Following an early breakfast, we boarded a train to Varenna. Unlike the Milan service, this train was very old and not particularly comfortable but it arrived in Lecco one hour later, on time and it was only necessary to cross the platform for the connecting service to Varenna. This second train was crowded with school children and they found it highly amusing as we were plunged into darkness passing through several tunnels as the guard and driver must have forgotten to turn on the lights.
It was only a short walk from Varenna’s tiny station to the lake shore. Here we bought tickets for the Lake Steamer to Bellagio. It was only a 20 minute wait for the next ferry and we enjoyed picture perfect views over Lake Como from the boat. There was some low lying mist adding to its beauty.
Several years ago we had spent one week at the Hotel Excelsior Splendide on Bellagio’s waterfront so I was intrigued to venture inside to see what, if anything, had changed. It all looked the same as far as I could recall. We spent the next two hours exploring this delightful small lakeside town, wandering up and down the steep streets with their uneven flights of steps and walking along the promenade as far as the path would take us.
We returned to Varenna on the lake steamer and spent an hour here strolling through the lakeside village, enjoying ice cream cones along the way before taking the train to Lecco. Along this route the train line follows the lake shore providing good views all along the way.
It’s a 15 minute walk from Lecco’s station to its lakeside but it’s certainly worth the walk. Lecco lies at one end of Lake Como and is a very pretty little town. We had afternoon tea in a cafe overlooking the lake before taking the train back to Bergamo in the late afternoon.
In the evening we wandered through the continental market which was very crowded but interesting then had a meal nearby in the new town.
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Such a beautiful area. Our Irish relatives often talk about Lake Como. I would love to visit some day. Thanks for sharing Marion. Allan
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I’m sure you would both enjoy taking strolls around Lake Como Allan. Hopefully you’ll get there one of these days.
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I do love Italy but I haven’t visited Lake of Como yet.
Now, it’s on my to do list 🙂 Thanks for sharing your experiences !!!
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It’s my pleasure Bettina – I hope you get an opportunity to visit Lake Como soon.
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Lake Como is on my wish list. It certainly looks amazing and sound like a great place to visit. Thank you for sharing your experience of being there. I find it very interesting and helpful.
Your articles have a lot of details about the places you have seen and it certainly helps when planning a trip to the same locations.
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Thanks Renata for your encouraging thoughts and for taking the time to read my posts. It’s so nice to read that you are finding them helpful for travel planning.
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You are very welcome. Indeed, your blog is great and I also admire your courage and organizational skills. It is certainly not easy to travel independently to new far-away places and often just to use public transportation. I look forward to reading more of your articles. Keep up with great work. 🙂
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Thanks again Renata.
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Great idea to use Bergamo as a place to also visit Milan and Como. We visited for the first time this year in October and, despite the weather, were much impressed.
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Yes, Bergamo is lovely and makes an excellent centre.
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