Our Blog - Lombardy 2025 - Bellagio, Italy

Who knew that the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas was "themed" after a village near Lake Como in Italy? I didn't until I started planning this trip and realized there was a town called Bellagio! Lake Como has a couple different "fingers" that form an inverted Y shape with the city of Bellagio at the fork where the 2 parts of the Y separate, with one of the sections going to the city of Como (our next stop). The area was inhabited back in the Paleolithic period, then by Celtic tribes, then the Gauls. The Romans took over around 225 BC and during the early Roman Empire, Virgil and Pliny the Younger wrote about Lake Como and Bellagio. During the Middle Ages and Italian Renaissance, multiple families had control of the city. It is a major tourist destination, some people saying it is the most beautiful city around Lake Como. Parking is a bit of a problem, but we were able to find a parking space and headed to the tip of the promontory.

Our weather ended up much better than we thought it would when we started out driving to Bellagio in the rain. But by the time we parked, the rain had ended and we had a cool, cloudy day for our tour. It was really interesting to see the clouds really low, covering the mountains across the lake.

We went all-out for lunch, however, eating at La Punta, right on the tip of the promontory and right on the waterfront.

There are 3 main streets (Mazzini, Centrale, and Garibaldi) that run parallel to the shore and there are 7 medieval stone stairways (called "salite"s) that intersect these streets. Here you can see the stairs looking down to the lake.

The Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni, a neoclassical villa built in the 1850s for a Milanese aristocratic family, stands on the waterfront. It became the Grand Hotel Bellagio in 1873, retaining its original Belle Époque interiors. Unfortunately, we didn't stay overnight in Bellagio or this would have been my 1st choice! But I suspect that Tom would have vetoed the €1000 a night room.

The Basilica of Saint James dates back to the 11th century and is an example of Romanesque Lombardy architecture. The bottom part of the bell tower was part of the earlier town defenses (note the arrow slits), and the upper section is from the 18th century.

It is built in a rectangular plan, with the interior separated into 3 sections by pillars and Romanesque arches. The ceiling is wood with exposed beams.

I don't have much information on this cross other than it dates from the 12th-century.

There are mosaics in the domes of the chapels on either side of the main altar, both which date back to around 1900. One shows Saint Ursula and the other, Saint Anthony.

There aren't many stained-glass windows, but this one was interesting. It looks like a normal depiction of Saint Michael the Archangel killing the devil, but then the devil seems to have a very "human" face.

The tower of Saint James Square is a medieval tower near the Basilica. Dating back to the 13th-14th centuries, the building was part of the complex of fortifications built to defend the ancient village of Bellagio. It now is a cultural center.