Anywhere Italy
Stemma di Bellagio

Lombardy · Como

Bellagio

On the promontory where Lake Como splits into three arms, with Villa Serbelloni on the high ground and Villa Melzi on the western shore.

Known for

  • VILLA SERBELLONI

    Fifteenth-century Rockefeller-owned villa on the high promontory, gardens reachable only by guided tour twice a day.

  • THE FORK

    Promontory where the Como, Lecco, and upper lake branches meet, with ferries fanning out to Varenna and Menaggio across the water.

  • VILLA MELZI

    Napoleonic-era villa with public botanical gardens along the western shore, planted with cypresses, camellias, and rhododendrons.

When to visit

Best · Apr–Oct

  • J10°
  • F13°
  • M14°
  • A17°
  • M21°
  • J25°
  • J28°
  • A28°
  • S23°
  • O19°
  • N14°
  • D10°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

Why come

Bellagio sits on the promontory that divides Lake Como into its three arms, the Como branch to the west and the Lecco branch to the east, with the upper lake running north. Paleolithic settlement traces date back 30,000 years, and an Iron Age castellum stood on the high point around 600 BC. From the late 13th century the Visconti incorporated Bellagio into the Duchy of Milan.

Villa Serbelloni was built in the 15th century on the site of an old razed castle and rebuilt several times; in 1788 Alessandro Serbelloni filled it with 17th- and 18th-century art, and in 1959 the Rockefeller Foundation took ownership, turning the villa into an international conference center. Villa Melzi, built on the western shore by Francesco Melzi d'Eril (Vice President of Napoleon's Cisalpine Republic), made the village a fashionable summer station for Milanese nobility in the early 1800s.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Bellagio’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

How to get there

From Milan (BGY), about 1h 24m by car.

Turin (TRN) is about 2h 31m away.

By car from the centre of Brescia 1h 51m or Parma 2h 26m.

Coming by train into Monza? Bellagio is about 57 minutes away by road.

Every town within reach of Milan airport.

Bellagio — photo 1
Bellagio — photo 2

What to see

  • Villa Serbelloni

    Fifteenth-century villa on the high promontory, owned by the Rockefeller Foundation since 1959, with gardens open by guided tour only.

  • Villa Melzi

    Early 19th-century neoclassical villa built by Francesco Melzi d'Eril on the western shore at Loppia, with public botanical gardens along the lake.

  • Punta Spartivento

    Northern tip of the promontory where the lake splits in three, with a park, marina, and panoramic view up the Bellagio branch.

  • Salita Serbelloni

    Steep stone staircase climbing from the ferry pier into the old village, lined with shops, small piazzas, and the original lakefront houses.

  • Basilica di San Giacomo

    Eleventh-to-twelfth-century Romanesque basilica in the historic center, with sober stone façade and a 13th-century stone pulpit.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Bellagio fits in a slow Italy circuit.

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Plan your trip

We recommend

Where to eat and stay

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • MistralRistorante

    Two Gambero Rosso forks (88/100) for Mistral, along with a place in L'Espresso's Top 300 and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

  • Alle Darsene di LoppiaRistorante

    A Gambero Rosso listing, at Alle Darsene di Loppia.

  • La PuntaRistorante

    La Punta has one Gambero Rosso fork (75/100) to its name.

  • Grand Hotel Villa SerbelloniHotel

    Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni has a La Liste score of 92, a place on Italy's historic-locali register and a place in the Michelin hotel guide.

Living here

  • Population 3,566
  • In-betweeni
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Nearest airport Milan, 1 h 24 min drive
  • Regional capital Milano, 1 h 16 min drive

Common questions

What is Bellagio known for?
On the promontory where Lake Como splits into three arms, with Villa Serbelloni on the high ground and Villa Melzi on the western shore.
Where is Bellagio?
Bellagio is a comune in the province of Como, in Lombardy, at 229 meters above sea level.
What is the nearest airport to Bellagio?
Milan (BGY), about 1h 24m by car.
How long is the drive from Brescia to Bellagio?
About 1h 51m by car.
When is the best time to visit Bellagio?
Best in Apr–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 19 rain days.
Which other towns are like Bellagio?
Menaggio, Tremezzina and Angera.
How many people live in Bellagio?
3,566 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 229 m
  • Population: 3,566
  • Surface area: 29.06 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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