Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Splendor of Bellagio and Varenna, Italy

This week we offer a return visit to Bellagio and Varenna, Italy, on the shores of Lake Como north of Milan. The pastel colors of the buildings add to the charm and provide a serene backdrop for this photo taken in the piazza next to the small cathedral in Bellagio.
It is fun to visit the different towns along Lake Como, which are conveniently reached by a network of ferries and passenger boats. This is the view of the approach by boat to Varenna, just across Lake Como from Bellagio. Just below the church bell tower in the center of this photo is the Villa Cipressi, and to the right along the lake front is the beginning of the gardens of the Villa Monastero, both of which we have featured on this site previously.
This is a typical street scene in Varenna. Like other towns along Lake Como, it has many "streets" that are for pedestrians. It is charming to stroll, shop, enjoy a meal, wine, or gelato.
The buildings have delightful architectural details, adding to a sense of discovery in every nook and cranny.
This is the roofline of the Grand Hotel Serbelloni in Bellagio. It is an elegant hotel where we had a gourmet dinner on our last night in Bellagio.
This "street" in Bellagio, named the Salita Serbelloni, extended from our lake front hotel up into the town. The one couple in our group who did not have a lakefront view had a view up this street from their hotel window. My husband went out to get an early morning photo, before the street filled with afternoon shoppers.
This is the view across Lake Como from our dinner table at the Grand Hotel Serbelloni. The lights across the lake is the town of Tremezzo, where the Villa Carlotta is located. This photo illustrates that Lake Como is beautiful in every weather, clear or cloudy.
This is the view from the roof top terrace of the Hotel Metropole, where we have stayed twice. The ferry landing stop for Bellagio is at the center of the photo. Lake Como is a glacier carved lake, with steep hills and mountains plunging into the lake. It is no wonder that this has been a favorite location for centuries for wealthy people to build villas and for the rest of us to visit.

7 comments:

Celia na Italia said...

Beautiful photos, really nice place!

Traveling Hawk said...

Bella Italia! Beautiful photos of beautiful places! I love that Venetian red. Thank you for taking me to this trip!

glenda said...

Lovely photos of a lovely area. So many beautiful walks to take and things to.

Unknown said...

Beautiful colours, so italian! Amazing photos as usual.

Jack said...

These are all spectacular. I stayed in the Hotel Serbelloni in 2008 and ambled through the streets of Bellagio and Varenna. I think the Italian Lakes are among the most beautiful places on earth. In our Florida winter home, we have a 1920s poster of Lake Como in a prominent location.

SKIZO said...

Wonderful
Photos

Mike said...

Italy is beautiful.

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