Concordia steam boat is back on Lake Como after a 5 year gap

The Concordia is back! Steamboat lake tours will take place every Sunday from 5 June to 18 September and also on Thursdays in July and August.


You can depart from Como at 10.30am and arrive in Bellagio at 12 (stopping in Tavernola, Cernobbio, Argegno & Lezzeno). The cost is the same as a standard ticket. For €13  you can take a tour for an hour and a half,  to admire the beautiful villas of  Melzi, Monastero, Cypress Carlotta and Balbianello.

Another option is to start from Bellagio at 16.15 to arrive at Como at 17.50 (again the cost is the same as a standard ticket).

Or you can do a one hour tour of the lower lake with apericena (aperitivo) departing from Como at 18.15 (cost: €18).

Lake Como Restaurant Guide

People keep asking me about what restaurants I would recommend to visit during a vacation on Lake Como. So here goes. To make it user friendly I have listed them in geographical order from South to North. I have also added a € key to give you an idea of cost.



Restaurants: (from Como going North)

Cernobbio:

€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ Villa D’Este – 031 348720
What can I say! If you have the money it is a great dining experience, especially in the summer, when you get to sit outside in the garden. The jacket and tie rule makes it a bit stuffy. You could always go for pre-dinner drinks to the bar instead. Dress up though and expect to pay over the odds.
www.villadeste.it

€€€ Ghatto Nero – Closed on Monday - 031 512042
You need to book. Stunning setting, great food. There is a parking service. You arrive
and they will take you up the hill to park and then bring you back in their car.
www.il-gatto-nero.it


Laglio - George Clooney’s village
€€ Ristorante Osteria Vecchio Molo – 031 400730
Fish restaurant. Lots of lake fish specialities. Don't go if you don't like fish,as there is no other choice. Good local food. Tables outside in the summer.


Argegno:
€€ La Corte – closed on Tuesday in winter - 031 821455
Pizzeria and restaurant. Consistently good food and reasonable prices. A huge pizza selection and one of the best 'Milanese' I have ever eaten.
www.info@hotelargegno.it

€€€ Hotel Belvedere – 031 821116
Lovely setting on a nice day for a light lunch right by the lakeside.



Sala Comacina
€€€ La Tirlindana – Closed on Monday - 0344 56637
You must try the lemon ravioli! Small portions, but great food from the Spanish/Italian chef and the French/Italian owner. Delicious desserts! Book at weekends. Stunning location in the cobbled piazza (leave your high heels at home) overlooking the island.
www.ristorantelatirlindana.com

€€€ Taverna Bleu – closed on Tuesday – 0344 55107
Lovely, peaceful lake-side setting – good varied menu. Great lake fish dishes. Make sure you look at the prices on the wine list before ordering. Don't just go for the owner's suggestions!

€€€€ La Locanda dell’Isola – 0344 55083 – closed mid-October to mid-April
Join the stars (Clooney, Pitt, Madonna, to name a few)at one of the most famous restaurants on Lake Como, serving the same menu since 1947! At 62 euro for a 5 course meal including as much wine as you can drink, it is amazing value and a real experience. Not to be missed – great for either lunch or dinner. They now do a 'light' menu where you miss out one of the main courses either the salmon trout or the chicken. Don't forget to ask for this. Book in high season.
www.comacina.it


€€ Ossuccio (the next village)
Crotto La Sorgente –closed on Tuesday – 0344 55270
A trout farm. Usually a set menu with polenta. Rustic charm. Up in the hills above the village.


Lenno:
€€ Hotel Plinio – closed Wednesday - 0344 55158
Nice lake-front setting and good value set menu. Maybe lunch there after market day on Tuesday, followed by a trip to Villa Balbianello.


Further afield:
Tremezzo (Fraz. Roghero)
€€ Fagurida Trattoria – closed Monday – 0344 40676.
A real experience with platters of meats, cheeses, polenta and braised beef, with wine in earthenware jugs – yummy! You need to book. Ask for a table with a view.

€€€€ Al Veluu - closed on Tuesday -0344 40510
Stunning views and good food from this place. Slightly upmarket - or at least they think they are!


By Boat:
Best way is to get public boat from Cernobbio across to Torno. As you get off the boat, you will see the restaurant on your right.


€€Hotel Belvedere, Torno – closed Tuesday - 031 419100
Book a table on the lakeside terrace. Would recommend the spaghetti ai frutti di mare and the salmon ravioli


Wines:
Try the local wines – very good and full-bodied reds from Valtellina – Sassella and Inferno


KEY:
€ Around €15-20pp inc. wine
€€ Around €25pp inc. wine
€€€ Around €35-50pp inc. wine
€€€€ €50+ pp inc. wine

Mission accomplished - rental property with lake view for only 550 euro per month

I have to say, I am pretty happy with myself today. You may remember yesterday's challenge was to find a rental property meeting a host of criteria for a long-term rental. I viewed 2 unsuitable properties yesterday – both were on the 'bad' side of the village of Argegno i.e. the side where the sun never shines in winter. Unfortunately a lot of people never realise this as they only see the properties in the summer when the sun is shining and if they don't ask, well the agent certainly isn't going to tell them! That's fine if you only want it as a summer holiday home, but more and more people are realising that the Italian sunshine on Lake Como is an all year round phenomenon. So holiday home owners are choosing to spend more and more time here. It is especially lovely to visit for Christmas and New Year and celebrate in good old-fashioned style with nativity scenes and Christmas lights and avoid the commercialised hassle of Christmas in the UK. Even in December you can sit outside for a coffee in the main Piazza and envoy the winter sunshine. But it is still very cold if you are out of the sun and it does go bitterly cold at night, so you definitely want a house on the sunny side of the valley.

Anyway, I am distracting myself from telling you about my property search success for yesterday's exacting clients. If you remember their criteria were as follows: 2 bedrooms, fully furnished, modern kitchen and bathroom, outside space (with plenty of sun), parking, lake view AND all this within walking distance of the lakeside village of Argegno. Well I did it! Ticked all those boxes, got an extra bathroom thrown in, as well as private gated parking and all that for only 550 euro per month. That's less than half the cost of the other 2 properties on the other side of the valley that I viewed yesterday. Just shows that you can do anything if you have the right contacts. OK so they will have to be pretty fit to walk it up from the village in ten minutes, but it is perfectly do-able and a lovely walk through ancient hamlets and back streets, keeping you well away from the main road. Job done!

On to my next mission to find something very similar, but only for the months of June. July and August – an even harder task when you consider that these are the highest peak season periods for holiday rentals when 2 bedroom properties can fetch as much as 1500 euro PER WEEK and these guys only want to pay that per month. I think I have definitely got my work cut out there – something is going to have to give, whether it be budget or location – or both. Let' s see. Watch this space.

If you want to rent - either long term or short term - simply contact us http://www.lakecomoproperties.com/