What to see in Bellagio, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the historic center, Villa Serbelloni and Villa Melzi.
Tourist information
Famous resort of Lake Como, Bellagio stands on the tip of the promontory that divides the lake into the two branches of Lecco and Como, in an enchanting position, which has always attracted famous people, artists and writers, known since Roman times.
The town of Bellagio, made up of several hamlets, stretches along the lake and partly on the slopes of the promontory, until it reaches the height of 1686 meters above sea level, relative to the top of Mount San Primo, where you can admire a splendid panorama. on Lake Como and the surrounding peaks, until you see the Alps.
The hamlet of Borgo is the historic center of Bellagio, characterized by picturesque alleys, scenic stairways formed by cobblestones, historic villas with splendid gardens, and beautiful panoramic views, such as that of Punta Spartivento, in the extreme part of the town, with the Lecco branch on the right and that of Como on the left.
In the upper part of the village stands the church of San Giacomo with its bell tower overlooking the town.
The building, built between the end of the eleventh and the beginning of the twelfth century, preserves valuable works of art inside, it also represents a remarkable example of Romanesque-Lombard art.
The restoration carried out at the beginning of the twentieth century, which eliminated the baroque imprint following a seventeenth-century reconstruction, brought the structure back to its primitive aspect.
What see
At the top of the promontory, on the place where perhaps one of the residences of Pliny the Younger once stood and where surely there was a ruined castle, is Villa Serbelloni.
In 1539 this elegant building was built by the Sfondrati family, on the ruins of a previous villa dating back to the end of the fifteenth century, whose name has been linked since the end of the eighteenth century to the Serbelloni family, who acquired it by inheritance.
Today Villa Serbelloni is one of the headquarters of the Rockefeller Foundation in New York, which holds conferences and seminars there.
It is possible to visit its park, which attracts visitors for the variety of nature and for the exciting panoramic views.
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Walking along the lake, south of the inhabited area, you reach Villa Melzi, which overlooks the lake with its beautiful English garden, which can also be visited.
The villa, built between 1808 and 1815 by Francesco Melzi d'Eril, on a project by the architect Giocondo Albertolli, was decorated and furnished by prestigious artists of the time, also hosted illustrious people, including the Emperor and the Empress of Austria Ferdinand I and Marianna, the composer Franz Liszt and the writer Stendhal, a passionate visitor to the park.
