lake como :: bellagio

07 September 2014

Our second full day in Lake Como was our one year wedding anniversary. After high five-ing each other with "one down, decades to go!", we set out to explore the town they call the Pearl of Lake Como, Bellagio.

That morning (like many mornings around the lake), there was torrential rain, fog, wind - it was quite dramatic. Nevertheless we boarded the ferry from Dervio, and as the rain weakened I braved the deck and took some photos of our surroundings. The mist and grey actually made for quite a magical and mystical view!









As we approached Bellagio, the weather was slowly but surely improving and the sun battled its way through the clouds. Just as well, since it's kind of hard to juggle an umbrella and a camera at the same time (blogger problems).

It was fascinating to feel the difference in charm and atmosphere between the various towns. Bellagio is definitely the most touristy, and also the most glamorous and beautiful (in a well-groomed kind of way). Everything looked like a painter's dream - the streets, the shop fronts, the buildings and cafés. It is supposedly the best place to shop compared to the other towns, but we weren't too interested in that - who needs retail therapy with the views and food and gelato of Italy?! If I was somewhere like Milan or Rome though, it might be a different story....

Back to Bellagio. We wandered around the pretty streets, saw some beautiful artwork in a little gallery/shop, debated whether to buy a 7 euro jar of amazing looking pesto (we didn't, but I bet it's worth it), checked out the different gelaterias we'd be hitting up later, and worked up an appetite for lunch.














We had a special place in mind - Ristorante Bilacus, a family run restaurant that was in all the guide books and websites we'd browsed.

They have a gorgeous little terrace/garden area where we were seated, the staff were very friendly and it was just such a cosy, lovely place to enjoy our anniversary lunch.

The food was fantastic - the mixed starter was fresh and superb quality, my spaghetti vongole is a dish I still dream about. I normally much prefer vongole in white wine sauce, but this one was an exception and I could probably eat it everyday. E loved his dish too, and then we had a Tiramisu for dessert, complete with a one little candle for one year of marriage!












By the end of our leisurely lunch, the sun was out in full force, lighting up the whole town and leaving us to soak it all up and walk off a little of our meal.






And apparently we did enough walking to make room for gelato.  This little gelateria, Gelateria del Borgo, was one of the best we tried (and we tried quite a few). 

We took ours to the ferry dock and people watched while waiting for our ride to Varenna.














We made it back home to Dervio after a short stop in Varenna, and had another relaxing evening with a walk in the dusky light, recharging for the next day's adventures.



28 comments:

  1. It's picturesque; it looks pretty even under rain and fog! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree - I was grumbling at first about it, but when I saw how magical it looked I couldn't complain! x

      Delete
  2. It looks lovely! I love the tiny streets and steps :3

    ReplyDelete
  3. The food looks incredible!! I love the fact that you can basically guarantee great food in Italy. xx
    Lots of love,
    Angie
    SilverSpoon London

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know - it really is the land of good food, even the supermarkets are full of gems! x

      Delete
  4. Lovely photos and that pasta is making me hungry!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you! it's making me hungry too actually.... x

      Delete
  5. You blew us away again with great pictures and food!
    I think I would if I was here, I would have bought a lot
    of those jarred pasta sauce thingies, because they
    look so cute!! Glad the food tasted good and the 1
    candle on the tiramisu is lovely c:
    Again, happy 1 year anniversary! Xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you Mei! I am slightly regretting not getting that pesto! x

      Delete
  6. Brings back fond memories of Lake Como! Love your dress too

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you! it really is a stunning place x

      Delete
  7. Happy 1 year anniversary! What a wonderful place to spend it in!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ooh, I actually love that mist rolling down from the mountains - so stormy and romantic with a capital R! The perfect setting for a one year anniversary - congratulations to you and E, definitely worth eating a tiramisu to celebrate! So lovely that you went pottering around looking at gelaterias and pesto - that's how I'd like to spend my anniversary too! :) xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. it's quite beautiful isn't it? i have a feeling we will be spending every anniversary with good food... it's a must! x

      Delete
  9. Such a beautiful way to spend your first anniversary! Here's to many many more to you love birds! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you Jane! we only hope to be as happy as you and Yangkyu on our 5th anniversary :) x

      Delete
  10. Mmm, Bellagio is beautiful. I went a few years ago and just love the old, romantic feel of the towns on Lake Como. You look gorgeous as always and that food looks delicious. Fab photos! x

    www.frauleinlouise.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you Lu! the towns really have a distinct and dreamy feel about them... i bet you took some amazing photos there! x

      Delete
  11. This place looks very nice and serene! I would love to go there some days! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. i hope you do too, I can't imagine anyone not loving it! thanks for stopping by :) x

      Delete
  12. thank you Nancy! I hope so :) x

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gorgeous photos as per usual. Congratulations on your anniversary, I love 'one down, decades to go', so sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Looks like such a beautiful place and sounds like you had a great time :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. It really does look like a painter's dream! So beautiful - I love the shots down the winding streets - just lovely!

    And the food?..... Awww looks SO good!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Como & Bellagio look amazing! You did a great job capturing the beauty and color of the place, despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions.The food looks amazing and I would love to get lost in one of those crooked, windy streets :)

    www.charactersandcarryons.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Absolutely beautiful pictures. It definitely looks mystical and magical! Also I LOVE LOVE LOVE your top so much, it's gorgeous (almost as gorgeous as you hehe). This sounds like an amazing first anniversary date (especially the high five part lol)...the views and the food both so perfect!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting and commenting! I'd love to hear from you.