What to see in Lac de Côme ?

Lake Como is not a frozen postcard view: it is a vertical territory where villages cling to wooded cliffs and the light changes every hour. Varenna, on the eastern shore, concentrates more faithfully than anywhere else this atmosphere of an authentic lakeside village, well clear of coach tours. The water here is dark, profound, bordered by eighteenth-century villas whose gardens fall directly into the lake.

The best period runs from late April through June, before heat and tourists saturate the shores. Allow at least three days to explore both sides without rushing. The ferry remains the logical way to move between villages-the road is often congested and parking barely exists. Avoid Bellagio on an August Saturday: beautiful though it is, the village becomes an unmanageable pedestrian crush.