City Break in Milan - Lake Como and Around

Our city break in Milan was scheduled for 3 days so we decided to venture further afield to Lake Como.  We boarded a train at Milan's Central Station.

In less than an hour, we were deposited in Como.  We waltzed down the stairs from the station and headed to town.

A large sinewy hand reached for the sky.

We passed a church that had seen better days.

Within 15 minutes, we had reached the shore of Lake Como.

We watched in anticipation as our 'slow ferry' approached.

The ferry soon pulled into port.

We boarded and bravely took a seat in the open air near the front of the boat.  It was quite cold and we hadn't dressed warmly enough.  Still, we didn't want to miss a second of the scenery.

We could see a float plane soaring overhead amidst the fog.

Fishermen cast their line on the still water.

We approached some lovely houses complete with grand fountains.

We saw a lovely old boat in dry dock near one of the ferry stops.

We saw cypress trees spilling out into the water just beyond a grand old home that was partially boarded up.

We approached a quaint station at Cernobbio.

The autumn-yellow trees popped against the foggy hills.

We saw small monuments tucked into the hillside.

The fog started to clear a bit as we approached Bellagio.

Lovely, slow-paced towns thrive along the Lake.  Alas, we didn't spy George Clooney although he does have a home here.

We saw speed boats breaking through the placid surface of the lake.

More grand homes went by with each ferry stop.

Ferry riders disembarked en masse at Lenno.

We floated past more breathtaking architecture.

Cadenabbia was the last stop before our destination - Bellagio.

Our anticipation grew as we crossed the lake.

We spied the 'fast ferry' making its way back to Como.

It's faster but certainly not as scenic.

A grand white mansion sparkled against the Fall foliage.

A strip of buildings stood along the shore.

We could see Bellagio in the distance.

Finally, after about 2 hours, we arrived at our destination and prepared to explore.  Bellagio is a tourist mecca in the summer but we nearly had the place to ourselves at this time of year (end of October).

We were excited to start exploring.