Relaxing in Lake Como

The train ride from Zurich to Como was a beautiful one and we sat staring out the window for much of it. From the train station, we waited awhile for our bus to Tremezzo. It seemed to be the easiest way to get there because to go by train, we had to reach the other train station, which was across town. After about an hour wait, followed by an hour ride right along the coast, we found our way to the lovely Hotel Villa Marie. To give you an idea of just how lovely it was, this was the view from the window and from across the street:

On our first day, we wandered around Tremezzo, enjoying the combination of wine and spectacular views of the lake and a visit to Villa Carlotta.

We also had what turned out to be our favorite meal of the trip in Tremezzo. We'd found this little restaurant called Pizzeria Balognett through TripAdvisor. Reviews warned that you would need to ask for directions because it was a bit of a walk from the main town. We asked for directions, a few times, but finally made our way there. It was definitely worth it. The pizzas were perfectly thin and absolutely amazing. The small restaurant only has about 10 tables, but it offers a view of the lake and is run by a very nice couple. After dinner, we even enjoyed some limoncello with the owner.

On our second day, we set off for our day-long adventure around the lake and planned to visit the towns of Lenno, Varenna and Bellagio. We started the day by heading off on a 2.4km walk from Tremezzo to Lenno. This was just part of the much longer Lake Como Greenway walk. We didn't have the time nor the energy for the longer walk. We were saving our energy for hiking in Cinque Terre, but we thought the shorter version would give us a great opportunity to wander through some of the smaller towns and capture amazing views of the countryside.

We ended in the town of Lenno on their market day, so we walked around and then searched for Vanini Osvaldo, a highly recommended local olive oil company. You can find this oil in almost every shop in Lake Como, but we were told to buy it here at a much lower price. Once again, we had to stop and ask for directions several times, but we eventually found the small shop, which was guarded by three large, but quite friendly shepherd/wolf dogs. Don't let the dogs scare you off. It's worth a visit.

Next, we made our way to the ferry and headed off to Varenna for lunch, wine and wandering.

After Varenna, we hopped back on the ferry and stopped at the next town - the very famous Bellagio. We stayed here for several hours, doing a little shopping, eating lots of gelato and just wandering the streets and alleyways. With an eye on the time, we managed to have an early and quick dinner at La Grotta before catching the last ferry back to Tremezzo. The pizza was good, but not as good as the night before, and we admit that the fact we were in a hurry probably affected our level of satisfaction.

Back in Tremezzo, we wandered around the town a bit and found a lovely wine bar and shop called Cantina La Follie that is located in the cellar of what used to be the main hotel in town. We wrapped up fairly early, as we had to get ready for another day of travel with a train from Como to Monterosso via Milan.

For anyone planning their own trip to Lake Como, here's a great article that highlights some of the best things the area has to offer: Lazy lakeside frolicking: an insider's guide to Lake Como.