We only had a little bit of time in Bellagio but we made the best of it! If you have the chance to stop by Lake Como – Go! It is so so beautiful.
Where To Stay in Bellagio
We chose to stay in Bellagio because it was an easy train ride & ferry from our previous destination of Bergamo. However, if we had to do it over we probably would have picked a different town. While Bellagio is gorgeous, it’s dead at night. Busy with tourists during the day, nothing going on at night.
We stayed at the Hotel Excelsior Splendide which is an older hotel but quaint and in the perfect location. The hotel is traditional European style and has not been updated but we were really only in the room to sleep. While the hotel was nothing to write home about the pool and view from it were amazing.
The pool is surrounded by a few grassy terraces with lounge chairs. We defiantly felt like we were balling out on a budget while we were here! I wish we had stayed here a day longer just to enjoy this pool more haha. The hotel also offers a complimentary breakfast, too.
What To Do in Bellagio
There are home and garden tours around Lake Como, but like I said we were short on time. If I am near water I want to be on it or in it! So we spent our time eating, drinking, boating and wondering!
As soon as we arrived we dropped our bags and headed out for lunch aka pizza. Clay and I were determined to eat as much pizza as possible on our trip. Bellavita was the highest rated pizza & cheap eats place in Bellagio and it delivered. The ladies working there took such care in their job. Nothing was rushed and everything was plated with such care it was really impressive considering it was a quick service pizza joint. Bellavita is located at the top of the prettiest staircase in Bellagio – it’s the one you see in SO many photos. Its really to go spot so we took our pizza down to the waterfront to eat.
Lucky, for us, a few Denver friends were also at Lake Como and had rented a boat for the day. We decided to bring a little #channingandthecheeseplate along with us so we headed Alimentari da Caio to pick up some wine and cheese. Everyone in the shop was super friendly and helpful. We went with truffle cheese, a local cheese called Bitto, prosciutto and two baguettes.
I highly recommend renting a boat or taking a boat tour of the area to get a better view of all the little towns and the gorgeous Alps. Plus, who doesn’t want to go swimming when you staying on a beautiful lake!
Where To Eat Dinner In Bellagio
After our cruise, we decided to hang by the pool before getting ready for dinner. We started with drinks at Restaurant de l’hotel Florence which you will see in lots of pictures on Instagram for their beautiful wisteria. Unfortunately, the wisteria had already died/fallen by the time we arrived but it’s still a beautiful terrace and with reasonably priced drinks.
La Punta is on the very tip of the peninsula where Bellagio is located and has a gorgeous lawn giving you 180-degree view of the Lake Como and the Alps.
A giant storm provided quite the entertainment during our dinner. What started as a beautiful storm to watch over the water quickly turned into a torrential downpour with hail! The covered roof of the patio we were sitting under started to leak! Our table was in the back near the retaining wall so as the ground got too saturate the water started to flow down the hillside and down the retaining wall. Eventually, water was coming in from all side and flooding the patio.
Everyone was in such a good mood no one really seemed to mind as we rearranged tables to avoid the leaks. The staff was whizzing back and forth making sure everyone was happy and your wine was full. We sat with our legs propped on the table legs as water rushed passed us and sipped cognac. We chatted and laughed with our neighbors and waited for the storm to let up so we could walk home. Even with the rain, it was such a wonderful dinner!
We hoped to keep drinking but Bellagio literally turns into a ghost town at night! The one wine bar that had rave reviews – Cava Turacciolo was PACKED. Since it had been raining, everyone was staying in and there were no open seats for us. Boo!
The next day the rain continued so we slept in, enjoyed the complimentary hotel breakfast and then hit the road for Cinque Terre – where we had the most perfect day! Read all about that here.
