Celebrate Your Anniversary in Lake Como

Milan Malpensa Airport is 75 minutes by taxi or private transfer to Como (avoid the train which requires a change). Como town at the southern tip of the western arm is the lake's main transportation hub. The Cathedral of Como — a 400-year project of construction from 1396 to 1770 that mixes Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque elements — faces the main piazza. Take the vaporetto from Como for the hour-long slow boat up the lake to Bellagio — the village at the tip of the central promontory where the two arms of the lake divide, considered the finest location on the lake. The crossing itself is the arrival — sitting on the open deck as the Alps get larger and the villas come into view, one by one, each more beautiful than the last. Check in, walk the Lungolago (the lakeside promenade), and find a table at a lakeside restaurant for the first dinner. The light on Lake Como at dusk is one of the specific beauties of northern Italy.

• ✦ Vaporetto from Como to Bellagio — the quintessential Como arrival
• ✦ Bellagio at the tip of the central promontory
• ✦ Como Cathedral — 400 years of construction, Gothic to Baroque
• ✦ First lakeside dinner as the mountains turn purple at dusk

Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo is the finest villa garden on Lake Como — 8 hectares of terraced botanical garden on the steep western shore, most famous for its extraordinary collection of azaleas and rhododendrons that reach peak bloom in April and early May, turning the entire hillside red, pink, orange, and purple in a display that is quite simply overwhelming. The villa interior contains Thorvaldsen's neoclassical sculptures, Canova's original version of Cupid and Psyche, and an excellent collection of Lombard Neoclassical painting. Spend the morning in the gardens, then take the ferry south to Lenno — a small village on the western shore with the Villa del Balbianello, used as a location for Star Wars: Episode II and Casino Royale (the convalescent villa where Bond recovers after being tortured). The gardens of Balbianello, on a forested promontory jutting into the lake, are among the most beautiful on Como.

• ✦ Villa Carlotta gardens — azaleas and rhododendrons at peak bloom (April-May)
• ✦ Canova's Cupid and Psyche in the villa interior
• ✦ Villa del Balbianello — Casino Royale filming location
• ✦ Ferry connections between the western shore villages

Bellagio is the most celebrated village on Lake Como — its location at the tip of the central promontory dividing the two southern arms gives it views in every direction, and its stepped streets of silk shops, ceramic boutiques, and lakeside restaurants have been the honeymoon cliché of the Italian lakes for 200 years. The Villa Serbelloni, perched on the hill above the village (now a private Rockefeller Foundation study center, but offering guided garden tours), has the most extraordinary garden on the lake. The Villa Melzi, on the Bellagio promontory south of town, has a Japanese garden, an orangerie, and a lakeside path through parkland that is exceptionally beautiful. The ferry crossing between Bellagio, Menaggio, and Varenna (the most beautiful village on the eastern shore) takes 10-15 minutes; the triangular crossing of these three villages is the most enjoyable way to spend an afternoon on Como.

• ✦ Bellagio stepped streets and silk shops
• ✦ Villa Serbelloni garden tours on the hilltop
• ✦ Villa Melzi Japanese garden on the Bellagio promontory
• ✦ Ferry triangle — Bellagio, Menaggio, Varenna

Milan is just 1 hour from Bellagio by express train from Como San Giovanni (40 minutes by fast service from Como) — or 75 minutes by private transfer. A day in Milan should include the Duomo di Milano — the world's largest Gothic cathedral, with 135 spires and 3,400 statues — and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the 19th-century shopping arcade that is the most beautiful covered public space in Milan. Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper is in the refectory of the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie and requires booking months in advance; the fresco (technically a painting on dry wall, not a true fresco) was painted 1495-1498 and is arguably the most important single painting in European art. The Brera neighbourhood is Milan's most beautiful quarter — the Pinacoteca di Brera gallery has superb Italian painting from the 14th to 20th centuries, and the surrounding streets are excellent for aperitivo.

• ✦ Milan Duomo — the world's largest Gothic cathedral, with 135 spires
• ✦ Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II — the 19th century's greatest arcade
• ✦ Leonardo's Last Supper — book months ahead, limit 25 visitors per slot
• ✦ Brera neighbourhood and Pinacoteca di Brera

The Swiss border is just 20 minutes from Como, and the Swiss shore of Lake Lugano constitutes one of Switzerland's most beautiful landscapes. Lugano itself — the largest Swiss-Italian city, a cosmopolitan financial center that combines Swiss efficiency with Lombard architectural style — has an excellent old town, a lakeside promenade, and cable cars to Monte San Salvatore and Monte Brè for panoramic views. The Villa Favorita and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection (now partially in Madrid but with important pieces remaining in Lugano) are worth the visit for extraordinary old master paintings. Gandria, the most beautiful village on Lake Lugano, is accessible only by boat and foot path — a cluster of houses on a steep hillside with the lake on three sides. Drive back via the Menaggio road for sunset views of Lake Como from above, with the mountains behind and the lake turning gold below.

• ✦ Lake Lugano and the Swiss-Italian lakeside villages
• ✦ Cable car to Monte Brè for panoramic views
• ✦ Gandria — the car-free village on Lake Lugano accessible by boat
• ✦ Evening return via mountain road with Lake Como views below

Rent a private wooden motorboat (the classic Riva Aquarama or equivalent) for a full day on the lake — the best way to experience Como at its most beautiful. The upper lake above Gravedona is narrower, wilder, and less visited: the medieval tower of Rezzonico, the Abbey of Piona on its promontory, and the small beach at Domaso where the Mera River enters the lake. Swim from the boat in the deep, cold, crystal-clear water of the upper lake. The Abbey of Piona, founded in the 11th century by the Cluniac monks, has a beautiful Romanesque cloister and a terrace over the lake. Return down the eastern shore, passing Varenna again, and moor at Bellano for lunch at one of the trattorie by the boat landing. Evening at Villa d'Este or Grand Hotel Tremezzo for the most celebrated terrace cocktail on the lake.

• ✦ Wooden motorboat rental for a private lake day
• ✦ Upper Lake — Gravedona, Rezzonico, Domaso
• ✦ Swimming from the boat in crystal Como water
• ✦ Abbey of Piona Romanesque cloister over the lake

The most beautiful morning activity on Lake Como is simply sitting on your hotel terrace watching the mist rise from the water before the tour boats begin. Have breakfast on the terrace, walk one more length of the Lungolago, and take the vaporetto back to Como for the transfer to Malpensa. Buy silk from one of the Bellagio boutiques (Como has been the silk capital of Europe since the 15th century; the quality is extraordinary), a bottle of Sforzato wine from the nearby Valtellina valley, and a box of panettone from any baker. Lake Como is the kind of place that confirms every romantic cliché ever written about it while somehow exceeding all expectations.

• ✦ Final terrace breakfast watching the lake mist
• ✦ Bellagio silk shopping — Como silk since the 15th century
• ✦ Vaporetto back to Como and transfer to Milan Malpensa