie the Naboo scenes looked lite a lot of Italian art, architecture, and style and thought that the movie’s art director did a really good job making a take off of Italian making Naboo a really nice Italian fantasy!Nope, he just led the movie crew to Lake Como — reality as good as movie fantasy!

  4. Brandon Burns

    Looks amazing!I just got back from New Orleans. Amazing food at every turn. Even at the bodega! No joke. If you haven’t been, you’d love it.

    1. Gotham Gal

      Spent a lot of time in New Orleans. You have to love a town that when you order a drink they ask you to stay or to go.

      1. Brandon Burns

        Yes!My liver will be in recovery for the next week. Lol.

  5. awaldstein

    Best meals in Italy for me:-baked fish in salt in Milan with a buddy.-tiny restaurant in Castelnuovo Berardenga. Everything eaten and drunk was produced within a mile. Couple cooked and served. -local cheese, vegies, meat, lots of wine on any table outside anywhere with friends.

    1. Gotham Gal

      working on a top ten list.

  6. Jen Genzale

    Great post – Check out Il Pomodorino Como via Cinque Giornate or i Tigli in Theoria Como Via A. Bianchi Giovani (near Piazza Cavour) Excellent ambiance excellent food.

  7. LE

    The photos do not do this place justice.Hard to believe the photos are really really nice.Doesn’t everything taste good when doused in olive oil, lemon and salt?Like when you use https://www.soyvay.com/ on cheap frozen vegetables (did that last night).I will not be sharing our meal which we had at the hotel because it was seriously sub-par. Same intermittent reinforcement that comes with everything that ends up being good. The downs make it better when it’s good.You aren’t traveling you aren’t dining you are “travining”. (Or maybe you’re on a “dinecation”.)

    1. Gotham Gal

      that’s hilarious. we should buy those domains!

  8. William Mougayar

    Great. We stayed at Villa D’Este in 2006 for a few days, before driving to Bologna. Yep, the food there is very hotellish,- they don’t try too hard. But the views and setting are astonishing and serene. Lake Como is 1/2 like being in Switzerland already.

  9. vadimoss

    Lake Maggiore is another picturesque place with great food in the Northern Italy. Less known and less touristy as a result. I’ve been there two times and it’s always a breeze

  10. paramendra

    You take good pictures. Multiple shots?

    1. Gotham Gal

      Thanks.