On the water at sunset

An hour by taxi boat before sunset shows the villas of the central lake from the side they were designed for.

The lake's villas have their main fronts, staircases and landing stages facing the water, because guests arrived by boat: as late as 1826 the Regina, the road along the western shore, was a mule track. Along the Bellagio headland you see the park of Villa Serbelloni, which climbs to the summit, and Villa Melzi, built between 1808 and 1810, with its avenue of plane trees along the shore. On the opposite shore, at Tremezzo, Villa Carlotta has its double flight of steps towards the lake, between the garden terraces. At Lenno the Balbianello stands on the tip of the Dosso di Lavedo, its loggia open on three sides above the water; at Ossuccio the façade of Villa Balbiano looks straight onto the lake. Towards Varenna the garden of Villa Monastero follows the shore and that of Villa Cipressi comes down in terraces to the lake. Taxi boats are motorboats with a skipper, run by private operators under a licence from a municipality.

1. 01Taxi boats leave from Bellagio, Varenna, Menaggio, Lenno and Como. Some operators run tours at fixed times; otherwise you hire the boat, for a single trip or by the hour.
2. 02Agree the length, the route and the departure pier with the operator before you board. On private hire the cost is per boat, not per person.
3. 03Sunset comes at very different times in spring, summer and autumn: the departure is agreed for the day you go.
4. 04From Como you see from the water the villas along the first stretch of the Como branch: Villa Olmo and Villa del Grumello on the western shore and, on the eastern shore, Villa Pliniana at Torno, which is not open to visitors.
5. 05By day the taxi boat also takes you to the Balbianello: from the Lido di Lenno to the villa's landing stage takes five minutes. Entry to the villa is booked separately, with FAI.
6. 06Trips are suspended when the lake is rough: that is the first thing to ask when booking.

WhereBellagio · Varenna · Tremezzina · Como