Attractions

Como

Part Gothic and part Renaissance, the Duomo, Piazza del Duomo, in the center of town just off the lake (tel. 031-265-244), is festooned with exuberant masonry and sculpture. Statues of two of the town's famous native sons, Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, flank the main entrance. Inside, beneath an 18th-century dome by Juvarra -- the architect who designed much of Turin -- is a lavish interior hung with mostly 16th-century paintings and tapestries, with lots of helpful leaflets in English to explain the major works of art. It's open daily 7:30am to noon and 3 to 7pm. The black-and-white-striped 13th-century Broletto (Town Hall) abuts the Duomo's left flank, and adjoining it is the Torre del Comune. As a study in contrasts, the starkly modernist and aptly named Casa del Fascio, built in 1936 as the seat of the region's Fascist government, rises just behind the Duomo.

Como's main street, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, cuts through the medieval quarter, where wood-beamed houses line narrow streets. Just 2 blocks south of the Duomo, the five-sided, 12th-century San Fedele stands above a charming square of the same name; parts of the church, including the altar, date from the 6th century. It's open daily 8am to noon and 3:30 to 7pm. To see Como's most alluring church, though, it's necessary to venture into the dull outlying neighborhood southwest of the center where, just off Viale Roosevelt, you'll come to the five-aisle heavily frescoed Basilica of Sant'Abbondio (tel. 631-338-8111), a Romanesque masterpiece from the 11th century with great 14th-century frescoes (bring coins so you can illuminate them). It's open daily 8am to 6pm (unless a wedding, which is popular here, is on).

Lakeside life revolves around Piazza Cavour and the adjoining Giardini Publici, where the circular Tempio Voltiano (tel. 031-574-705) houses memorabilia on the life and experiments of native son and electricity pioneer Alessandro Volta. The second floor is under restoration, though many documents and the like are still on display downstairs. Admission is 1.50€ ($1.95) while the restoration lasts, but will return to 3€ ($3.90) when the upstairs reopens, whenever that may be. It is open 10am to noon and 3 to 6pm (2-4pm Oct-Mar).

For a quick retreat and some stunning views, take the funicular (tel. 031-303-608) for a 7-minute ride up to the top of Brunate, the forested hill above the town (it leaves from the Lungo Lario Trieste every 15 min. or so, in summer every half-hour).

Bellagio

Bellagio is often called one of the most beautiful towns in Italy. Nestled amid cypress groves and verdant gardens, its earth-toned old buildings climb from the lakefront promenade along stepped cobbled lanes. While Bellagio is a popular retreat for everyone from Milanese out for a day of relaxation to British and Americans who come to relax for a week or two, the town is for the most part unmarred by tourism.

One of Bellagio's famed gardens surrounds the Villa Melzi (tel. 031-951-281), built by Francesco Melzi, a friend of Napoleon and an official of his Republic. The villa was the retreat of Franz Liszt and is now the home of a distinguished Lombardian family; they allow the public to stroll through their acres of manicured lawns and fountains and to visit a pavilion where a collection of Egyptian sculpture is on display. It's open March 18 through October daily 9am to 6:30pm; admission is 5€ ($6.50).

Bellagio's other famous gardens are those of the Villa Serbelloni, occupying land once owned by Pliny the Younger and now in the hands of the Rockefeller Foundation. You can visit the gardens on twice-daily guided tours (reserve ahead), about 1 1/2 hours long, in Italian and English (tours require 6 people minimum, 20 people maximum). From April to October, tours are Tuesday to Sunday at 11am and 4pm and cost 6.50€ ($8.45); for more information and to book a spot on the tour, call tel. 031-951-555. You meet at the little tower on the back side of Piazza della Chiesa, a steep block and a half up from the port.