One day at Lake Como

I have long wanted to see Lake Como, which is also sometimes called Lario, but for some reason I kept postponing this trip. It seemed that you had to come here for at least a few days, choose a beautiful hotel with a view of the water, have a quiet breakfast on the terrace and generally take your time. But one day I had only one free day, and I decided: okay, let it be one day, but I will try to feel Como, and not just put a check mark in front of this place on the map.

Lake Como

I arrived in the city of Como in the morning and immediately realized that the day would not be easy for my plan. Because when you have such a lake in front of you, it's very difficult to tell yourself: "So, we have eight hours, let's go further down the list." I want to stop, look at the water, take pictures of the mountains and pretend that I have an infinite amount of time.

Morning in Como

I started the morning with a walk around the city itself. I wanted to see Como first, not from the water, but from the inside, so I walked through the historical center, looked at the Cathedral and went out to the embankment. 

The Cathedral

I liked the city for its calm atmosphere. There is no feeling that you have come to a huge tourist center, although there are certainly enough people. Narrow streets, old facades, small cafes and shops are gradually replaced by an open space by the lake, and there a completely different story begins.

I reached the embankment and literally stopped in the middle of a walk. In front of me was a lake surrounded by mountains, boats were passing through the water, and on the other shore there were houses and green slopes. I took out my phone, took a few photos, then a few more, and then realized that I was photographing about the same place from different angles. At some point, I put my phone away and just started watching. It was probably then that I felt the real Como for the first time.

Coffee with lake view

After the walk, I decided to find a small cafe by the water. In general, Italian coffee is a separate part of any trip for me, but coffee with a view of Lake Como automatically becomes a particularly important event. I sat down at a table outside, ordered coffee and something sweet, and spent about twenty minutes just watching what was happening around me. People were walking along the lake, some were getting into boats, some were taking pictures, some were in a hurry about their business. And I was sitting there thinking that for some reason in everyday life I always feel like I'm late for something. Here, this feeling gradually disappeared. However, then I looked at my watch and realized that I was already starting to be late myself.

So I had to come back to reality.

Lake Como Boat Trip

The most important thing I wanted to do that day was to see Como from the water.

It seems to me that this is an obligatory part of exploring the lake. It's beautiful from the shore, but when the boat departs from the city, everything around it seems to get bigger.

Como is gradually left behind, and in front of you opens a huge expanse of water, mountains and shores with beautiful villas and gardens. And the most interesting thing is not to look at any one landmark, but just at the whole picture. I sat on the open part of the boat and tried to take pictures at first.

Then the wind started. And on the shore it seemed to me that the weather was completely calm, but on the water it turned out that nature had decided to bring me to my senses a little. My hair instantly ceased to exist in any decent form, and photos began to appear with my face as a man who had been caught off guard, but I still didn't want to go inside the boat.

Because the views were too beautiful. We passed by old villas, small marinas, green slopes and cozy houses right by the water. Sometimes the boat would slow down near some particularly beautiful spot, and all the passengers would take out their phones at the same time. I also got annoyed, because it's completely useless to fight the collective tourist instinct.

Como Villas – beauty without too much pathos

I was most impressed by the villas that stand right on the shore of the lake. Some of them are surrounded by huge gardens, others are almost hidden behind trees, and only a small piece of the facade can be seen from the water.

I like the kind of beauty that doesn't try to shout about itself. You just float by, see an old house, a terrace, a staircase leading to the water, several cypresses – and it all looks so natural, as if it had always been like this. I tried several times to imagine what it would be like to wake up in the morning, open the window and see a Como in front of me. Then I remembered the cost of some of the villas and decided that I could still enjoy the view from the boat.

Mountains around the lake

A separate love is mountains. They create the feeling of a natural amphitheater around Como. It seems that the lake is in a huge bowl, and the green slopes gradually go up.

When you look at them from the water, the feeling of the city disappears completely. All that remains is the lake, the mountains, the boat, and the sky. I sat and thought that it was for such moments that we were going somewhere far away. Not for the sake of putting a check mark near another landmark, but for the sake of a feeling that then cannot be properly explained in words.

Brunata Funicular

After walking along the lake, I decided to climb higher and look at Como from above. To do this, I went to the funicular that connects the city with Brunate. This is where my inner child woke up again. I generally love funiculars, cable cars, and any other way to climb somewhere without having to climb a mountain on my own. Especially after walking all day.

Como Brunate Funicular

The funicular rises quite quickly, and the views along the way are becoming more interesting. The city gradually appears below, the lake opens up before your eyes, and the mountains no longer seem so huge. Upstairs, I was just walking and looking at the panorama. And she took pictures again.Yes, I know that I promised myself not to take one hundred identical photos. But when Lake Como is in front of you, all promises temporarily lose their validity.

Como from above

View of the city and Lake Como from Monte Croce mountain

From above, I finally saw the full scale of the place I walked through in the morning. The city seemed very small, the lake stretched far into the distance, and the mountains surrounded it from all sides. It was interesting to look at the boats, which looked like small white dots on the water from a height.

I stood at the observation deck for a long time and didn't want to go back down at all. But the day was already approaching evening. And I also wanted to see the lake at sunset.

Evening by the water

When I returned to Como, I went to the embankment again. By this time, the city looked completely different. Everything was bright and lively during the day, and it became quieter in the evening. The sun gradually sank behind the mountains, the water changed color, and lights came on on the shore.

Sunset on Como

I just decided to sit down and admire nature. I would like time to stop at least for a while. As a result, I was left without a route and phone, without the desire to go somewhere. After a whole day of walking, boating, mountains, and photography, it suddenly became clear to me that I didn't need to look at anything else.

I just sat by the lake and watched the sky gradually darken.

And it was this moment that I remember the most.

Is one day enough?

To be honest, one day on Lake Como is not enough. Very little. It is impossible to explore all the beautiful places in one day, visit numerous villas, take a walk in the mountains and still have time to relax properly. But if there's no more time, I'd go anyway, because even one day here makes it feel like you've entered a completely different world for a while.

My day turned out like this: morning walk in Como – coffee by the lake – boat ride – views of villas and mountains – funicular climb in Brunata – panorama from above – evening walk by the water.

And it seems to me that this is quite enough for a first acquaintance.

Of course, I didn't get to see everything. But to be honest, I didn't want to.

I liked the fact that there was time between the sights to just look around. Sometimes I stopped by the water, sometimes I sat in a cafe for longer than I intended, sometimes I photographed the same landscape for the tenth time. And I've never regretted it, because Lake Como is not a place that you want to go through point by point. He wants to live at least one day.

I'd like to go back.

When I left the lake in the evening, I was a little sorry that my day was over. I came in the morning thinking, "I'll see Como in one day," and in the evening I realized that there was no "I'll see" here at all. You can only come, take a walk, sit by the water, take a boat ride, climb to the mountains and try to remember all this.

On the way back, I was already thinking about my next trip. And, of course, I told myself the classic phrase: "Next time, I'll come at least for a few days."

I'm really going to do it this time. Because one day on Lake Como turned out to be too short. But on the other hand, sometimes one day is enough to fall in love with a place and realize that you will definitely come back here.