Lake Como   -     Shop,    Sightsee    and  Eat

• The town of Como at the foot of the Alps has an impressive marble cathedral (duomo) knee deep in treasures, ancient paintings and tapestries. Como is famed for producing motorcycles and glass, but most of all for silk, thanks to the Duke of Milan who in the 15th century planted mulberry trees around the lake which pleased greedy local silkworms. The town’s Silk District provides designers from Versace to Chanel with the fabric. While in Como, hop on the funicular railway to Brunate, a small town 750 metres above sea level, offering breath taking views.

Backed by mountains poking the sky, Bellagio ‘pearl of the lake’ has rows of hotels punctuated by ochre and red houses.  The borgo, or old town, with its winding, cobbled alleyways is hemmed with pavement cafes and clutches of shops selling pasta and cheeses or silk shawls and leather handbags.  Mennagio is another upmarket little town knee deep in cafes and restaurants. If you go, don’t miss a visit to the lido, a short walk from the harbour. With its swimming pool and beach it is just the place to while away a lazy sunny afternoon. 

Be like a celeb and enjoy a leisurely lunch and a Prosecco (or two) on the covered terrace by the lake at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni.  Many great names have flowed through this hotel’s doors – roll those credits for Winston Churchill, President Kennedy, the King of Spain, Clark Gable and Queen Victoria.   For a special dinner, the hotel’s Michelin starred restaurant is hard to beat.
You might bump into George (yes, that one), or at least a politician or two if you hie off to the Gatto Nero restaurant. With far reaching views over the lake, candlelight dinners don’t come any more romantic than this.

See what The Holiday Magazine has to say about Lake Como here:  https://www.holidaymag.co.uk/lake-como.html

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