Lake Como: The Italian Lake That Earns Every Bit of Its Reputation

Some places are over-photographed and underwhelming in person. Lake Como is the opposite: no camera has ever quite managed it. The lake forks like an upside-down Y at the foot of the Alps, the water is an improbable deep green-blue, and the towns spill down to the shore in confident pastel. It has drawn the glamorous for two centuries, and it wears the attention lightly.

The towns worth your time

Bellagio, sitting where the lake's two arms meet, is the famous one — cobbled stepped streets, silk shops, lake on three sides. It's busy for good reason. Varenna, across the water, is the quieter, more romantic alternative, with a lakeside walk made for slow evenings. Menaggio rounds out the trio. The smart move is to base yourself in one and hop between all three by ferry, which is both the cheapest and most beautiful transport you'll take all trip.

The villas

Como's grand lakeside villas are the headline experience. Villa del Balbianello is the cinematic one (you've seen it in films you won't have realised), with terraced gardens dropping to the water. Villa Carlotta pairs an art collection with botanical gardens that peak in spring. Even from the ferry, the procession of villas and their gardens is a show in itself. And yes, George Clooney's place is in Laglio — no, you can't see much, and the locals would gently prefer you didn't try.

How to spend a day

There is no wrong answer, but the right one involves: an early ferry before the day-trippers, a long lunch somewhere with a terrace, an afternoon villa or garden, and an aperitivo as the light goes amber on the water. Do not over-schedule. The lake rewards lingering.

Some places are over-photographed and underwhelming in person. Lake Como is the opposite.

The verdict

Lake Como is glamour without effort and beauty without exaggeration. Go in late spring or early autumn, travel by boat, and let the famous view do precisely what it's famous for.