Travel Guide: "That Sunny, Happy Place" / Lake Como
“Lake Como [...] is not like Lake Geneva surrounded by large fields well delimited and cultivated with the best systems, which suggest money and speculation. Here, wherever I turn, I see hills of unequal altitudes clothed with trees planted at will that the hand of man has not yet damaged and forced to bear fruit. Among these hills with admirable lines that plummet towards the lake for so singular steep slopes [...]. Everything here nobly, exquisitely speaks of love, there is nothing that reminds you of the ugliness of civilization.”
Stendhal, The Charterhouse of Parma (1839)
The landscape surrounding Lake Como is magnificent (as noted already by Stendhal). For centuries, Milanese noble families have built their holiday homes along the lake’s shores, coming here to escape the city’s unbearable summer heat.
The houses are a manifestation of the strong connection between Milan and Lake Como. When traffic is reasonable, the drive is approximately one hour (but in high season, it could easily be much more).
The lake is a welcome refuge for many people, unfortunately turning the roads in the area into a congested nightmare, and you can find yourself stuck in one place for longer periods of time than you’re in motion.
Where to Stay
Family-owned Albergo diffuso Cà Spiga, run by Alessandro Motti, opened as a three-room B&B in 2011 but has since expanded by acquiring the house next door. Today, it has seven double rooms and one triple, all with stunning views of the lake, complete with a terrace.
There are no TVs, because why would you need one when you can look out over the lake instead? If you get tired of the view, try unwinding in the jacuzzi, built into an abandoned stone cave.
Cà Spiga has its own private garden but it’s also very close to the shore. On warmer days, you can post up at the Riva del Tenciu beach – one of the few along the lake – or go for long walks along the perimeter. One of the best ways to see the lake is from the lake, and plenty of hop-on-hop-off boat tours are available to board nearby.
The furniture has been unchanged since Motti’s grandmother lived here, and the tableware, plates, and glasses are all either original or bought from local flea markets, contributing to the authentic feel of a typical Lake Como country-house.
Each morning, breakfast is served as a buffet at the long table in the breakfast room, complete with fresh croissants and bread from the local bakery, organic jam, local cheeses, and honey from the neighbour Daniele. The Motti family also runs a local deli in an old butcher’s shop, Da Luciano Bottega e Caffè, perfect for a coffee break during your morning stroll.
Where to Eat
Harry’s Bar in Cernobbio first opened its doors in 1973 and is one of those reliable classics where you know exactly what will be on the menu (traditional food) and what the service will be like (polite and friendly). From the terrace, you have a wonderful view of the lake, but it’s the interiors that make the trip worthwhile.
La Locanda del Cantiere is in a former shipyard, only two minutes from Cà Spiga. Here, the cuisine has a more modern twist. Our tip is to try any of their risottos.
A few minutes farther by car, Bri’en Pizza e Caffè is located in the small village of Brienno. It’s a simple place, but the pizza is excellent, served on a terrace overlooking the lake.
Places to Go
There’s a book (and an Instagram account) called “Accidentally Wes Anderson”, collecting images of places that look like they belong on the set of a Wes Andersonfilm. This means that there’s something slightly surreal about the design, difficult to put one’s finger on but elevated and out of this world.
Around Lake Como, one is constantly reminded of this genre, as more or less every village looks like something that could be part of the extraordinary Wes Anderson universe.
Bellagio is without a doubt the most famous village on the, possibly because of its prime location at the “Y” junction of Lake Como, meaning that it’s accessible from any number of other places around the lake. It has an elegant atmosphere with cobblestone streets, and (because of its position) a stunning view of different parts of the lake.
Often called the “Pearl of Lake Como,” the town is renowned for its beautiful villas, upscale shops, and the picturesque, steep staircases that connect its waterfront to the upper part of the town. In this part of town, next to a tower – the only remains of the ancient system of defence – one can see the basilica of San Giacomo, which was built by the Maestri Comacini.
The ruins of the church of San Pietro Apostolo are nowadays part of Villa Serbelloni. The villa’s park is considered one of the most beautiful in Italy.
One of the most interesting museums around the lake is La Velarca, a custom-made houseboat designed by the Milanese architecture firm BBPR in 1959, now restored to its original mooring in Ossuccio. The former floating home represents a fusion of modernist design and traditional craftsmanship. Initially, it was commissioned by Fiammetta and Emilio Norsa as a summer retreat.
The Velarca was designed to welcome prominent figures of Italian culture, including architect Gio Ponti, poet Eugenio Montale, and artist Lucio Fontana.
Do you recognize the images of Villa del Balbianello? Do you think perhaps you’re experiencing a distant memory from a past lifetime, when you lived a charmed life on the shores of Lake Como? Perhaps, but it could also be that you’ve been watching too many Bond-movies. In “Casino Royale”, James Bond visits the villa to recuperate from his encounter with Le Chiffre.
The villa is set on the western shore of Lake Como, near Lenno. The scene is brief and rather strange, not fully explained until later in the film, which is why it stands out. The romantic 18th century mansion and its magnificent garden have, in addition to 007, also hosted writers, scholars, and travellers, including Count Guido Monzino, the last owner of the villa before it was transformed into a museum and opened to the public.
Still not convinced that your recollections of the villa aren’t from a previous lifetime? You could be right, but it could also be because the villa also played a prominent part in “Star Wars: Attack of the Clones” – this is where Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidale kiss.
It’s easy to see why the location scout suggested this place; not only is the garden extremely romantic, but shooting a scene here meant that the entire film crew could spend a few days sunbathing and swimming.
If you’re interested in beautiful gardens, Villa Carlotta is another place you should add to your itinerary. Built in the village Tremezzo in the late-seventeenth century, by Marquis Giorgio Clerici of Milan, it was later sold to Giovanni Battista Sommariva, at the time President of the Governing Committee of the Cisalpine Republic (established by Napoleon Bonaparte).
The enormous wealth accumulated by Sommariva during his dazzling political career enabled him to enjoy an opulent lifestyle and to cultivate his immense passion for the arts, especially sculpture, which led to his purchase of works by Antonio Canova and Berthel Thorvaldsen.
About 40 years later, Sommariva’s heirs sold the villa to Princess Marianne of Prussia, who gifted it to her daughter as a wedding gift. During the First World War, it was confiscated (as it belonged to citizens of an enemy state) by the Italian state, who set up a foundation to manage its care. From the start, great care has been dedicated to the care of the gardens, which are the villa’s key attraction.
Next to the villa is Grand Hotel Tremezzo, which is where Greta Garbo in 1932 shot the film “Grand Hotel”, in which she famously uttered the line “that sunny, happy place” when speaking of the hotel. It’s owned by the De Santis family, with Valentina De Santis being a key figure in the management of the property.
The family also owns another iconic hotel, Passalacqua, about a thirty minutes-drive south along the lake (or, if traveling in the other direction, a few minutes north of Cernobbio).
Addresses
Albergo diffuso Cà Spiga, Via Torriggia Alta, 10, Laglio
Da Luciano Bottega e Caffè, Via Vecchia Regina, 61, Laglio
Harry’s Bar, Piazza Risorgimento, 2, Cernobbio
La Locanda del Cantiere, Via Veccihia Regina, 91, Laglio
Bri’en Pizza e Caffè, Via Canova, 1, Brienno
Chiesa di San Giorgio, Via C. Bellosio, 28, Bellagio
Villa Serbelloni, Via Teresio Olivelli, 2, Bellagio
La Velarca, Via Statale, 136, Tremezzina
Villa del Balbianello, Via Guido Monzino, 1, Tremenzina
Villa Carlotta, Via Statale, 5605, Tremezzina
Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Via Statale, 5401, Tremezzina
Passalacqua, Via Regina, 28, Motrasio