Mambo Italiano: Lake Como, Bellano, & Milano
Scroll down for pictures from each of our stops.
Just kidding. We did NOT meet George Clooney.
First, some context.
When we set out in September 2023 we were committed to one year of travel. We knew we would do what we could with the 90 day Schengen restrictions in Europe (supplemented by some non-Schengen visits like the UK and Bosnia) + as much time as we could in Southeast Asia. After that, who knew?
When the time came to start thinking about our next move after Asia, we debated a TON of options (HINT: none of them involved coming home). Our budget meant we could spend a bit more time than planned on the road and we wanted to continue traveling as long as we could.
Eventually, a trip to Italy came to the top of the list of potential next moves, partly because we figured we might fall in love with Italy, and partly because they have a somewhat attainable digital nomad visa, so IF we fell in love with Italy, we could consider it for a more long-term home.
So we set off for Italy.
After months and months in Asia, mostly through bustling and vibrant cities, we wanted some quiet. So we set out to celebrate a number of anniversaries in a quiet, peaceful place.
We picked Lake Como to celebrate one year of marriage (Sept. 22), one year on the road (Sept. 26) and a million years of being together (Sept. 29).
To get there, we flew from Singapore to Milan (via Paris since it was an AirFrance flight), picked up a rental car in Milan, and drove to Lake Como. We stayed specifically in one of the many charming towns along the lake, Bellano, and used our rental car to drive to many more of the charming towns in the region.
Sidebar to say that the AirFrance business class was NOTHING compared to Singapore Air. We flew business class again for our long haul, it’s what we save all of our credit card points for, and scour the internet for deals. We were on an older plane, but I can’t imagine a newer plane being far superior. I guess any business class flight is better than not but if you are flying business, you want it to be better.
Lake Como + Bellano
We splurged on a charming lakeview cottage in the upper reaches of town. It took no less than 7 hairpin switchback turns to get from the center of town to our place, and there was a charming mountain path we had to walk down as well.
We were rewarded with amazing views of the lake and surrounding mountains and a cozy spot for us to relax, read, decompress, and enjoy the peace and quiet (just peep the pictures).
The highlight of our time in Lake Como (besides the serenity) was our boat day. For our anniversaries we rented a boat for 4 hours, which we got to captain around the lake by ourselves. We packed a bottle of wine and some awesome sandwiches Ryan made, and spent the day on the water basking in the sun and feeling the breeze. We got to see some amazing views from the water as well, including some beautiful towns we wouldn’t have been able to see otherwise, and some of the very famous villas scattered around the lake from the water (Where some scenes from Star Wars Episode II was filmed, and George Clooney’s home to name a few).
The one “downside” to our excursion to Lake Como was that we really did need the car to get around, but it wasn’t so much a downside as it was just a difference from our previous travels. We knew this going in (why we rented a car) but it was certainly an added expense to our budget (even more so when you get a traffic ticket ☺). Ultimately it was worth it for the experience though. We used the car to explore the other towns around the lake and even drove into the mountains a few days too. Ultimately we felt it was worth it, and spoiler alert, even went on to rent 2 more cars and a camper van during our time in Italy, so….
Another sidebar to say it is possible to do Lake Como without a car but you might be more limited in your choice of accommodations. We knew what we wanted so opted for the necessary car but there are regular trains and ferries you can use to get around the region fairly easily (we even trained from Bellano once to save on the hassle of parking). The ferries and trains are PACKED on the weekends though so be aware.
Milano
After our time on the lake, we returned to Milan where we promptly traded in the rental car for public transit. We affirmed pretty quickly that a car in major cities in Italy is NOT advised so had no intention of keeping the car longer than needed.
We then spent 6 days exploring this vibrant metropolitan city and all it had to offer. We certainly didn’t do everything there is to do in Milan (if you don’t know us by now, we are picky with how we spend our time and money) but we did do some very cool things, and thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
We bought last minute tickets to catch an AC Milan Serie A game vs Lecce (funny because we would wind up visiting Lecce later in the trip, something we didn’t know at the time). AC Milan won handedly, and we got to see every goal in the game from a GREAT angle, purely by happenstance of course. We also got to see how another league’s games are after experiencing a Premier League match in December 2023. Honestly our experience with the AC Milan game was better than the Manchester City game. The atmosphere just felt more vibrant and energized. Whether it’s Man City’s complacency with winning or the fact it was during the holidays, that game just didn’t have the same vibe.
We visited the Milan Duomo, which we ultimately found more enjoyable than the Florence one (controversial opinion we know) but more on that later. For the Milan Duomo we opted for entry to the main cathedral and the elevator to the top. The cathedral was beautiful for sure, but became the first of what felt like hundreds of cathedrals we would see through our time in Italy (and the rest of our trip)…. We even had to go look up the pics to remind us what it looked like. What was the difference maker, and worth the ticket price was the trip to the top. Getting to walk through the buttresses for panoramic views of the city was absolutely beautiful. We also managed to time it for a beautiful weather day and got crystal clear, sunny views abound.
We also spent a good amount of time wandering through some of Milan’s beautiful and plentiful third spaces. We love this concept, third spaces. Places that are not home or work where you can spend time, socialize and relax. Sometimes parks, sometimes plazas, sometimes monuments, they were all open spaces where we were free to roam and relax, for free! Two of our favorites were Szforza castle and the BAM park. You can see some pics from our time there.
Other things we did that are worth noting:
Rooftop dinner overlooking the Duomo.
Ryan’s favorite chicken sandwich at Slay
A walk through the stunning Galleria building
Other things you might do if you are visiting (that we didn’t):
Visit the Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci
Visiting the Navigli district, a popular canal district with lots of food and people watching.
Catching a show at the Teatro Alla Scala (opera house)