2000.11.19 Italy Travel Diary: Milano → Lecco → Bellagio → Griante → Como
Bellagio, a lakeside town north of Milan, was the place I visited most often while working in Europe. It is a beautiful little hill town by the water, with excellent scenery.
Maybe because I was not there during the summer high season, there was less tourist noise and a little more quiet.
The places listed in the title were actually visited over several trips. The camera date was also wrong, so just focus on the scenery and automatically ignore the dates in the lower-right corner of the photos... ha.
If you do not have that much time, this can be planned as a one-day route, but that would lose the relaxed vacation feeling .'"
From Milan Toward Bellagio
Lake Como route reference
The original post used map screenshots to explain the positions of Milano, Lecco, Bellagio, Griante, and Como. These are context references only and are not part of the main gallery.
On a map, Lake Como looks a bit like a Y shape, and my favorite place, Bellagio, sits right at... that... that crotch area @.@'"
Driving from Milan through Lecco to Bellagio is about 85 kilometers. The latter part feels a bit like Taiwan's Central Cross-Island Highway. The road curves a lot, though it is not difficult to drive. But driving while wanting to look at the scenery really gets tiring @.@'"
Before reaching Bellagio, the road passes over the hilltop. Around there are garden villas, the real kind owned by rich people, with front yards, back yards, and big lawns.
Too bad you cannot drive and take photos at the same time. If you want proof, you will have to go there yourself and see that CH was not making it up... heh~~
Bellagio, Lanes, and the Ferry
Finally, Bellagio.
We wandered through the lanes and shopped around. There were many distinctive handicrafts, but many were glass items, not easy to bring home .'"
After that, we drove the car onto the ferry from Bellagio to Griante.
Griante, Santa on the Wall, and the Flooded Lakeside
After landing, we arrived in Griante. At first glance, why was someone climbing the wall?
I later saw this kind of climbing Santa decoration in Taiwan too... hehe.
A quiet corner in the park.
See that? Under the two trees is a park bench, and the water had reached the parking spaces.
Still, it was beautiful ^.^
The Final Stop: Como
Although this town shares its name with Lake Como, other than taking the funicular up the hill to look over the area, it felt just okay.
Compared with the big views above, the busier town felt less distinctive.
So even though Como was visited on a different day, I still put it in the same article. A little lazy... ha ^.^
More photos from Lake Como
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Postscript: The Wallet Was Stolen
When traveling in Italy, you really, really need to be careful. Never let your wallet leave your sight.
My wallet? It was stolen at the flooded lakeside above >.<'"
I had only gotten out of the car to take a photo, and the car door was not locked...
When did I notice? Right before reaching the highway toll booth! Major shock!!
While we were at a loss, Chris found a credit card in her pocket.
She carried only the card with her. All the cash was in my wallet. That time, I probably lost more than two hundred thousand... lire @.@'"
Ha~~ Italian toll booths could take credit cards for tolls ^.^ Ten years earlier, they were already more convenient than us... hehe.
Still, after getting home, I spent quite a bit on international calls to stop the cards and request replacements :(
P.S. More than two hundred thousand lire was only about three thousand-something NT dollars, Orz... but money is still money.
Original publication date: 2000-11-19
Revised: 2026-06-18
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