In Travel

Lake Como: Italy Trip Part I

Hi friends!

If you have been following me on Instagram, you know that I was in Italy for the last 2 weeks. We got back late Tuesday night and our trip was an absolute dream. Reality is hitting hard right about now…

Throughout the trip we visited a lot of great cities in Italy including – Lake Como, Montalcino, Capri, & Porto Ercole. I’ve gotten several requests to share our itinerary. So over the next week I will be sharing a post about each spot.

First up – Lake Como

How to get there:

Lake Como was our first stop of the trip. We flew into Milan & then had about a 40 minute drive to Villa d’Este. We used Ciao Andiamo Car Service throughout our entire trip and can’t say enough great things about them.

Where to Stay:

We stayed at the iconic Villa d’Este hotel. The Villa was built in the 16th century and was originally a private home! It opened in 1873 as a luxury hotel.

It was our first time in Lake Como and we loved the hotel. You can definitely feel the history as you walk around. The property’s gardens are also absolutely breathtaking. The hotel has 152 rooms, a sporting club (8 tennis courts, golf simulator, squash court, floating pool, indoor pool, & gym), 4 restaurants, and a spa.

Other option: We also have heard great things about The Grand Hotel Tremezzo.

What to Do:

Day 1:

We arrived around noon to the hotel and couldn’t wait to eat and explore. We ate lunch at the Sundeck and then walked around the gardens. That night we ate at outside at Il Platano and it was the perfect first day.

Day 2:

We woke up early (regardless of jetlag) and went for a walk/hike. There is a little trail that takes about 30 minutes and has some beautiful views of the lake & the hotel (see below). Then we had breakfast, hung out on the floating pool, & jumped in the lake (so cold!).

At 3pm we got picked up on a Riva from Como Classic Boats for a 4 hour boat tour. The hotel offers boat tours as well. However, we wanted a particular boat so I found Como Classic Boats on Instagram/website and they were wonderful. We had the hotel pack us a picnic (and wine, duh!) and we cruised around the lake sightseeing. We also stopped and walked around the town of Bellagio for a little bit.

That night we caught a taxi from the hotel to Il Gatto Nero and had a delicious dinner. We got a table along the edge with a wonderful view of the mountains & lake from above at sunset. I highly suggest checking it out if you are planning a trip to Lake Como.

Day 3:

After breakfast, we spent the morning on the floating pool again. We then rented the little boat from Villa d’Este that you can drive yourself without a captain. We cruised around the lake and stopped to check out the Isola Comacina. There is a restaurant there called Locanda dell’Isola Comacina. It has a set menu and only a few seatings but lunch takes about 2 hours. We decided to just get a snack at the little bar that’s attached, called La Botte.

That night we ate at the main (and fancier) restaurant at the hotel called Veranda. We then had a drink at the bar & listened to the in house pianist sing along to all sorts of songs, including Shallow.

The following day we ate breakfast & hit the road to Montalcino.

Stay Tuned for Part II post!

Outfit details at the end