TremezzinaTwo hours
The gardens, before they open
Two of the lake's great gardens, walked at seven in the morning with the head gardener, before the first ferry arrives.
Experiences
Lake Comobeyond the obvious.
Not tours. A small number of things arranged through people we have known for years, most of which are not available to book anywhere.
Arranged, not sold
We arrange few of these, and only ones we have confirmed. Where access depends on a favour from a family or a foundation, we say so rather than promising it.
01A short programme
Western shoreHalf a day
Houses that are not open to the public
Four private houses, visited by arrangement with the families who still live in them.
Above MenaggioHalf a day
The villages above the road
Stone hamlets fifteen minutes and four hundred metres above the traffic, with lunch at a place with six tables.
Central basinTwo hours
The crossing at dusk
The lake at the hour it empties, taken slowly in a wooden boat, with a cold bottle and nowhere to be.
ComoThree hours
Silk, and the people who still make it
Two working mills and an archive that is not usually shown, arranged through people we have known for years.
Eastern shoreA day
Over the Ghisallo
By bicycle or by car, depending on temperament. Lunch at the top, and the descent to Bellagio afterwards.
02The season
April, andlate September.
If you have any freedom over dates, take them. The gardens are at their best, the water is empty, the villages belong to the people who live in them, and every table is available. July and August have their own pleasures, but they are not these.
April to May
Wisteria, empty water, cold mornings
June
The lake warms; gardens still quiet
July to August
Full, bright, and best taken by boat
September to October
Light turns; the lake exhales
Plans
Four days, andnothing arranged.
Tell us who is coming and how you like to spend a day. We will send a plan, not a menu of options.
Questions
What is the best time of year to visit Lake Como?
Late April to early June and September, if you have any freedom over dates. The gardens are at their best, the water is empty and every table is available.
July and August have their own pleasures and are the right choice if you are here to swim and to be on the water with children. They are not the months to see the lake quietly.
Can you arrange private access to villas and gardens?
In a small number of cases, yes: by arrangement with the families or foundations who hold them, and usually outside public hours.
These are favours rather than products, which is why there is no booking button and why we arrange few of them. What we will not do is promise access we have not already confirmed.
Do you organise weddings and private events on Lake Como?
We arrange the private side of an occasion rather than acting as a wedding planner: the house, the boats, the cooks, the moorings and the movements.
For larger events we work alongside a planner you appoint. For a dinner for forty in a garden, we are usually all you need.
Where these happen
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