Bellagio

On the approach to Bellagio by ferry the whole village is laid out before you nestling at the 'point of the Lariano triangle' of Lake Como. The poet Shelley claimed Bellagio to be 'the pearl of the lake' and one of the loveliest towns in Europe. While Wordsworth described the area as 'a treasure that the earth keeps to itself'. The landscape also inspired music composed by Verdi, Rossini and Bellini.

But there is another element to Bellagio beyond the lake front tourist trap that I decided to try to discover.



Leaving the centrally located Piazza Mazzini directly opposite the pier, you reach the upper part of the town by climbing the steep steps of the narrow street - Salita Melia. The typical European architecture of the tight knit maze leads to the busy Via Garibaldi until I found the local Town Hall located next to the small Eleventh Century Romanesque church of San Giorgio.



On the opposite side of the road was a flight of steps that climbed up and then led down into the picturesque fishing village of Pescallo on the eastern shore of the promontory. The march of time elsewhere can rush into another millennia without anyone noticing or anything changing in this ideal setting!



Crossing the village square I sat on a bench to admire the magnificent surroundings framed by the steep sided mountain range of the Gringa (at 2,409 metres) in the background.



Leaving this idyllic fishing village the climb took me past a large nursery and olive grove that appears crucial to the local economy. Arriving at the main road for Lecco I enter Oliverio, a village which has taken it's name from the olive trees. This is actually the furthest northern most point in Europe in which olive oil is produced.



Arriving at the Villa Giulia, originally built in 1624, a grassy avenue called 'Vialone' stretches to the western bank of the lake allowing everyone to see both banks simultaneously. This long 'overgrown' geometrically aligned autobahnesque straight avenue was three-quarters of a mile long and about 30-yards wide with a single file footpath.



At the western end of the Vialone I came across an avenue of Cypress trees that perfectly framed the lake view. Passing the Villa Melzi on the lake shore you return to Bellagio along a colourfully cultivated parkland promenade.



I saw more lizards than people on the walk, which was a shame!!