Menaggio, Italy
As the third largest lake in Italy’s northern lake district, Lake Como (or Lago di Como) has been the getaway destination for famous people for centuries, from Pliny the Elder to Churchill and the Rockefellers. But I confess never to have heard of Lake Como until learning George Clooney has a villa there.
From the air, Lake Como looks like a giant stick figure. The main town, Como, is at one of the feet, with the town of Menaggio at the mid-section or central part of the lake. Forming a triangle with Menaggio at opposite shores are Bellagio and Varenna. All three are within a short distance from each other by ferry.
Popular Bellagio has many fancy shops, a famous hotel, and plenty of tourists. Varenna, by contrast, is a sleepy yet colorful village, with an attractive promenade and many quiet streets for exploring. We feel, however, that Menaggio delivers the best of both: a quiet, laid-back residential town worth exploring with a beautiful waterfront promenade like Varenna, and with a variety of shops, restaurants and activities like Bellagio . . . but without the crowds.
From Milan’s main station (Milano Centrale), you can take a 75-minute train ride to the town of Varenna, then a
15-minute ferry across the lake to Menaggio. With ferries and public busses, a car is not needed nor recommended during your stay.
For an optional day trip you can take a public bus for a scenic ride to the lake town of Lugano across the border in Switzerland, where Italian is widely spoken.
A home Base
Menaggio is very walkable, with a population of less than 5,000, and with welcoming piazzas and outdoor cafés overlooking the lake and snow-capped mountains. If you like water activities, there are kayaks and various types of boats to rent. There are clothing stores, wine and cheese shops and a good selection of restaurants at lake level, while charming paths with worn stone staircases lead to neighborhoods in the hills, where ancient fountains, monuments and religious shrines are common sights.
Although market day (Friday) is not as impressive as ones we have visited in other places, there is a daily farm-to-table indoor produce venue along with a sizeable grocery for your make-at-home meals, or to purchase some prepared food. Other towns along the lake have their own market days too.
We considered Menaggio as the perfect home base for the week. Sure, there are plenty of sights and activities to enjoy along the lake made possible by the convenient ferry service, but the place we called “home” offers a welcome, quiet and satisfying respite from all other towns, at any time of day.
Plenty of Hiking Throughout the Area
Numerous hiking trails in the vicinity of Menaggio, along with several historical walks, will provide nice views of the lake and the town. The visitor center in the main piazza has good maps and recommendations, and busses run regularly to some of the more distant trailheads.
Other Places to Explore Around the Lake
In addition to bustling Bellagio and quiet Varenna, Como, the largest town on the lake, is easily reachable by either ferry or bus. Other venues worth exploring are Tremezzo, Lecco and Cernobbio. Lunch on the terrace of Tremezzo’s Grand Hotel overlooking the lake is a splurge you may want to consider.
Many spectacular grand villas, formerly owned by wealthy Europeans and nobles, are open to the public for guided tours or for exploring on your own. You may recognize one from a scene in a recent James Bond movie.
Our Experience
- We were fortunate to find an apartment with a large terrace overlooking the lake (see the two yellow awnings at left center in the photo at the top of the page). Because of the beautiful May weather, we ate all our home-cooked meals on the terrace, and sat out each evening watching the lights from the opposite shore.
- Most mornings we had coffee outdoors at our favorite café on the piazza. We would then return in late afternoon and join the locals for an aperitivo before dinner.
- We did one of the many hikes in the hills above Menaggio, although the trail we took was much steeper than anticipated. But our picnic at the summit and the awesome views of the lake made it worth the effort.
- We took advantage of the ferry service to visit other towns along the lake. On the trip to Como for its weekly market, the boat captain made sure we didn’t miss George Clooney’s villa as we passed the town of Laglio.
- We toured one of the main villas on the lake in the nearby town of Tremezzo, but we always looked forward to our return to Menaggio where we enjoyed walking through the lake-level and hillside neighborhoods, striking up conversations with residents, and eating at a favorite pizzeria a local recommended. Each time we visited that off-the-beaten-path pizza shop we seemed to be the only out-of-towners eating there, and the owner we befriended wanted a photo with us on our last visit.
- One evening during an after-dinner stroll we happened upon a group of grade school children performing on a stage in the piazza, singing Italian songs. We happily stood among proud parents and grandparents as part of the audience, and watched the performance even though we had no clue what they were singing.
Our Live-Like-a-Local Criteria Rating:
We hope one day you get to “live like a local” in this town or another one like it.
For more on Menaggio, go here.