A group of us are staying for about three days in Bellano in late September/early October. I'm looking for recommendations on things of any kind to do in the area. We may do some hiking, if available and we're not HUGE shoppers if that narrows it down. Additionally, I like to collect art objects the area is known for, so I'd appreciate input on that. Thank you!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16852 posts
Visit the Orrido (gorge) di Bellano.
Also Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio, are popular towns nearby.
More ideas here:
https://lakeaddicted.com/lago-como-cosa-vedere/
Posted by
Washington DC
29295 posts
It's more a stroll than a hike, but I really enjoyed walking the southern half of the Lake Como Greenway. It's on the western (Menaggio) side of the lake and runs just above the little towns along the shore, giving you nice views of the lake and routing you through areas most tourists don't see.
Villa Carlotta and Villa Balbianello, also on the western side of the lake, are popular sights. There's at least one villa near Varenna (south of Bellano), but I didn't go to that one. I liked exploring the Greenway more than the two villas I saw, but I imagine most others would disagree with my ranking.
The top thing to do would be a ferry trip around the mid-lake area (Varenna, Bellagio, Menaggio).
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1940 posts
Not a serious reply: one of Italy most popular contemporary novel writers, Andrea Vitali, was for 25 years a medical practictioner in Bellano. He always said that the way he wrote his novels was by sitting a long time on a bench in a garden on the lake shore, pretending to read a newspaper. Then he listened what people around was saying; he told that just overhearing Bellano people gave him a lot of ideas. He wrote more than 70 novels; in the end, he gave up the medical practice.