Lake Como

LAKE COMO
Il Sogno Deluxe Bellagio

Day 1 – Lake Como

Arrive at Milan International Airport. Rent a car and drive to Lake Como (
1hour 50 mins drive). On reaching Lake Como, check-in to your hotel.
Spend the day wandering picturesque streets, cruising past opulent
villas, strolling through botanical gardens, shopping, and dining at cafes
with beautiful views of the lake. 

Day 2 –– BELLAGIO, VARENNA & MENAGGIO

The “golden triangle” of Bellagio, Varenna, and Menaggio, along with the
villas that dot the shore here, are the best part of Lake Como to visit on a
day trip. These three towns in the heart of the lake are all connected via
a 15 minute ferry ride with routes that form a triangle.

Start your day in Bellagio. If you can get here early, before 9 am, you
will be able to wander the streets without crowds of people. Go
shopping, visit the Basilica of San Giacomo, stroll through Melzi
Gardens, and spend some time in the lovely fishing village, Pescallo.
Have lunch at an outdoor café.

From Bellagio, take the ferry to Varenna. Spend the afternoon exploring
Varenna. Varenna is small town, even smaller than Bellagio, so you can
walk through it in an hour, if you move fast. The harbour is very pretty
and is lined with outdoor cafes and gelato shops. There are several
small but crowded beaches located along Varenna’s waterfront. Walk
uphill to Piazza San Giorgio to see Chiesa di San Giorgio, and as you
walk back towards the ferry station, you will have very nice views down
the narrow hilly streets to the harbour.

Whatever you do, make sure you indulge at Panna e Cioccolata in

Menaggio, which Lonely Planet once deemed to have the best gelato in
all of Italy, largely due to its use of fresh, all natural ingredients.

The ferry is the best way to get between Bellagio and Varenna. Ferries
are very frequent, arriving in each town at least once an hour, with more
ferries at peak times. To get between each town, it is a 15-minute ride. A
ferry ticket costs €4.60 per person per journey. You can also buy a pass
that is good for unlimited trips for one day (we paid €15 per pass). You
do not need to purchase your ferry tickets in advance. You can buy your
ticket the morning of your day trip at the ferry terminal.

BERGAMO
Day 3 - BERGAMO

Check out of Lake Como and drive 2 hours and 25 minutes to Bergamo.
Check in at a hotel.

Bergamo is a city in the region of Lombardy in Northern Italy. Bergamo is

very small and you can get everywhere on foot. Not to mention that,
when in Bergamo, you MUST ride the amazing cable cars. So, the best
deal is to grab a 24h tourist ticket. It costs 5€ and it is valid for unlimited
rides in all means of public transport, including the bus to and from the
airport.

The city centre Città Alta is for pedestrians and exploration purposes
only. That means no cars are allowed here, so the medieval streets you
see in the pictures can be easily explored by foot.
 Walk along the Venetian Walls
 Take pictures in Piazza Vecchia
 Check out Palazzo della Ragione & Palazzo Scamozziano
 Admire Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
 Visit Piazza del Duomo and Capella Colleoni

Must do: buy polenta e osei. This is a traditional sugar cake that is
served as a local dish, so you must try it!
Pagazzano Castle has the best Italian beer in town and is worth the trip.
It is situated by the river and is one of the must-sees of the town.
Most restaurants and cafes close before, during, and after lunch. They
will reopen somewhere between 7-9 pm, so be prepared for that!

Sentierone and Centro Piacentiniano are ideal places to shop the Italian
way! They are both amazing architectural sites, perfect for checking out
the town’s art history, elegance, and fair trades.

There are many payment parkings in Bergamo Città Bassa. in Città Alta I
think it would be difficult to go there by car. But there is a free park not
far from the train station in città bassa, from where you can take a bus to
Bergamo Città Alta. The bus stops also at the cable way train, and the
ticket you buy for the bus is also valid for the cableway, if you want to
take the cableway because it's closer to your hotel. This free parking
area is in Piazzale Malpensata in Via Giovanni Carnovali, also very easy
to reach from the highway.

Day 4 & 5 – VENICE

Have breakfast, check out of Bergamo and drive to Venice. Venice is 3
hours away from Bergamo.

Venice City
Visit St. Mark’s Square. The square is also home to a number of cafes,
many of which have live orchestral music. You’ll pay handsomely for the
privilege, but sitting in this square listening to classic music and enjoying
a cup of fine Italian coffee is an experience that everyone should have at
least once in their life.

 Ponte dell’Accademia
One of my favourite views in Venice is the one down the Grand Canal
from the Ponte dell’Accademia. This is no more than 15 minutes walk
from St. Mark’s Square. Here you’ll see the boats and gondolas making
their way up and down the canal, with the Basilica di Santa Maria della
Salute framing the view at the end. It’s a wonderful spot for getting a
classic photograph of Venice.

 Rialto Bridge
Arguably the most famous of all the bridges in Venice, the Rialto bridge
is also the oldest bridge spanning the Grand Canal in Venice.

Murano & Burano

Start with Gondola Ride
Venice is a city of waterways, and no visit to Venice is really complete
without a trip on some form of water borne transportation. Expect to pay
€80 for a 25-30 minute private tour in the day, and more at night or for a
longer tour.

Day Trip to Murano & Burano

The closest and easiest day trip from Venice is to its islands of Murano
and Burano, each a colourful mini-Venice with their canals and bridges,
and each one a centre for traditional Venetian art.

Murano is the home of Venice's glassblowing industry and has been

ever since the glass furnaces were moved here to protect the city from
fire. A darker purpose was to isolate the glass experts so they could not
give away (or sell) the secrets that gave Venice the monopoly of fine
glassware.
Burano was an island of fishermen, and their wives became expert lace
makers, an art that survives today. Burano is especially colourful, with its
brightly painted houses reflecting in the water.

An easy way to explore these islands is on a five-hour guided Murano

Glass and Burano Lace Tour from Venice, which includes motorboat
transport to the islands and visits to a glassblowing factory on Murano
and lace makers on Burano. There's time to shop on both islands and to
visit Burano's lace museum.

Day 6 & 7 – 20th & 21st Oct– PISA

- First day Pisa

- Second Day trip to cinque Terre (2 hours from Pisa)

Go to Milan and drive back home. It’s on the way of the return journey
for us.

You can go to Bologna, and then head back to Milan for your flight on
Saturday. (Bologna to Milan is 2.5 hours drive)