Features

Bellagio on Lake Como or Alps, Alleys and Azaleas

If someone asked me what would be my ideal piece of scenery, then I'd conjure up an image, in highly poetic terms of course, of an azure lake. There would be snow-capped mountain peaks at one end and tropical palms along the shores, which, in turn, would be edged with ornate villas, their gardens full of colourful blooms. Then I'd add some colourful villages and I'd link them up with footpaths through olive and citrus groves. I'd lay on frequent boats to criss-cross the lake from village to village. I think that there would be ice creams too, and pizzas, wine and beer, in bars with terraces beside the lake.

If someone was not already bored with me, and proceeded to ask me where precisely in this wonderful magic land I should choose to stay, then I would reply that I would stay in a magical village of steep alleys, slap bang in the middle of the lake so that you could enjoy both the snowy peaks and the tropical palms. And I'd cram the village to bursting with gardens and bars. I'd also throw in a place where they give away free Ferraris.

Villa Carlotta is the most famous of these, opposite Bellagio on the western shore. It was built in the late 1600s for the Marquis Giorgio Clerici and became a major sight along the Grand Tour. The villa holds plenty of art and sculpture but it is the gardens that allure. Georg II of Saxen-Meinigen transformed the gardens in the mid-19th century and it's the azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias which fill it in May that give the villa's grounds their wonderful appearance.

Just along the shore from Bellagio is Villa Melzi, designed in 1808 for Francesco Melzi d'Eril. The gardens here are right by the shore of the lake with wonderful views to the foothills of the Swiss Alps at the northern end of Como. Where Villa Carlotta is densely planted, Melzi is more open, planted in an 'English' style - the guide books say this, but, honestly, it looks nothing like my garden - and it is enriched with sculptures, temples and pavilions - again, not quite like my backyard, except for the temples.

Across the lake from Bellagio to the east is Varenna, a beautifully quiet village, with 2 villas worth visiting, each a bit modest compared to the big 2, but charming in a different way. Villa Monastero is a monastery that is now used as a conference centre, but the gardens are open to the public, laid out as a long walk along the shore of the lake, with terraces and statues, columns and temples. Next door, is Villa Cipressi, a hotel which also opens its gardens to the public. It takes its name from its cypress trees, and is a quiet and intimate place.

Bellagio itself is a tourist destination, and no mistake. But its alleyways (which are really staircases, 100 or so steps high) are fascinating and picturesque, with designer boutiques and bars. Day-trippers come from resorts around the lake, and diligently buy useless mementoes, but when the evening ferry whisks them back to Menaggio or Tremezzo, the alleys are yours. It is even possible, as a tourist staying in Bellagio, to develop a little indignation at the tourists as they arrive, so if you are given to tutting and fretting, there is something here for you too.

The final wish that I have, when asked for an image of the perfect scene, is for a place to walk, and Italy is sometimes a little churlish in offering up much in the way of footpaths. And even when they say they have found one, it often isn't there at all. Their walking maps are...how shall I put it?... a tad fanciful. But a new path exists, 7 miles long, linking Colonno with Cadenabbia along the western shore, and we followed this through olive groves and villages down to the ferry port.

We had a wonderful holiday. I was able to tut just enough, and my fellow travellers enjoyed the gardens. They just need to sort out this confusion with the free Ferraris.

David Young