The Glamorous Italian Lakes- Maggiore and Como

The glamour and romance of the Italian Lakes don’t really need any introduction, since they have already been lavishly praised by writers and poets, sang about by musicians and painted on the canvas of many great artists. Such charm has also attracted movie moguls who have chosen the Lakes as the perfect setting for some big Hollywood blockbusters.

Therefore for us, expectations were high. 

Leaving the French town of Chamonix we headed for the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which was just 5 minutes down the road from where we have been staying. The Mont Blanc Tunnel crossing could not have been any easier and we didn’t even have to show our passports to enter another country.

Queue to Mont Blanc Tunnel.

There was a small queue of cars in front of us at the entrance to the tunnel, but soon it was our turn and so we stopped at the barrier to pay the nice tunnel staff guy, who spoke very good English, for our one way ticket ( Euro 62.30) and we were off! The crossing took about 15-20 minutes. Inside the tunnel it is recommended that you listen to the radio, just so you can get safety instructions and announcements.

Back in March 1999 there was an awful fire disaster involving a lorry carrying a load of butter, in which 39 people died inside the Mont Blanc tunnel. Since then the tunnel underwent major safety changes so as to avoid any future disasters. 

The minimum speed limit inside the tunnel is 50km/h and the maximum speed limit is 70km/h. In addition, vehicles are expected to maintain a distance of at least 150m between each other. There are monitoring cameras throughout the tunnel. 

On arrival in Italy, on the other side of the Mont Blanc tunnel, we decided to take the toll roads to Aosta. There were many long tunnels on that stretch of road, but eventually we did see the pretty Italian countryside, with mountains all around us. There were farms, with huge irrigation systems to water their crops, the odd ruined castle on top of a hill and lots of small towns dotted around or perched high on the hills.

Aosta

Capital of the Valle D’Aosta, the city was once-upon-a-time an important Roman settlement. Therefore there is a charming historic centre, although the more modern city does sprawl around the valley in not the most charming way. We stayed just one night at Camping Monte Bianco ( GPS N45.71733, 7.26208) which was a very friendly campsite, with great facilities and not far from the town centre. We used Little Bill (our scooter) to get us into the historic centre. 

Aosta, surrounded by mountains it has an interesting historic centre.

The next day we had a good wander around town and although we enjoyed having a look around, it did not wow us. We still found the nice large Piazza at the centre very entertaining and we sat down for a coffee and some people watching, before buying some Italian bread and other treats on our way back to Big Bill (our motorhome).

Next day we left Aosta and headed for Lake Maggiore. Just about two hours away we arrived at the lovely Camping Solcio, in the little village of Lesa. The Campsite was in a great location, right by the shores of Lake Maggiore. 

Lake Maggiore

Maggiore is Italy’s second largest lake (Lake Garda is the largest), spectacularly located and surrounded by snow capped mountains, including some of neighbouring Switzerland highest peaks. In fact the lake extends all the way into Switzerland.  

The Piemonte town of Stresa on the shores of Lake Maggiore is the main hub for transportation around the lake, including boats across to the Borromean Islands. There is a very picturesque 2 km-long promenade along the lake front, used for the famous “passeggiata” (afternoon stroll) by the stylish Italians…and the scruffy motorhome travellers.  

Lake front promenade was great for a “passeggiata).

The wealthy Borromeo family turned several of the lake’s islands into lavish retreats that can now be visited by tourists. From the Stresa waterfront promenade we could see Isola Bella floating on the lake with its lush terraced gardens, there was also Isola Pescatori and Isola Madre in the distance. We decided against visiting the Villas this time and opted for outdoors activities instead. 

Borromean Island, Isola Bella.

American author and journalist Ernest Hemingway come to this town in 1948 to recover from a war injury and he used Stresa and in particular the “Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees” as part of the setting for his book Farewell to Arms. Stresa has also played host to royals and politicians, including being the meeting place for to a number of important political conferences.

For a birds eye view of the region we took the Funivia Stresa-Mottarone cable-car, taking us up 1491 metres to the summit of Monte Mottarone, with spectacular views of Lake Maggiore, the Borromean Islands and the mountains surrounding the lake. 

Great views from the Funivia Stresa-Mottarone.

The lake is dotted with pretty towns, decadent Villas, and stately 19th-century lakeside hotels dating back to when this town was on the Belle Époque Grand Tour circuit of the rich and famous, giving this whole area a sense of vintage elegance.  

Our campsite was perfectly located on the shores of the lake, and the lovely warm sunny weather meant that we could even enjoy a refreshing swim in the lake. There was also a really nice restaurant on site with an outdoor sitting area, the pizzas were yummy. 

Our campsite beach on the shores of Lake Maggiore.

The campsite was full since we were there over a weekend, and our motorhome neighbours were mostly Belgian, German and Swiss; we did not spot any British vans while we were there. We thoroughly enjoyed our two night stay and could have stayed a lot longer, but we had another Italian Lake on our sights…Lake Como. 

Lake Como

We debated where to stay for our visit to Lake Como, with some of our research pointing to a stay mid-lake in places such as Menaggio or Varenna or maybe even on the North side of the Lake. But we decided on the town of Como, since we found a very convenient little sosta (motorhome overnight parking area) that turned out to be a real winner. 

Sosta near Lake Como. (No it’s not an electric scooter, its a security cable.)

Como has a historic core, with the marble-clad Como Duomo (Cathedral) at its very heart. It is a stylish place with expensive looking boutiques, great outdoor cafes and restaurants, large piazzas and a beautiful waterfront promenade that is perfect for an afternoon “passeggiata” (Passeggiata Lino Gelpi, West from Piazza Cavour). On first impressions we found the town to be understated, authentic and effortlessly elegant.  

We used Little-Bill to get us around town and around the lake. Bicycles are also very popular here, particularly because it is quite flat around the lake, making it for an easy ride. We spent two days in this region, with one day exploring Como itself and the next day exploring the Lakeside towns of Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio. 

Lake Como sits in a valley, surrounded by mountains. The lake is lined with luxurious villas and quaint little towns. A great way to get to all the pretty towns around the lake is by using the public ferry boats. We went early one morning to the ferry terminal at Como and bought a multi-pass day ticket, which meant we could use any of the different types of ferries on the lake. We did the “golden triangle” of Lake Como by visiting Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio and we felt that it was the perfect combination. 

Bellagio – The self- proclaimed “Pearl of the Lake” is probably the most famous of all the towns surrounding the lake, it sits right on the junction of the Y-shaped lake. Catching the early and faster ferry there meant we could enjoy it without the crowds, we almost had it to ourselves. The town is split in two levels, a level right by the lake and an upper level that requires walking up some cobbled streets and staircases. Comfortable shoes are a must. 

Steps to the upper level of Bellagio.

This is probably the most iconic place for a photo opportunity in Bellagio.

We spent just over one hour exploring Bellagio, before moving on.

Varenna – just a short ferry ride from Bellagio (about 15 minutes). Undeniably captivating, Varenna grabbed my heart from the moment I laid eyes on it from the ferry boat. Much of its beauty lies along from the ferry harbour, following a charming walkway framed with colourful flowers leading into the old town.

Varenna from the ferry boat.

Walkway leads into the old town.

We had lunch here with views over to Bellagio.

Relaxing in Varenna.

There are narrow, steep streets that are a delight to explore, although hard on the old knees. It is a very small town, so does not take long to explore. We stopped for lunch in Varenna at a charming little restaurant with the most beautiful views of Lake Como and Bellagio in the distance. We did not find it particularly expensive to eat there, but prices are certainly similar to what we pay back home in England.  

Menaggio – Was our last stop of the day and just a short ferry ride from Varenna. We caught a ferry boat that was also carrying cars, including a motorhome.After spending most of our time in Varenna we did not have much time left, but enough to have a nice stroll along the waterfront.  Menaggio felt a lot bigger than Bellagio and Varenna and not as charming, but perhaps it was because we did not give it enough time.

Our ferry from Varenna to Menaggio also carried cars.

After having enough of exploring all the 3 towns we had set out to see on Lake Como, it was time to head home. We caught a hydrofoil (very fast) boat back to Como (just 45 minutes) and then once in Como it was just a short ride on Little Bill back to Big Bill.

Our exploring gave us a good flavour of this area, but we can’t say we have seen all that has to offer, there are lots more we could have seen and done here. It was great to see that in spite of COVID tourism is thriving, all shops, restaurants and attractions were open. There were safety precautions and rules in place, such as compulsory face masks, hand sanitizers everywhere and social distancing. September has certainly been a great time for visiting it, and I would recommend to avoid the busiest months of July and August if you can. 

We spent our last night at the sosta, before moving on to our next destination. Driving on the SS 340 up the West side of Lake Como, we passed Cernobio, Leno, Tremezzo, Menaggio and other small lakeside towns all the way to the North of the Lake. It was a beautiful drive, although very narrow in places, with several tunnels through the mountainous landscape.

We continued via Alto Lario (Lario is another name given to Lake Como, therefore this region, being the top of the Lake). We soon turned into the SS 38 towards Sondrio and the Valtellina region, where small villages hang precariously on the slopes of the Bergamasque Alps. On the West, sunny side of the valley the vineyards go on for miles, clinging to the hills. Apparently the taste and alcohol content of wine improves with altitude. The wine of this region has a DOC classification for the Valtellina Superiore since 1968. 

We drove through the pretty town of Tirano, a departure point for the Trenino Rosso del Bernina towards St. Morritz, via the Bernina Pass (2253m), a rail trip that is on my travel wish list. We finally arrived at Bormio (1225m of altitude) on the border with Italy’s largest National Park “Parco Nazionale dello  Stelvio” later in the afternoon.

After a good night rest we would be tackling the famous and rather scary “Passo dello Stelvio” road in our motorhome next day. Certainly not for the faint of heart,  this mountain pass is considered one of the world’s greatest drives, so it has to be done. I will be telling you all about it at my next blog post, until then keep safe!