Postcards & Passports

Lake Como, Italy: Photo Journal

This post was most recently updated on January 20th, 2022

Why Lake Como? I was blessed to travel to Italy last year and see many beautiful sights. I had some favorites, to be sure (Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, to name a few!). But if I had to choose my favorite, it would be Lake Como. I traveled there with my husband, plus my daughter, Heather, and son-in-law, Matthew. We all fell in love with this area!

Lake ComoLake Como (or Lago di Como), is a glacial lake nestled at the base of the mountains, not far from the Switzerland border and about 50 miles north of Milan. It is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in Europe and has always attracted celebrities and the wealthy since Roman times. I didn’t really know what to expect when we decided to take a day trip out of Milan, but I had seen pictures of the villa (Villa del Balbianello) used for filming Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones. That was enough to know I wanted to see more.

From our Milan apartment, we left at 8:00 am for the train station, and had no problems finding or boarding our train. It was about an hour ride to Varenna. The ride was nice, especially as we neared Lake Como. With lots of tunnels along the lake, we were pleasantly surprised when an occasional arched window allowed us glimpses of the spectacular views.

Our itinerary would take us to Varenna, Bellagio, and Como. But our photos tell the story so much better than words. So just sit back and enjoy…(click on any photo to enlarge)

Lake Como, Italy: Photo Journal

ferry map for Lake Como

Varenna on Lake Como

Exploring the town, walking alongside the lake, enjoying the beautiful weather, buying a painting from a local artist, splurging on gelato

Riding the ferry from Varenna to Bellagio

So many medieval villages along the lake!

Bellagio, Italy

Lunch, exploring churches, alleys, and walking the Promenade

Ferry from Bellagio and on to Como, Italy

Weather turns rainy, Sicilian Festival, exploring the duomo, riding the funicolare, dinner on the run so we can catch the train back to Milan!

So what do you think of Lake Como? I hope I’ve convinced you it’s a wonderful place. I only had one day there.  If I could go back, I would love to stay several days and explore the many medieval towns surrounding the lake.  Maybe we’ll cross paths?

If you’d like to hear about our adventures in Italy, you can read about Rome, Cinque Terre, and Florence, too.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d love it if you’d share it!

Lake Como

 

16 thoughts on “Lake Como, Italy: Photo Journal

  1. Heather

    Oh my….How I a LOVED our time at Lake Como. I agree that one day was not long enough! I am already hoping to go back and spend a whole week taking in everything on the lake. Thanks for taking me back to those lovely memories. 🙂

    1. Heather

      For sure! You can see a lot with only one day! Of course, once you go, you might never want to leave…..but you’ll definitely love your time there, even if it’s only for a day. 🙂

  2. Kim

    Italy is my absolute favorite place in the world and these photos bring me back to the time spent there. Now the pics make me want to take a trip back real soon.

  3. Matt Hilton

    Incredible photo journal of your time in Lake Como. Italy is a part of the world I have long been attracted to. Its scenery, architecture, history and food all seemed to be intricately entwined. I’ll get there one day!

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