Wonderful day spent exploring gardens on Lake Como

Lake Como, north of Milan, Italy, is shaped like an upsidedown Y with the town of Como at the bottom of the first leg and Bellagio at the junction between legs.

We loved Bellagio and wanted to spend more time there but first we wanted to see Villa Carlotta and its garden plus some of the smaller communities on the edges of the lake, such Riva, Laglio, Careno, Brienno and Tremezzo.

From our hotel in Moltrasio, we boarded a private boat with a powerful engine to scoot us up the lake, getting close to these communities, so we could get a better look at the beautiful villas on the shore.

We were able to stop outside George Clooney’s villa and take photos of his guest house and garden and the main villa itself.

We also got a closer look at Richard Branson’s villa as well as one owned by a friend of Vladimir Putin.

We also saw Villa Balbianello with its distinctive pollarded plane trees and the terraces with the lawn used in the James Bond movie. This villa and a scene from a Star Wars movie.

But none of this really mattered. What impressed us all most was the beauty of the lake and the verdant hills lining it and the myriad of renaissance style houses and villas on the banks all of which were painted in soft pastel colours, nothing garish or overly-bold.

At Villa Carlotta, we were greeted by two expert botanical guides who lead us in two groups around the garden, pointing out all the plant treasures and telling us some of the history of the garden and villa.

This slow amble around a beautiful garden with the sun gloriously shining down on the glades and grottoes, paths and promenades turned out to be very relaxing and enjoyable.

Some old rhododendrons were in bloom and rows of azaleas and many roses, some trained again the villa walls.

I was surprised to learn that the garden had so many camellias, but my favourite area was again the ferny ravine where there are some Tasmanian tree ferns.

There was not a lot that we hadn’t seen before. The guides were excited to show us a beautiful stewartia tree, bald cypress and many varieties of bamboo.

We enjoyed the atmosphere of the garden, especially when we got beautiful glimpses of the lake from the terraces.

From Villa Carlotta, we skipped over to Bellagio for lunch and then strolled along the waterfront to Villa Melzi where we were again met by a guide who showed us around.

One of the hallmarks of this garden is its distinctive Moorish Lookout – a temple/belvedere structure with a blue bell-shaped dome and flanked by pencil thin Italian cypresses.

I remember the last time I was in this garden that there was a little restaurant/bar at the bottom entrance and I managed to find it again and rekindle the magic of my last visit by sitting again with friends and enjoying a quiet glass of prosecco. Bliss.

From Bellagio, we got back on our boat and motored back to Moltrasio, just in time for the sky to turn dark and the thunder and lightning to begin.

Tucked up inside our comfortable hotel we didn’t care and enjoyed watching the storm roll around the hills and down the lake to Como.

swhysall@hotmail.com