Despite having travelled all over Italy, it took me until my mid-40s to visit Lake Como – and even then it only happened because my brother-in-law and his soon-to-be-fiancée were keen to come over from the States and see the Italian lakes. I’d convinced myself it was going to be overly touristy, full of celebrity-spotters and that the locals would hate us – in short, that we were going to be “part of the problem”. And perhaps in Bellagio in August, that would have been the case. But staying in Nesso in late September, we couldn’t have felt more welcome. Prices were as reasonable as elsewhere in Italy. And more to the point, Lake Como really was as stunningly beautiful as it was cracked up to be. Needless to say, my foodie mission had begun.
What to eat and drink in Lake Como
Before our trip, I read a useful primer on Condé Nast Traveller about the food around Lake Como. The authors spoke of the fish (which of course makes sense – it’s a vast lake, after all), the Milan-style risotto, and the hearty polenta that’s a specialty of the mountains surrounding the lake. It sounded (and indeed was) a far cry from the pasta and pizza associated with elsewhere in the country – although those are of course available as well for those who can’t visit Italy without a dose of tomato sauce.
As a wine lover, I was also interested to discover Lombardy’s wines. The countryside surrounding the lake is mostly wooded – with very little planted to vines – but beyond the immediate vicinity there’s plenty to explore. I especially enjoyed the Valtellina: Nebbiolo-based red wines that felt ethereal and elegant in comparison to the heft of their Barolo cousins from Piedmont. There’s also lovely sparkling wine: Franciacorta and its more local equivalent, both made using the traditional (Champagne) method. Plus I can’t say no to an Alpine Chardonnay. I brought back all these and more when we left, and I’d urge you to try them while you’re there as they can be hard to come by elsewhere.
Lake perch and buttery risotto
Planning your trip to Lake Como
Before you can discover the delights of polenta and Valtellina, you’re going to need to get to Lake Como. Here are a few trip essentials to start:
- Getting to Lake Como: The closest airport is Milan Malpensa, which has direct flights from the US with Delta, American Airlines and United. easyJet flies there from both London Gatwick and Amsterdam. KLM and British Airways serve Milan’s other airport, Linate, from Amsterdam and London. Compare fares on Expedia. From Milan it’s a roughly 30-minute train ride to Como, and you can compare trains, buses and airport transfers on Omio.
- Getting around: You can rent a car in Milan, but the roads on the east bank of the lake are narrow and somewhat treacherous. Buses exist, though they seemed unreliable. It’s far more fun to take a ferry, which stops at all the little villages up and down the lake. Check timetables with Navigazione Laghi.
- Where to stay: We loved our little lakeside apartment in Nesso, and I’d also recommend the Briisa de Ness guesthouse. I wouldn’t stay in Bellagio, but there are plenty of quieter villages on either side of the lake that are worth exploring: see Booking.com for options. It’s worth thinking about whether you’d prefer the morning sun on the west bank or the evening sun on the east bank (which may rather depend on the time of year you plan to travel).
- Tours and experiences: Browse Lake Como tours, from boat trips to cooking classes. If you’re a food lover, the Small-Group Lake Como Local Food Tour with Wine is a 3.5-hour walk through Como’s old town with a full meal across multiple stops. More options are available on Viator’s Lake Como food tours page.
- Further reading: Planning a trip to Italy? Check out my guides to Rome, Lucca (Tuscany), Salento (Puglia), Ortigia (Sicily) and Northern Sardinia.
Best restaurants around Lake Como (east bank)
It’s a tourist cliché, but we really did fall in love with Nesso. Around a 30-minute drive northeast of the city of Como, which sits at the southern tip of the lake, Nesso is home to the much-photographed Ponte della Civera (bridge) and Orrido di Nesso (gorge and waterfall) – both worth a visit, even if you’re not staying there. A series of narrow switchback roads, no wider than I am tall, lead either down to the lakefront swimming spots or up to vertiginous views across to the other side. And it’s perhaps this bias that means that two of my favourite restaurants were in Nesso itself…
ODO – Osteria dell’Orrido, Nesso
Right next to the aforementioned waterfall, this little osteria-con-enoteca served us one of the most inventive meals we ate in Lake Como. Arguably fine dining, but without a fancy price tag. Three amuse-bouches were brought out before we even started on the real thing: beef-stewy gyoza, peppy little balls of salted fish and bites of pumpkin that were both creamy and crunchy. My favourite primo was a spaghetti dish that shall henceforth be known as “Murder in the Bathtub” (my words, not theirs) for its beetroot colour and citrus-chilli foam. Then a classic Como dish of lake perch and sage leaves – both breaded, fried to a golden crisp and served with a buttery parmesan risotto. Our other secondo was called the “Chimera”: a Frankenstein-ed animal consisting of pork belly and wild boar, pressed together to form something newly meaty, with the crunch of pork skin on top and the gaminess of wild boar jus beneath.
“Murder in the Bathtub” (not really!) at Osteria dell’Orrido
Osteria dell’Orrido doubles as a wine bar and wine shop for the village, so you can expect an excellent list of vino too. Unfortunately, our Valtellina Sassella that night had a distinct whiff of tyre rubber about it (which I didn’t fully pick up until after it had been served) but I don’t blame ODO for that. Service and atmosphere was lovely throughout, made cosier by the log-cabin interior.
Briisa de Ness, Nesso
While my first Nesso pick had no outdoor space, my second makes up for it with not one but two lake-front terraces. Briisa de Ness was recommended by our Airbnb hosts as the best restaurant in town, and I can see why. As well as the sweeping views, the restaurant has its own wood-fired pizza oven for those looking for their Italian pizza fix.
Unbeatable views (and wine) at Briisa de Ness
Instead, I went more local and chose the lake trout tartare with accents of lemony cream and edible flowers, followed by an autumnal dish of slow-cooked veal cheek with chunky mashed root veg. Both were excellent with another bottle of – you’ve guessed it – local Nebbiolo (often called Chiavennasca, if you happen to see that on wine lists).
bStyle bellagio, Bellagio
We only went to Bellagio for a day trip (which was frankly quite enough) and I didn’t have high hopes for the restaurants there. My research hadn’t turned up much, but after a bit of wandering we chanced upon bStyle Bellagio, which was thankfully a lot better than its name suggests. I recommend ordering their local pasta dish, known as pizzoccheri (also confusingly named, when I think about it): thick ribbons of buckwheat pasta, cooked with potatoes and greens, dressed with more sage, butter and parmesan. It’s a dish that challenges everything you’ve come to expect from Italian pasta. And needless to say, it went perfectly with a crisp glass of Lombardy Chardonnay. bStyle’s service was also attentive and friendly, although their sideline in blingy accessories wasn’t really for me!
Pizzoccheri at bStyle Bellagio
Rifugio Martina, San Primo
Continuing the buckwheat theme, we come to the mountains high above Bellagio, Lezzeno and Nesso. Here, polenta is king: the more calorific the better. And given all the calories you’re about to consume, your best bet is to drive up the mountain from Bellagio past Piano Rancio and into San Primo where you can park, and then hike the remaining steep but well-trodden climb up to Rifugio Martina (it takes about 30 minutes, depending on how often you stop to admire the views). Along the way, you’ll encounter all sorts of flora and fauna, including horned cattle and the inimitable sound of their cowbells, donkeys who don’t seem to mind a pet, and of course breathtaking scenery from 1300 metres up.
Polenta uncia at Rifugio Martina
After all that, you’ll be ready for polenta uncia, which is as unctuous as the name makes it sound. A nutty mixture of buckwheat and corn polenta, drenched in melted butter, mountain cheese and slivers of golden-fried garlic. I wanted to stick my face in it. We tried a few of Martina’s other takes on polenta too, and the version with sausage and lentil stew came a close second. You probably don’t want to do this polenta hike on a sweltering day in July, but you can’t beat it at the end of a misty morning in autumn. Rental car, hiking shoes and reservation required.
Cava Turacciolo, Bellagio
Back down to Bellagio for some well-deserved wine. Cava Turacciolo is an atmospheric little enoteca in a cellar-like space down an unprepossessing alleyway. I opted for a flight of three local wines, which turned out to be three full glasses (yikes!) so I pretty much rolled onto the ferry afterwards. From what I can remember, the first was a refreshing Alpine white blend of Chardonnay and Savvy B, while the rest were both reds. A Valtellina Superiore and a Sforzato di Valtellina – the latter being a Nebbiolo made using the same method as Amarone. More spicy, less sweet, just as delicious! Our server Matteo was a star, talking us through all the wines and making sure we left Bellagio on a high note.
Sforzato di Valtellina at Cava Turacciolo
