The most beautiful lake in Italy
Lago di Como is a mountain lake situated in the Lombardy region of Italy. Geologically, it is a glacial lake, surrounded by the Italian and Swiss Alps. The lake is 146 square kilometers big and has a depth of 410 meters. The lake is a popular tourist destination, with many charming towns and villas situated on its shores.
Varenna - A charming town
The little town of Varenna is a perfect starting destination at the lake. The train station is an hour and ten minutes away from Milano Centrale. The old part of the city is well mixed with nature and the buildings act as a separation layer between the water and the peaks. I was tempted to already take a ferry though, so I chose to stand in a queue for the tickets, which can also be bought online. The car ferries go to both Bellagio and Menaggio, and along with the other tourists we were constantly hearing a distinct departure information out of the port speaker - This is a ferry to Menaggio starting with an M, and then Bellagio with a B. These names are easily mistaken. They ticket Varenna - Bellagio costed 4.60€.
Bellagio - The pearl of the lake
Due to its center point location the small city of around 3500 people offers great views with a calming atmosphere. During my ferry ride I was able to capture both southern ends of the lake, with the Bellagio peninsula situated in the middle.
The city is spead across a hill with some of the buildings being on one side, and some on the other side of the peninsula, though the evident main part was in the vicinity of the ferry port. Out of the ferry, on the pier, I already saw a few hotels, a cafe and a bus stop. First of, I went up the hill and tried some of the local gelato.
Then proceeded with walking to the northernmost point for a picturesque photo shoot of the Swiss Alps, emerging from the northern bank of the lake. It was oddly satisfying for me to see both the almost tropical vegetation up close and the snowy peaks far away. The highest peek on the photo you can see down below is, from my google maps calculations about 3200m above the sea level.
Como
To finish the trip at the lake I took a bus ride right to Como.
It is a town of reasonable size, with a proper marina. For the first time I saw sailboats and a dockside promenade. The place itself had a different vibe than the other towns, with a more urban feel, significantly wider streets and few story buildings. The place also features a church, some classical buildings and also funicolare - a cable car to the top of the hill. Surrounded by city walls and a grand gate. I really enjoyed the classic look of the bank of Italy. The city has also been a starting point for the train to Switzerland, which I took the same day.
Trains in the northern Italy
Northern Italy features one of the best public transportation system I have ever experienced. They are on time and rather inexpensive, with weekend tickets available for unlimited travel. The trains are very modern, some of them feature a double decker design. The train goes through the mountains, with a few tunnels and bridges. It is itself a great experience, as a teaser for the upcoming trip. See how nice the train station in Como looks like:
