Bellagio on Lake Como: Lake, Gardens and History

Bellagio lies at the base of the promontory that divides Lake Como into the two branches of Como and Lecco. Bellagio can be explored through its lake, landscape and culture: a nature park and gardens, Romanesque architecture, villas and a museum of historical navigation offer different ways to do so.

Lake, Promontory and Gardens

Parco di Villa Serbelloni is a nature park that covers almost the entire promontory of Bellagio and extends across approximately 21 hectares. The gardens of Villa Melzi d’Eril include terraces, traditional and exotic trees, sculptures and a Japanese pond with aquatic plants, including water lilies, surrounded by Japanese maple trees and cedars. The landscape therefore ranges from an expansive nature park to garden spaces with varied layouts.

The peaks of Cima del Costone, Cima del Nipoti, Monte Oriolo and Costone del Bregagno are located in the area around Bellagio. These landscape features complement orientation around the lake. When choosing where to stay, it is therefore possible to consider not only Bellagio itself but also the surroundings of the promontory.

Architecture and Art in Bellagio

The Basilica di San Giacomo was built between 1075 and 1125 and is an outstanding example of Lombard Romanesque architecture. It contains a painting of the Descent from the Cross from the school of Perugino, as well as a Madonna delle Grazie traditionally attributed to the Foppa school. Villa Melzi d’Eril was built in Bellagio between 1808 and 1810 in neoclassical forms. This makes it possible to view ecclesiastical architecture and villa architecture through clearly distinct historical dates.

Navigation in San Giovanni di Bellagio

The Museo degli strumenti per la navigazione is housed in an old tower house in the characteristic hamlet of San Giovanni and displays historical navigation instruments. It contains more than 200 objects, including 18th-century Venetian telescopes, ancient compasses, some from the Orient, sundials from various periods, an extensive collection of marine chronometers, an armillary sphere, a brass planetarium and numerous ship's logbooks. The subjects therefore range from long-distance optics and compasses to sundials and marine chronometers, as well as astronomical instruments and written records of navigation.

Orientation

The museum can be reached by boat service to the San Giovanni stop, by an approximately 30-minute walk from the center of Bellagio, by bus and by the tourist train. Depending on the preferred mode of transport, the different access options can be incorporated into planning.

Other Destinations in the Surrounding Region

The Museo Moto Guzzi is located in the wider regional surroundings of Bellagio. Also located in the wider regional surroundings of Bellagio are the Palazzo Secchi palace, the Palazzo Belgioioso palace and the Musei Civici Museo di Scienze Naturali museum. Beyond the local culture, these destinations offer additional cultural and natural history highlights.

For your regional planning, you can also compare Bellagio with Rovello Porro, Peglio, Olgiate Comasco, Maslianico, Plesio, Livo, Menaggio and Carimate.

For the overarching travel overview: Como.