Lake Como is one of the second largest and perhaps the most beautiful lake in all of Italy. It has some of the most beautiful scenery with mountains, nature, charming towns, great food and much more. If you have ever thought about visiting you first need to find yourself a base at some of the best places to rent in Lake Como and start exploring this magical place. I promise, you won’t regret it.
I hope you enjoy this post!
Enjoy the local fare
Lake Como is located in the Lombardy region of Italy and has some great cuisine to match the beauty of the local area. Lombard food tends to be quite different from the food from the south of Italy and they tend to eat foods based around staples like rice and polenta rather than pasta. The food is more similar to that of Switzerland or Austria, which means that it is absolutely delicious.
Risotto alla milanese is one of the best dishes and is a risotto made with saffron. Other world famous dishes like osso bucco and panettone also come from the region and they are an ideal way to fuel your visit to Lake Como.
If you like Austrian schnitzel, then cotoletta is the northern Italian version of this that you must try.
Villa del Balbianello
You may be thinking that you have seen the breathtaking Villa del Balbianello before and you wouldn’t be wrong because you have most likely seen it in movies like Casino Royale and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. This beautiful place is surrounded by stunning terraced gardens, the mountains and of course the lake itself.
The complex is great to explore, in particular the well maintained gardens. Here you can find beautiful trees, winding paths and sculpted hedges. The villa was once home to Guido Monzini, who led the first Italian expedition of Mount Everest. He refurbished the interior of the buildings and filled it with interesting artifacts from his travels, however the exterior was left as is.
Visit the Como Cathedral (Duomo)
This is a must visit for those that find themselves in the town of Como itself. This is perhaps one of the best cathedrals in the entire region. It has the typical Gothic style with circular windows and turrets and is the last Gothic cathedral built in Italy.
Going inside is free of charge and the interior is quite magnificent with its vaulted ceilings and luxurious tapestries that came from various other countries in Europe. If that’s not your style you can always go inside and enjoy the view of the cathedral in the square that surrounds it. There are a number of restaurants and bars here to enjoy the view if you need a place to stop for a while.
Heading to the beach
Any good lake has some good beaches and Lake Como is no exception to this. There are a huge number of beaches on Lake Como and they are the perfect place to relax in the summer months. There’s too many to list in one blog post and it all depends on which part of the lake you are visiting, but here are some good ones:
Griante
Here you can relax on the water and get something to eat or drink at the beach bar. The beach is stony and you can even rent canoes here. It’s a great place to spend the day and relax.
Lido di Cadenabbia.
Here you can enjoy views of Bellagio from the sunbeds and deckchairs. There is even a pool here to enjoy if the cool waters of the lake are not your thing.
Lido Orsa Maggiore
The Orsa Maggiore is not just a beach, but a restaurant and club. It’s a great place for the youth to meet and get to know each other. There’s also the possibility to rent canoes and pedal boats too, which is a fun way to explore the lake in a much more intimate way.
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