The lake in three branches
Lake Como
Villas with boathouses, gardens that go down to the water, mountains on both sides and Milan an hour away. The lake is for spring and autumn, when the light is soft and the ferries half empty.
Lombardy, Italy
The lake is not the sea and we do not pretend it is: the water is cold until June and the beaches are stones. What it has instead is the most complete collection of villa gardens in Europe, a shoreline where every house was built to be seen from a boat, and a way of life, breakfast on the terrace, the wooden launch to lunch, the mountains going pink at seven, that no coast matches.
We work on the western shore between Cernobbio and Tremezzo, and on the Bellagio promontory. The houses are old and were built for staff, so they come with them: a cook, a boatman, a gardener who has been there thirty years.
For members who want the Alps and the lake in one trip, St Moritz is two hours by car, and a helicopter does it in twenty-five minutes.
Best months
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air °C | 5 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 10 | 6 |
| Sea °C | 7 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 12 | 9 |
Worth knowing
What we arrange
Lake Como, day by day
The experiences the desk actually books here, tagged by what they are for. The itinerary builder turns them into a plan.
Villa Balbianello by boat
The loggia at the tip of the promontory, arriving at the landing stage as the gates open.
cultureLunch in Bellagio
A wooden launch to the promontory, a table above the harbour, the ferries below.
diningGardens of Villa Carlotta
The azaleas in April, the view across to Bellagio at any time, an hour and a half.
cultureHike to the Monte San Primo
The lake in all three branches from the summit, four hours with a guide, lunch at a refuge.
activeDinner on a lakeside terrace
A table at the water at Cernobbio, the mountains going dark, the launch home.
diningA day in Milan
The Last Supper with a private guide, lunch in Brera, the shops, the driver home by six.
cultureSeaplane over the lake
Forty minutes from Como airfield along all three branches, the best photograph you will take this year.
activeSilk in Como
The old silk town with a guide, a mill still weaving, a scarf made to your pattern.
cultureWakeboarding for the teenagers
A morning behind the boat in the calm water off Lenno, instructor included.
familySpa afternoon at the grand hotel
The pool that floats on the lake, a treatment, tea on the terrace.
wellnessThe calendar
By the numbers
From the collection
Houses in Lake Como
Lake Como
A week in Lake Como, planned to the hour.
A first answer within the hour, a full proposal within 48 hours.
The Sunday note
One short letter a week, on a Sunday
What has just come onto the market, which coast is in season, one tool worth trying. No offers, no forwarding, unsubscribe in one click.