THAT TRAVEL GUIDE: Lake Como, Italy
CHEESE, PRAY, LOVE
Lake Como, Italy
Welcome to the first stop of my Eurotrip that I’ve coined - Cheese, Pray, Love. What started as a 30th birthday vacation has morphed into a journey to discover Europe’s cheeses, one country at a time. As a cheese connoisseur in America, there’s so much we miss about the history and culture of cheese. I must admit, I’m guilty for creating abundant, overflowing boards more often than not, but sometimes less is more. The cheese can tell a story itself. Our first stop is of course, Italy. The birthplace of aperitivo (golden hour drinks usually accompanied by meat and cheese) and home to thousands of insanely delicious cheeses. We began our journey in Lake Como. A collection of towns along one of Europe’s deepest lakes, famous for its historic villas, classic boats and stunning gardens.
Located in northern Italian region of Lombardy, Lake Como is accessible by car, bus or train from Milan. We flew into Milan, rented a car and drove up to Laglio, a small town on the west side of the lake, which took about an hour. Laglio was a bit quiet but super charming. Unfortunately it’s a bit spread out, so we had to walk about 15 minutes in each direction to find restaurants. Next time I’d stay in a more populated town like Tremezzo, Varenna, Lenno or Bellagio. Something I wish I knew ahead of time - the streets on the west side of the lake are narrow. Cars drive very fast and you have to be alert around the bending curves. Depending on where you stay I’d recommend renting a smaller car, staying in a port city with many ferries, or taking a taxi and renting a moped. Something to note: taxis are a bit hard to find (and expensive) once you’re in Laglio, so driving or walking everywhere is key.
Nonetheless, I had an amazing time. I’ve never been in such awe of a place. Lake Como is truly magical in so many ways. Here’s a recap of what we did, where we ate and of course, the best cheeses we tried!
All places listed below (and a few others we didn’t get to try!) are linked on the map here: LAKE COMO MAP
DAY 1 - EXPLORING LAGLIO
We landed at 1pm and had the entire afternoon to explore Laglio. If you rent a car, I’d recommend to stop at Bennet di Sacile for grocery shopping. Laglio lacks on the market front, so you’ll have many more options if you shop ahead of time. Our airbnb was beautiful, with a wall of windows overlooking the lake. It was insane to wake up to this view every morning. We walked along the road by the lake to an adorable cheese shop + bistro called Da Luciano Bottega. It was approaching apertivo hour, so we both got aperol spritzes that came with a mini meat and cheese board. It was the perfect size for a snack, and the grand total came out to $11. The food (and especially the cheese) is very affordable here if you stay away from the swanky resorts, which was a nice surprise coming from NYC. The cheeseboard included some of the freshest salumi I’ve ever tasted, like prosciutto di parma, speck and soppressata. The board also came with Taleggio, a creamy and funky cow’s milk cheese local to the Lombardy region. It quickly became my favorite cheese of the week.
After apertivo we did some more walking and grabbed dinner at Mellesimo Enoteca & Bistrot. The caprese salad was delicious, it was the first time I’ve had mozzarella in Italy and wow. It tastes so much better here than in the states. Again, we had to walk a mile down the narrow roads in opposite directions to get to both of these restaurants, so not sure I’d fully recommend Laglio if you don’t have a moped or bike. We did get a lot of steps in though, and it was nice to walk off the meal afterwards next to the stunning lake views.
DAY 2 - BELAGGIO AND VARENNa
We drove about 30 minutes up the coast to the town of Cadenabbia to take the ferry to Belaggio. We could have taken it from Laglio, but it’s not a major ferry port so the times were a bit scattered. Ferry’s depart from Cadenabbia or Menaggio every 20-30 minutes and the ride is about 10 minutes across the lake. You buy ferry tickets at the window for around $4 and the whole process is very easy! Belaggio was the first city to really make me feel like I was in an Italian romcom. It almost looks fake. Restaurants, shops and cafes are scattered up narrow staircases, with colorful buildings and old cobblestones. The port is a bit touristy, but if you walk up the stairs away from the main road it tends to be less busy. We stumbled upon an adorable salumeria called Butti Macelleria e Salumeria and it was such a rustic scene, with prosciutto hanging from the ceiling and stinky cheeses filling the air.
We then wandered down to check out one of the famous Villas in the area, Villa Melzi. It was $12 to enter and the grounds were absolutely stunning. From the other end of the Villa’s garden, we popped out on a small street which placed us closer to a cheese shop we found on the map earlier in the day. Side note, google maps is my favorite app. You can save specific locations under curated lists to reference at any time! I linked my Lake Como map below. We didn’t go to all of these places, but starred some for next time :) After climbing many stairs and wandering through the local suburbs of Bellagio, we came across Latteria Bellagio, a quaint little cheese shop selling local cheese from the neighboring farms and Lombary region. We tried three different styles of cow’s milk cheese and settled on one called Semigrasso Belaggio, a semi-hard alpine style cheese with a bit of a tang and well rounded notes. I also picked up a white wine and caramelized onion jam which made for an excellent pairing!
We made our way back to the ferry and hopped on for Varenna, a smaller town on the east side of the river. It was such a charming little place, with pebble beaches for swimming and waterfront bars and cafes. Apertivo hour was approaching so we posted up at Caffe Varenna and enjoyed espresso martinis looking at a stunning view of the lake. I also ordered an incredible bruschetta with pears, gorgonzola, walnuts and honey. Gorgonzola is also a cheese local to Lombardy, and it tasted so creamy, funky and buttery. We didn’t have time to visit the Villa Monastero Botanical Gardens, but I hear it’s a must see.
After taking the ferry back to the car and driving down to Laglio, we walked to dinner nearby at a place called La Locanda del Cantiere where I had the best burrata pasta of my life. Lake Como is popular for “lake fish” on the menu, but the filets tend to be a bit small and bony. I didn’t love the fish options. I’d stick with pasta or pizza! We then hitched a ride home from our server (because we didn’t want to walk a mile home in the dark on the windy roads) so again, recommend driving if you can.
DAY 3 - POOL DAY AND DINNER
We decided to have a relaxing pool day after walking 16,000 steps the day before, so we booked a day pass at a stunning boutique hotel called Relais Villa Vittoria. This is a bit of a life hack, many of these small hotels offer pool passes for access to the amenities without staying at the hotel, so we paid $35 to spend all day by the lake with an infinity pool and insanely beautiful gardens. It was totally worth it!
Located next door to our airbnb was a great restaurant called Osteria 20, where I had one of the best pizzas of my life. I learned that with most restaurants here, you have to call ahead of time to make a reservation. The tables here are usually reserved for 1 party per night (what a concept to not be rushed!) so it’s helpful to plan ahead.
DAY 4 - boat day, grand hotel tremezzo and my birthday!
At this rate we did a pretty good job with keeping our expenses on the lower end, but since it was my 30th birthday I had to ball out. This was by far the best birthday I’ve ever had. The weather was beautiful and all of the activities we fit in were so memorable. We started out chartering a private boat tour with Como Classic Boats. Our captain, Andrea, was so kind and knowledgable about the history of the lake. We drove around as he shared stories and historical tidbits about the main Villas. We then pulled up to a little town on the far north side of the lake to swim. In the distance was one of the oldest medieval towers It was the most refreshing, clear water I’ve seen in a while. So therapeutic! After the boat tour, Andrea dropped us off at The Grand Hotel Tremezzo where we booked massages. This 5-star hotel is fancy and very pricey, but if you book a massage for $150, you get access to an insane infinity pool, sauna, steam room, relaxation room and can explore the grounds all day. Another little loophole!
We had the hotel book us a taxi back to Laglio to change for dinner and drove to Ristorante Crotto dei Platani for dinner. I wasn’t super impressed with this spot and wouldn’t recommend as my first choice. The view and pea soup was great but the rest was a bit overpriced.
Tom, my friend from college, also happened to be passing through Como! He’s been working on a dairy farm in Northern Italy for the past few months. For the greatest birthday gift, he brought me a wedge of Fontina d’Aosta. This fontina is unlike any fontina I’ve ever had in America. The paste is thick and earthy with a rustic rind with hints of barnyard funk and butter. We lit a candle and made a cheese cake. It was the best.
FAVORITE CHEESES WE TRIED
Fontina d’Aosta
Taleggio DOP
Toma
Gorgonzola DOP
Semigrasso Belaggio
Burrata
Next stop, SARDINIA! We’re headed to enjoy the white sandy beaches and visit Central Formaggi, a 100+ year sheep and goat’s milk producer who make one of my favorite cheeses, Moliterno al Tartufo (truffle pecorino)
More to come!
<3 Marissa