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| The Village of Dervio with Monte Legnone in background (just up the road from Varenna... click on pic to enlarge) |
But the one thing that makes Lake Como stand out is its beautiful blue waters sitting amidst a backdrop of snow covered Alps! There's lots to discover around that 150+ mile shoreline including over 30 different lakeside villages...
There are 3 different transportation systems that work on the lake... The big ferry system that is both passanger and car ferries, service the most popular mid-lake villages on the "triangle" of the split in the lake; Menaggio, Bellagio, Varenna, and Cadenabbia... This is what makes the lakeside village of Varenna such a popular home base... Then there is the "motorships" which run up and down the whole length of the north fork and the south-western branch... and lastly, there's the "hydro-foils" which are the fast services up and down the lake with fewer stops... all in all, there's lots of ways to get around the lake and enjoy the incredible views from the water... (ps: if you want a really special experience in Lake Como, ask us about our friend Luca, and his private Venetian Launch Motorboat Tours of the Lake ~ our personal very favorite thing to do in Lake Como! We'll be doing this in September ~ you need to reserve this in advance)
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| The Magic of Lake Como with The fairytale Village of Varenna in the foreground |
- Lake Como, or as the Italians say, Lago di Como, is by most people's opinion, Europe's most beautiful lake
- With over 36,000 acres of surface water, and a 150 mile shoreline, Lake Como is one of Italy's largest and most beautiful lakes, and at 1350 feet, Europe's very deepest
- The lake sits at the base of the Alps at about 700 ft in elevation, with snow-covered mountaintops jutting almost 12,000 feet into the sky
- Lake Como, because of it's incredible beauty, has been a popular vacation retreat since Roman times and still a favorite of celebrities and aristocrats around the world
- The Lake is surrounded by many large historic Villas with impressive gardens which now serve as museums, hotels and even as private residences for celebrities (think: George Clooney, Richard Branson, Brad Pitt, George Lucas, Madonna, Sylvester Stallone, Giani Versace, etc)
- Average High temperatures for mid-September are 72 degrees F during the afternoon and average lows overnight are about 60 degrees F
- The entire area is served by The Lake Como Ferry Service which has three mains services:
- the "Motorships" which run up and down the western branch and northern end of the lake with additional shuttles between the "mid-lake" villages of Varenna, Mennagio, Bellagio and Cadennabia
- the "Hydrofoils" or fast service which broadly follows the same route but is a lot faster stops less frequently and costs more
- the "Ferries" which run only between the popular mid-lake villages, some of which ferry cars as well as passengers
- Many famous movies have used the dramatic scenery of Lake Como and its incredible Villas as a backdrop including; A Month by The Lake, Star Wars Episode II, Ocean's Twelve, and Casino Royale
This short video will give you a feel for the atmosphere, environment & relaxing culture of Lake Como... and you'll see a good part of this video is about Varenna and our recommended hotel; Albergo Milano
