2 nights in Menaggio – Lake Como (2003 trip / Italy)

Monday, June 30th:
After breakfast & goodbyes, Katia drove me to the Rovato train station. There is a train station in Coccaglio, but the larger town of Rovato (which is right next to Coccaglio) offers more train options.

My travel to Menaggio involved two regional trains, with a connection in Lecco, and then a boat ride from Varenna to Menaggio. Here’s a photo of the Rovato train station…

Italy Trip 2003, Rovato, Italy

I took the 10:06 train from Rovato, arriving in Lecco at 11:40. Then, I took the 11:56 train from Lecco, arriving in Varenna at 12:38. Once in Varenna, I walked downhill to the boat harbor to catch the next boat to Menaggio, where I would be staying for two nights. It was all very easy.

Here are photos from the beautiful boat ride ~ Varenna to Menaggio.

Varenna, Lake Como

Bellagio, Lake Como

Menaggio, Lake Como

My hotel reservation was at Hotel Garni Corona. It was a short walk from the boat harbor to my hotel. My hotel was very easy to find. There was some sort of room mixup when I arrived, but I ended up staying in a great room with a beautiful view of the lake. It was loud outside my room the first night and quiet the second night. The restaurant or bar near my room must have been closed on the second night of my stay.

I think I decided to stay in Menaggio rather than Varenna or Bellagio because I was able to find a room for a very reasonable price. I paid 90 euros cash for the 2 nights. Yes that was the total price – not 90 euros each night! The hotel was more of a B&B type hotel when I stayed there. It now looks much fancier. I know it was 15 years ago when I stayed there, but wow, the prices sure have gone up! I wonder if management has changed.

I also probably made a hotel reservation in Menaggio because I thought that it would be easier the day I departed to take the boat from Menaggio straight to Como. If I departed from Vernazza or Bellagio, I would have change boats in Menaggio, which probably would not have been a big deal, but I did not know that when planning my trip.

After unpacking, I headed out to explore. I decided to spend some time on Bellagio. To get to Bellagio, I had to first take a boat to Varenna. Once in Varenna, I waited for the next boat to continue on to Bellagio.

Varenna, Lake Como

Lake Como

Friendly guy working on the boat / Lake Como

Bellagio, Lake Como

I spent a couple of hours walking around Bellagio, peeking in various shops, and just enjoying the town. Then, I took a boat back to Menaggio for dinner.

The 1st photo below was taken in Bellagio. The other photos are of my boat ride back to Menaggio via Varenna (the route the boat took), a bonus for me! The views from the boat were beautiful!

Italy Trip 2003, Bellagio, Lago di Como, Italy Date: Monday June 30, 2003

Italy Trip 2003, Belaggio, Lago di Como, Italy Date: Monday June 30, 2003

Italy Trip 2003, Lago di Como, Italy Date: Monday June 30, 2003

Italy Trip 2003, Varenna, Lago di Como, Italy Date: Monday June 30, 2003

Italy Trip 2003, Menaggio, Lago di Como, Italy Date: Monday June 30, 2003

Tuesday, July 1st:
Tuesday morning, I took the boat to Varenna and spent some time there. Here’s a photo of the 14th century Church of San Giorgio in Varenna. The bell tower was not open to climb.

Italy Trip 2003, Varenna, Lago di Como, Italy

Next I took a boat over to Bellagio, where I enjoyed a delicious lunch at Antico Pozzo. After lunch, a very helpful person at the tourist information office gave me information & directions to walk over to the little village of Pescallo. I spent much of my time there enjoying this beautiful little village.

Italy Trip 2003, Pescallo, Lago di Como, Italy Date: Tuesday July 01, 2003

I spent a bit more time in Bellagio and then took the boat back to Menaggio, with plans to spend the rest of the afternoon in Menaggio. Plans changed though because it started pouring rain with thunder & lightning just before we reached Menaggio. I ended up staying in my hotel room escaping the rain.

The first photo below is a view of Pescallo from the top of the hill & the second is from my boat ride back to Menaggio.

Italy Trip 2003, Pescallo, Lago di Como, Italy Date: Tuesday July 01, 2003

Italy Trip 2003, Lago di Como, Italy Date: Tuesday July 01, 2003

Wednesday, July 2nd:
The weather was beautiful when I woke up Wednesday morning. I did not want to leave! Before taking the boat to Como, I spent about 30 minutes in the town of Menaggio.

Photos of the view from my hotel room and a photo of the town of Menaggio:

Italy Trip 2003, Menaggio, Lago di Como, Italy Date: Wednesday July 02, 2003

My impression of Menaggio: tiny little town (or at least of what I saw), less tourists than in Varenna & Bellagio, not many choices for restaurants. Of course, this was fast travel. If I had spent more time in Menaggio, I might have had a different impression of the town. I did spend a lot of time on boats during my stay, which for me is never a bad thing!

Photos of my very enjoyable boat ride from Menaggio to Como: