Hotel Metropole, oldest in Bellagio, Italy, still charms visitors

Although it’s possible to drive all the way to Bellagio, a village on a promontory jutting into Lake Como in Italy, it’s quicker, safer, and more lovely to take a ferry. At the town of Mennagio on the western bank of Lake Como, we boarded the large ferry that transports cars as well as people and crowded in with all the other passengers for our first introduction to the magical city that inspired glitzy Las Vegas.

View of Lake Como from our room at Hotel Metropole

Even though we had a map and GPS, finding the hotel we had booked online wasn’t easy—until we did find it, and then the location was surprisingly perfect. From the balcony of our room, we breathed in fresh Alpine air and inhaled the magnificent views of glimmering water sheltered by surrounding mountains and hills. As the evening sun set, we watched ferry boats come and go from our lakeside balcony and toasted our romantic getaway with a glass of Chardonnay purchased just minutes before in the nearby historic shopping district.

Hotel Metropole has aged beautifully.

Hotel Metropole, an elegant pink-toned monolithic building on the waterfront, dates to 1721, making it the oldest in Bellagio. As usually happens, the town of Bellagio developed on the lake, and until 1900 most houses overlooked the harbor. Originally a house, the hotel later became an inn and shelter for travelers coming to what was a remote area. A photograph from 1871 (electric lights were not installed until 1888) shows a beautiful building with a covered porch overlooking Lake Como.

The hotel changed hands many times but had an English owner during the mid-1990s who sparked its growth to an international clientele before selling the hotel to an Italian entrepreneur. Although the hotel has been renovated several times, during our visit a few years ago, we saw a mix of traditional and modern designs that are well-suited to Americans’ tastes (it is non-smoking, has a breakfast buffet, and includes Wi-Fi), At that time the original three-person elevator was still the only way to get to upper floors unless you take the stairs.

Gardens in the village

Original plaster ceilings and Liberty-style glass doors of the panoramic dining hall remained, and old floor tiles of local Pognana stone on the terrace overlooking the lake were kept in place. We also enjoyed other original features include decorative balustrades and floral gratings from the hotel’s early days. Hotel Metropole recently underwent additional restoration. All rooms are individually air conditioned, have private facilities, television, minibar, safe, and hairdryer.

Situated in the center of Bellagio, it is the only hotel in the village with a direct view onto Lake Como, and that includes all rooms. At the roof-top garden guests lounge, read, or sunbathe while enjoying incredible views of the shimmering lake.

View from roof top garden

Outside, purchase an ice cream or coffee at the gelateria in front, or dine at award-winning Terrazca, the adjacent restaurant where hotel guests receive a discount on meals in addition to enjoying a panorama of lake, rolling, hills, mountains, and sky.

Very Italian walkway to shops and restaurants

The hotel is located at Piazza Mazzini, Bellagio’s historic center.  From the square you’ll see characteristic Italian steps and narrow winding streets that lead to shops, galleries, and restaurants and a tourist office where you can book boat rides on the lake and other excursions. Its excellent location and an impressive combination of Mediterranean and Alpine scenery make Hotel Metropole one of the most charming places to stay in Bellagio.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

The old-world glamour of Bellagio, Italy

Every time I look out of our hotel room at Bellagio, Italy I’m amazed at the beauty of the area. From our balcony we see a large expanse of blue lake, guarded by mountains across the water, and several small villages nestled along the shoreline.

View of lakes from Punta Spartivento

We walk uphill to Punta Spartivento, “point where wind divides,” as it marks the conjunction of three lakes—Lecco branch is southeast, Como branch is southwest, and Colico branch is straight ahead. This distinctive spot stands in my memory as a highlight of Bellagio because it affords exceptional views of Lake Como splitting and flowing in three directions.


Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni

To see how the super-rich spend their vacations, we walk to the entrance of Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, originally a private villa when it was built in 1852. Today the hotel is owned by the Rockefeller Foundation of New York.

Beach at the Grand Villa

In the upper part of town is the church square where we first parked, the Piazza San Giacomo. St. James Basilica is located there. Built at the end of the 11^th century, it was decreed a National Monument in 1904. A granite fountain in the middle of the square was created in 1897 to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s reign. The statue of Madonna on top was added in 1947. Streets are very narrow and lined with shops where tourist are filling up their bags.

St. James Basilica attracts tourists

Hungarian musician and composer Franz Liszt arrived in Bellagio in the summer of 1837 with his lover Madame d’Agoult. No one recognized him, and he appreciated the solitude—until a friend decided to sell one of Liszt’s compositions. After people realized he was here, his service improved noticeably. Liszt loved Lake Como and thought it a superb place for people in love.

Mark Twain came with friends in 1867. A page of his book Innocents Abroad describes the hotel we’re staying in. He tells of days wandering, admiring the Alps, and of evenings playing billards, dining, and smoking on the porch overlooking the lake.

Right beside Hotel Metropole, where we're staying, is the “borgo,” Bellagio’s historic center and one of the first areas in the town to be inhabited and developed. The Tourist Office in Piazza Mazzini is located here, so you can easily book excursions including boat rides on the lake. Many shops, cafes, and galleries also cater to visitors.

Gelateria in front of Hotel Metropole
in the "borgo," or historic center of Bellagio

It doesn’t take long to feel the romantic ambience and unique character of the town. The tempo of life is slower here. Tourists—even Americans—seem to stroll rather than power-walk. We don’t see anyone jogging on the streets.

Bellagio is a great place to relax and recharge, especially with a favorite person. After just one night there, the spirit of the town captures our imaginations. It’s one of those rare places I could return to in a heartbeat.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

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Romantic mood a natural at Lake Como in Italy

Turquoise glacial lakes, snow-covered mountains, and green hillside pastures kept our eyes fixated on the landscape during the drive from Wadensvil, Switzerland to Bellagio on Lake Como, Italy. One stunning scene after another captured our fancy during the six-hour drive. Well, we took that long because there were so many pull-outs at which to stop and take pictures.

Clear, blue skies in late May were picture-perfect as we drove through the countryside and small, traditional villages. White cumulus clouds staked their places in the sky, rarely moving and hanging like suspended caps above the mountain peaks.

At a tiny bakery in one small town we stopped to inquire about 10-mile-long Gothard Tunnel. As the world's longest tunnel, it's a portion of the journey that’s best avoided, if possible. Luckily, Gothard Pass over the mountains was open, so we drove around the mountain at the tree line on a narrow, winding road. Patches of snow and ice, remnants from winter, melted into waterfalls and streams flowing from the mountain sides.

Around noon, we stopped at a roadside pull-out. Surprised to find a makeshift café there, we bought bratwurst and brown bread to eat for lunch. It was really yummy, or maybe it tasted especially good because of our view from an outdoor picnic table--a magnificent panorama of the valley, mountains, and winding roads below.

What a glorious sunny day we had for this drive—and we found ourselves enthralled by the gorgeous scenery--not to mention the skier coming off the mountain at the high point of Gothard Pass. Our drive continued through old Italian villages with streets barely wide enough for one vehicle let alone two (especially when the other was a tourist bus). Hubby narrowly avoided scraping paint off parked cars. At Mereggio we drove onto a ferry to cross Lake Como--and arrived at the village of Bellagio, "the pearl of Lake Como," our destination for the overnight visit.

Once in picturesque Bellagio, finding our hotel, was not an easy task because of narrow, one-way streets filled with pedestrians. Eventually, we parked on a skinny street in a shopping area near a church, Piazza San Giacomo, location of St. James Basilica. (We learned all this when walking around town later). Shops lined the square: gelateria, café and sports bar (where a monastery used to be, we also find out later), pizza shop, hotel, high-end clothing stores, and art galleries.

No, we didn’t see George Clooney. But we did find HotelMetropole, the oldest hotel in town, which overlooks the lake. Recently renovated (it’s non-smoking and even has a bathtub, but the elevator is a squeeze for three people), the charming pink building faces Prazza Mazzini, the market area by the water. This area, called “borgo,” is the town’s historic center and one of the first areas in Bellagio to be inhabited. It’s the area tourists visit most, with shops and galleries along the waterfront and for several blocks uphill.

Towards evening we walked up the hill and window-shopped, admiring silk scarves and ties, leather handbags, shoes, exquisite clothing, wine, and souvenirs. Shopping is serious business in Bellagio, as evidenced by the book in our hotel room dedicated to shopping venues and best-buys.

Our main purchase was a bottle of wine, and we enjoyed a sunset toast from our balcony overlooking the shimmering lake. If you're longing for a peaceful, romantic setting, Lake Como doesn't disappoint.

Photos by Larry and Beverly Burmeier

Read more travel stories by Beverly at Striped Pot and Austin Adventure Travel