A Trip to Lake Como: Stunning Lakeside Villas and Lunch at Villa d'Este l SIMPLY SLOW TRAVELER

Welcome to a new day in Lago de Como, one that started with an idyllic waking up in Vila Lario, to these wonderful views of the lake under the misty morning light. I started with a slow morning swim before heading down to breakfast as I could not help but just taking the views, the quietness and the stillness of the landscape in such a scenic pool. After a good half hour in the swimming pool, I took a shower and we had a light but energizing breakfast to set me up for the day ahead. Upon returning to our suite, these beautiful views with the sun shining brighter completely had me stop for a time of contemplation. Vila Lario is a beautiful lakefront hotel with only 12 suites, one penthouse and a villa distributed across a few buildings in a secluded terrace property with lush gardens all around. This is a heaven of serenity and quietness, where you always have the most beautiful views of the lake. After a morning enjoying the beauty and the views from Vila Lario, we made our way to lunch at Vila Deste. Vila Deste has a grand and luxurious style, which you can see from the marbles, the golden details, the grand lobby and corridors and the overall decoration with many different art pieces in every room. We had lunch on the terrace right by the lake, enjoying the full scenery in front of us. There is hardly anything that feels more like the Lake Como allure than sitting for a delicious meal while watching the boast sailing left and right with the lush green hills as a background. This was one of my favorite lunch places and you can find all my recommendations on where to eat and what to do on my Lake Como guide in the description box. After a shared tartar with mustard ice cream for entree, our main dishes were a lemon risotto with fresh perch from the lake and creamed salted cod tortelli, both very light and delicious dishes. Then we finished with two very fresh and beautiful looking desserts. The sun came out again once we finished lunch, just in time for us to go exploring the gardens of Vila Deste, perfectly manicured and so very flowery. From anywhere on the property you have beautiful lake views and there are plenty of little nooks and corners if you are looking for a more picturesque place to get inspiration from or to just quietly relax. Our next stop that afternoon was the film famous Vila del Balbianelo. The skies were getting fully clear and the colors on the lake were so vivid and intense. Vila del Balbianelo is located at the tip of this peninsula on the west side of the lake. To get to the villa itself you must walk for about 20 minutes through the vegetation and along the water, having some of the most beautiful views all the way to Bellagio and watching as the boats come and go between the different towns and swarm around Vila del Balbianelo. Upon arriving at the gates we were greeted with the striking loggia, open to both the north and south sides of the lake, providing some of the most iconic views of Lago de Gomo. The whole gardens, beautifully designed all the way down to the lake, are some of the most inspiring I have visited in Lake Gomo. We spent a good amount of time admiring the views, the gardens and watching the hustle of tourists visiting this iconic villa. If you don't feel like hiking, an alternative way to get to Vila del Balbianelo is by taxi boat, as it has its own small dock too. For the second part of our afternoon we went visiting Varena. This is probably the most picturesque of all the towns around Lake Gomo. While not very big, its narrow alleyways with glimpses of the lake and the hills to the west are as quaint as you can get. The lakefront area is bustling with cafes and restaurants, and it is abundant in picture-perfect spots. We made sure to spend a good few hours in Varena, exploring up and down its streets and all the way along the water, and this was one of the highlights of our whole trip. To end the afternoon, we set for a cocktail at the bar terrace of Hotel Royal Victoria, simply admiring the lake views and the late afternoon light, with the boats cutting through waters and the low sunlight glistening on the surface of the lake. Finally, we went back to Vila Lario, just as the sun started sinking behind the hills. We walked down to the bar area, with this most scenic views of the sunlight passing in between the peaks and turning the west-facing hills golden. This area of the hotel is so beautiful that, while we didn't have another cocktail, we sat for a few minutes just admiring its architecture and the views before going back up for dinner. We had another very tasty meal with the most incredible sunset views in Lake Como. The light food perfectly paired with the clear skies in the early evening quiet mood. Across the lake, the town lights started to get lit up, transforming the whole landscape into the most beautiful postcard. Thank you for joining me on this beautiful day in Lake Como. I hope to see you again as I unveil more of my trip on this idyllic region.