Exploring Lake Como's famous triangle...With Dogs!
- Lucy and the lens
- Feb 1, 2023
- 7 min read
One big reason we keep returning to Italy is how dog-friendly the country is. And not just in the sense that dogs are allowed almost everywhere; I mean, people are genuinely friendly to dogs! Toby and Charlie, our two small pups, make so many new friends whenever we visit...and they get more free food samples then we do, too!
The last time we returned to Italy, we visited Lake Como in the north of the country, and found it just as welcoming to dogs as other regions. Here's what we did with our puppies and how we did it.
Staying in Bellano
Como is a large lake, long and thin to the north and branching off into two further forks in the south. At the tip of one fork is the city of Como, and at the tip of the other is the city of Lecco. It can take over an hour to sail from Como or Lecco to the most popular towns surrounding the water, and driving around the lake takes even longer, so it seemed logical to stay somewhere in the middle, where the lake begins to split into its two forks at the picture-perfect town of Bellagio.
But we didn't stay in Bellagio; we stayed in Bellano, instead. Bellano is a small lakefront town just a 10-minute drive or a 5-minute train ride from one of the lake's most famous towns: Varenna. From Varenna, you can catch a ferry to two more of the most popular lakeside destinations, Bellagio and Menaggio: it takes about 15 minutes to hop from one town to another, and this triangular route runs very frequently.
So why did we stay in Bellano, rather than Varenna, Bellagio or Menaggio? Well, first of all, we happened to find a beautiful dog-friendly apartment in this town, for a fraction of the price we would have paid in one of the more famous destinations. But once we arrived, we discovered even more of the benefits.
Bellano is much, much quieter than nearby Varenna, which is a huge factor for us when it comes to travelling with dogs that are easily stressed in crowds. Bellano also has a beautiful lakefront promenade that sees a fraction of the foot traffic that bustling Bellagio's own promenade does, so it was perfect for peaceful morning and afternoon walks with the dogs. It was so quiet in the afternoons that I was able to sit and read my book by the water for a couple of hours while the dogs dozed next to me in the shade, undisturbed. It was almost like having my own private terrace, but for free!
Whether you're travelling with dogs or not, if you're looking to stay in a town that has a lakeside promenade, I would avoid Varenna altogether as this town has only a small beach. Bellagio's lakeside walk is incredibly pretty and lined with flowers, but less peaceful. Menaggio is far less busy with tourism than the other two yet still very pretty, but it does have more of a lived-in city feel, with frequent road traffic alongside the promenade.
If you do stay in Bellano or are just stopping by, an absolute must-try is Pasticceria Lorla, a surprisingly affordable artisanal bakery that serves beautiful mini cakes for a euro each as well as the most delicious, light croissants filled with home-made raspberry jam, vanilla custard or chocolate. We were there so often that by the end of our trip, they had our breakfast order memorised!
The Ferry / The Train
Like all public transport in the area, the ferries are dog-friendly. Small dogs (less than 50cm tall at the shoulder) ride free of charge as long as they're not taking up any seats, and larger dogs can travel for a small fee. While they don't need to wear a muzzle, you are required to have one on hand in case a staff member requests that your dog wear it, but this never actually happened during any of our ferry rides. Accepted muzzles can be hard or soft, so we purchased a couple of soft mesh ones that folded up small to fit into our bags without any trouble. We found pet shops selling muzzles in almost all of the towns we visited for very reasonable prices, which was so convenient and just another reminder of how dog-friendly Italy is!
If you're sticking to the main 'triangle' of Varenna, Bellagio and Menaggio, single rides cost €4.60 one-way and €2.30 for children. There's also a 'free movement' day pass that allows you to stop as many times as you like, costing €15 for adults/€7.50 for children. You can buy tickets at the ferry port, but during busy times the queues can be long, so another option is to buy online here. We visited during the shoulder season in October, and even then we almost missed our ferry once due to queueing times. Better safe than sorry!
The train between Bellano and Varenna is inexpensive (less than €4 one-way) and takes just five minutes. It is, of course, dog-friendly. You can buy tickets at the station kiosk quickly and easily, but be sure to validate your ticket with the provided pen by writing the time, date and departure station before you get on the train!
Dog-Friendly Bellagio
Knowing how popular Bellagio is, I wanted to check one thing off my list as early in the day as possible: the famous view along Salita Serbelloni! Luckily (and I'm not sure if this was due to the time of day or the time of year we visited) the street was still quiet and I was able to take this photo of what is no doubt Bellagio's prettiest street! Plus, empty streets = happy dogs! To get the perfect view, walk to the top of the street and then climb the steps to the raised street that intersects it, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi.
As mentioned, Bellagio does have a long and beautiful promenade with great views of the lake and looking back towards the town. Even better: it's lined with shady trees, perfect for keeping puppies cool on sunny days!
We actually walked all the way to the end of the promenade and then even further, because our lunch destination was in the neighbouring village of San Giovanni and a must-visit for dog lovers. Why, you ask? Well, because Ittiturismo Ristorante Mella is best known for being the home of Ice, the golden lab who goes fishing with his owner, from the Netflix show 'Dogs'!
We were so excited to visit the home of this four-legged celebrity, and while we didn't ask to meet him because we were worried about our own dogs being rude to him, we did hear him bark at one point (and one of ours barked back!) So that's our claim to canine fame, anyway.
Thrilling close encounters of the doggo kind aside, the food here is absolutely delicious and so cheap! We tried white fish-stuffed ravioli, papardelle with smoked fish, and seafood and veggie tempura, plus generous amounts of the house white wine! Afterwards, we wandered through the atmospheric streets of San Giovanni before heading back to Bellagio.
Back in Bellagio, we were on the hunt for a quiet spot to sit and have a glass of wine and to give the dogs a rest, and we found it in the little Piazza della Chiesa. While I probably wouldn't recommend Madison Bar for a meal (if you want good Italian food, stick to restaurants!) this place served a great espresso and cheap (and good!) wine. They were also really kind to our pups and delivered a cute little cheese and meat board free of charge...even though it wasn't anywhere close to aperitivo time!
Dog-Friendly Varenna
Lake Como is perhaps best known for its luxurious historic villas. While many are privately-owned, lots are still open for tours of both the grounds and the houses themselves. When it comes to dogs, the general rule is that they're allowed in the gardens but not inside the villas. This wasn't a huge issue for us, as the gardens are the highlights of the Como villa experience!
In Varenna, Villa Monastero is an absolute must-see. The gardens here stretch seemingly endlessly along the waterfront, with beautiful views everywhere you turn. The plus-side to this is that the gardens never seem too busy...or at least, they didn't when we visited in October! The summer might be a different story.
Tickets for the gardens cost €8, and dogs go free!
After visiting Villa Monastero, we took a walk down to the beach but, finding it a little small and busy, headed for the cliff-side promenade known as the Walk of Lovers. Due to its narrowness, it felt crowded when we visited around midday so we didn't linger for long, but when we returned the following day at around 10:30am, it was empty and we finally understood why it was so deserving of its nickname.
We stopped for lunch at Osterio Quatro Pass. I'd been eyeing up this fine dining restaurant but had ultimately written it off as we tend to stick to more casual places when we have the dogs so that we're not disturbing anyone's experience. But when we passed this restaurant down a quiet alleyway, we found a few outdoor tables waiting, and due to the general casual lunch vibe and the fact that there was another dog already there, we went for it! The food was on the pricier side but the quality was beyond anything else we'd tried in Lake Como at that point, so I'd say it was worth it! We had a delicious bresaola dish with polenta soufflé and pecorino cheese foam, followed by two varieties of seafood pasta.
Dog-Friendly Mennagio
The first thing we noticed about Mennagio, the final point of the famous triangle, was how many pet shops we passed on the way into the old town from the train station! Clearly, we were off to a good start.
Mennagio feels more "lived in" than Varenna and Bellagio, which frankly just feel touristy. The outskirts of the town are like any other Italian town, but the historic centre was much calmer than its more famous neighbours.
As with the other lake towns, visiting Mennagio is all about walking along the lakeside promenade, dipping into churches to see the frescoes, and stopping for wine, cheese or ice cream. We liked La Fabrica del Gelato, in the Piazza del Giuseppe Garibaldi.
You can easily see all there is to see in Mennagio's historic centre in a couple of hours, but stay longer for wine and cheese at Divino 13.
Other Dog-Friendly Villas
Here is a list of all the other dog-friendly villas in Bellagio, Varenna or Mennagio. We just didn't have time to visit them all! Generally, dogs are allowed in the gardens but not in the house museums.
- Villa Carlotta in Tremezzina, not far from Mennagio ( we visited this villa on an earlier trip to Como, but without the dogs, and it's definitely worth checking out its stunning gardens - although they're a lot smaller than the gardens at Villa Monastero)
-Villa Cipressi in Varenna
-Villa Melzi in Bellagio
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