59. Como, Lake Como Italy. Visit Como, Lenno and Torno on Lake Como, Italy.
We are continuing our Italian series with this Episode 59 all about the famous and bucket list city in Italy, Como on the beautiful shore of Lake Como.
Hear about our amazing accommodation. Everything about it was fabulous, the views, the room, the shower, the bed, the breakfast, the staff – it just had one small problem that was an issue for us and we tell you all about it.
Come with us as we wander around the city of Como around the lake and what happened as we lined up to get on the Funicular (remember, I don’t like heights at all). I didn’t know if I should be happy or sad.
We share the most beautiful restaurants on the lake to have lunch – or hire a beach chair and umbrella and have a swim.
Listen as we tell you about how chaotic the ferry system is and how we found a way to enjoy the lake and the most stunning and exquisite place away from all the crowds and you probably haven’t even heard of it.
Next we explore the old city area and piazzas of Como itself and tell you what happened to completely embarrass me while sitting at a lovely restaurant right in front of the huge Cathedral.
Listen to the end to hear about another ferry ride on Lake Como to a small village where we did a live broadcast and the fancy restaurant that we were hoping to have lunch in, but ended up with sandwiches and beer.
Show notes and pictures below
When we arrived at our accommodation in Como we were absolutely amazed. The views, the room, the staff, the breakfast, everything was fabulous. We stayed at B&B Vista Lago. The only downside for us, was we didn’t have a car and the property was a little way out of the main part of Como. We had to catch a taxi each day down and back - but was totally worth it as we had the perfect views every morning for breakfast and every night for a glass of wine.
Of course the first thing to do when you arrive in Como is go for a walk around the Lake. Our host, Jona, took us into town and dropped us at one side of the lake and we went for a nice stroll taking in the views all the way.
There is a funicular that begins at the lake and takes you up to a little village called Burante. It has been running continuously for 200 years - but unfortunately the day we were there is had a breakdown. So we improvised and headed around the other side of the lake. There are some lovely villas and restaurants to enjoy.
One of the best things about being in Como is to get out on the lake. We decided we would take a trip to a village called Lleno. We had to line up for tickets and even though we purchased tickets for the 9.20am ferry, we were told after standing in line that the ferry was full and the next one was over an hour away. We decided to wait because we didn’t want to miss out on the ferry.
Once we arrived in Lleno all the frustration of the ferry issues melted away. It was absolutely beautiful and not many people at all. We walked along the lake and found some nice restaurants to have coffee and then lunch.
After lunch we decided to walk to Villa Balbianello on the peninsular. It was about a 2km walk and a bit steep in places, but the views along the way were absolutely worth it. Once we reached the villa we decided to explore the gardens.
It’s hard to describe just how beautiful these gardens at the villa were. You can see from the pictures the rolling green hills, manicured hedges, statues, flowering trees, ivy covered walls, terracotta pots and all with the most spectacular water views of Lake Como. This was definitely a wow moment and we loved walking around the pretty paths and taking in all the sights. There is a chapel and events venue as there are many weddings held at the Villa.
As we had spent so much time walking around the lake and on ferries visiting other towns on the lake we decided to go into the old town in Como and have a wander around. Como doesn’t have many old buildings, but the Duomo (church) is free to enter and worth visiting. There are four main plazas in town including Plaza Cavour (in front of the ferry terminal), Piazza Duomo (in front of the church) and Piazza A Volta. There are many little fashion shops and it is easy to find a nice cafe or restaurant away from all the crowds on the lakefront to enjoy a drink or meal.
There are two ferry services in Como - the main one that takes you all the way to Bellagio and beyond and a shorter route that takes you to Torno which is only 30 minutes from Como. The ferry is smaller and much less crowded. We went on a Sunday and it was quite busy as the restaurants were full and had no vacancies. We tried to eat at the fancy Vapore restaurant, but no chance of that. We had to settle for a cold beer and toasted sandwich. Torno is quite small, but it is a nice village to wander around up and down the stairs and the little marina area on the lake is very picturesque. It was a lovely sunny day, so even if we didn’t have a restaurant lunch, we enjoyed visiting Torno.
We certainly enjoyed having wine in many places in Como and Lake Como. Lyle’s favourite place was at Bellagio and mine was from our balcony at our accommodation at B&B Vista Lago.
If you would like more detailed information about our time in Como and Lake Como then listen to the podcast by clicking on the embedded players above. If you would like to see all the other Italian podcasts, show notes and pictures then click the button below. If you know anyone planning a trip to Italy then please share our Italian series with them, once again, by clicking the link below and sending it to them.
While we were in Como we did a day trip to Lugano in Switzerland on Lake Lugano, to Bellagio and then back by ferry, criss-crossing Lake Como all the way back to Como. We did a separate podcast all about that - as it was amazing and so much to share. You can find our more and see all the pictures (they are stunning) by clicking the button below.