7/18/26 - Lake Como, Star Wars Gardens, & Bellagio
I’m still here!
We counted our days left in London and it's down to 20. I can’t believe how the weeks are starting to fly by.
Finally conquered Gatwick airport this weekend…safe to say I'm a Heathrow girl. Friday night, after jumping on a late-night flight to Milan with a plane full of Italian retirees, Elena, Emma, Kiera, Riley, and I decided to catch a taxi to Como. We were a little skeptical of the taxi drivers, but the Uber prices were absolutely diabolical.
The 1 a.m. taxi ride was fun...until it wasn’t. It felt like a limo - we got put in a large van with the back seats facing each other. Our driver blasted old Italian jams, but the radio would give out every eight seconds, so we played a little game of musical statues. After driving like a maniac, making Emma carsick, and taking us to the wrong destination, our driver finally got us to the Airbnb.
Saturday morning, we were ready for some pasta. We got up early and took the train down to Lake Como. We paid for tickets at the station kiosk (only a couple of euros), but just like Vienna, they don’t check for tickets here!
We grabbed some takeaway breakfast at a grocery store by the lake, wandered around Como, saw the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, and then headed to queue for ferry tickets. We quickly realized the line was too long, so we switched plans and made it to the bus stop in time for Lenno. Lenno is a small town right outside of Villa del Balbianello, the gardens where scenes from Star Wars were filmed. Our entry tickets were at 2 p.m. - we were determined to get some iconic pics.
It's funny how the skinny Italian roads were not made for modern buses. We had at least three CLOSE calls with passing buses and campers on our way to Lenno...impressive work by the driver in getting us through without a scratch.
We got fresh paninis at a cute little shop in Lenno called GreenSpass Paninoteca, and then hiked about a mile in our flowy skirts to the gardens. It was breathtaking. We all agreed it was the most beautiful place we’d ever been.
Here are the results from our photoshoot plus some BTS ;)
After spending almost two hours soaking up the gardens, we walked back down to Lenno, got some insane gelato, and hopped on a ferry to Bellagio, which is right across the water.
Bellagio was a cute Italian town known for its restaurants and souvenir shops. It truly felt like the Italy you see on postcards, with cobblestone streets lined with little shops, green metal dining tables covered in charcuterie boards, wine tastings, balconies draped with vines, tiny Italian cars, and beautiful sunset views over the water. We explored some fabulous little blown-glass stores and stepped inside a peaceful cathedral where a violinist was playing.
After an intense hunt for pasta, we settled on dinner at La Fontana Bellagio. We had some trouble deciding on a place - it felt like choosing between breaking the bank or eating at a tourist trap - and we leaned towards the latter. I got the saffron ricotta and truffle ravioli and it did not disappoint!
After dinner, we got some gelato (of course). I was feeling adventurous and tried the flavor “cassata siciliana”, which is a traditional Italian dessert made around Easter time with ricotta cheese and candied fruit. It was by far the best gelato I’ve ever had.
We caught the bus of terror back to Como, got some snacks at the grocery for later, and made the last train back to our place. Day one complete!
