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76-417: It is located on the western shore of Lake Como between Mezzegra to the southwest and Griante to the northeast, and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Como . Tremezzo, which has an area of 8.4 square kilometres (3.2 sq mi), also borders the territory of the following communes: Lenno (south and west of Mezzegra), Menaggio (north of Griante), Grandola ed Uniti (inland from Menaggio) and, on

152-510: A mountain community named Comunità montana del Triangolo lariano ( Larian Triangle mountain community), based in Canzo . Even though there are signs of a human presence around Bellagio in the Paleolithic Period (about 30,000 years ago), it is only in the 7th to 5th centuries BC that there appears to be a castellum on the promontory, perhaps a place of worship and of exchange which served

228-586: A 50-acre (200,000 m ) international conference centre set up and managed by the Rockefeller Foundation since 1959, which also operates a "scholar-in-residence" program for scholars from around the world. This is believed to have been the site of Pliny the Younger's villa "Tragedia". Its well-known park was created at the end of the 18th century by Alessandro Serbelloni. Villa Monastero , located in Varenna,

304-708: A Roman military fleet was present on the lake. During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the waters of the lake were the scene of military clashes, such as in the 12th century during the war of Milan against Como , which saw the Como fleet in action against the ships of the Milanese and their allies or between 1525 and 1532 due to the Musso war unleashed by Gian Giacomo Medici . On 28 April 1945, deposed Italian dictator Benito Mussolini

380-539: A balm to the eyes. ... the horizon is lined with snow and the foreground alternates between the graceful and the rugged—a truly Shakespearean landcape [ sic ], all the forces of nature are brought together, with an overwhelming sense of vastness. In 1859, as part of the Second Italian War of Independence , Garibaldi's Hunters of the Alps defeated Austrian troops at San Fermo , entering Como and bringing

456-640: A location in the Province of Como is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lake Como Lake Como ( Italian : Lago di Como [ˈlaːɡo di ˈkɔːmo] , locally [ˈkoːmo] ), also known as Lario , is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy , Italy . It has an area of 146 square kilometres (56 sq mi), making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore . At over 400 metres (1,300 ft) deep, it

532-420: A mixture of races which became more and more complex in the following centuries. Also it increased its strategic importance because, as well as a place for wintering, it sheltered warships especially at Loppia, where the natural creek made it easy to repair them. Around Loppia there formed one of the first suburbs of Bellagio. The Romans introduced many Mediterranean crops, including the olive and bay laurel; from

608-593: A place of mass tourism. Bellagio was part of the Italian Social Republic (RSI) from 1943 to 1945. The Futurist writer and poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti , a Mussolini loyalist who had helped shape Fascist philosophy, remained in the RSI as a propagandist until his death from a heart attack at Bellagio in December 1944. Luchino Visconti put Bellagio in a scene of his film Rocco and His Brothers (1960). The scene

684-497: A room on the second floor; there, I lift my gaze to the most beautiful view in the world, after the Gulf of Naples ... Franz Liszt and his mistress Comtesse Marie d'Agoult stayed for four months of 1837 on their way from Switzerland to Como and Milan. In Bellagio he wrote many of the piano pieces which became Album d'un voyageur (1835–38) , landscapes seen through the eyes of Byron and Senancour . These works contributed much to

760-399: A sloped grid are seven medieval stone stairs ("salite") running uphill. The Basilica of San Giacomo and a stone tower, sole relic of medieval defences ("Torre delle Arti Bellagio"), sit in a piazza at the top. Along the banks of the promontory of Bellagio are many old patrician houses, each surrounded by parks and gardens of trees. Some like Villa Serbelloni and Villa Melzi d'Eril are open to

836-514: A town that took the name of Cernobbio in memory of the country of origin of their liberators. With the death of Filippo Maria , the House of Visconti lost power. For a short time the area was transformed into the Ambrosian Republic (1447–50), until Milan capitulated to Francesco Sforza , who became Duke of Milan and Lombardy. Bellagio, whose territory (and especially the fortress) was occupied by

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912-606: Is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region of Lombardy . It is located on Lake Como , also known by its Latin-derived name Lario , whose arms form an inverted Y. The triangular land mass at the base of the inverted Y is the Larian Triangle : at its northern point sits Bellagio, looking across to the northern arm of the lake and, behind it, the Alps . It has always been famous for its location. It belongs to

988-654: Is a sanctuary located on a hillside slope between olive groves and woods along the western edge of Lake Como facing Isola Comacina . Fifteen Baroque-inspired chapels , built between 1635 and 1710, and dedicated to the Mysteries of the Rosary are dotted along the way that leads to the Monastery. This building is the last in the chain and is dedicated to the Coronation of the Virgin . In 2003,

1064-448: Is also found in the toponym of some villages along the lake such as Pognana Lario and Mandello del Lario ; Italians usually call it Lago di Como . The lake is shaped much like an inverted letter " Y ". The northern branch begins at the town of Colico , while the towns of Como and Lecco sit at the ends of the southwestern and southeastern branches respectively. The small towns of Bellagio , Menaggio and Varenna are situated at

1140-503: Is another notable example of an ex-monastery converted to a villa. It is an eclectic villa built in the Nordic style. Many famous people have or have had homes on the shores of Lake Como, such as George Clooney . Lake Como is served by a public transport system connecting the various villages on the lake. A motorized service began in 1826 when a steamship with sails, the Lario , was launched by

1216-554: Is around 25 to 28 °C (77 to 82 °F), mitigated during the afternoon by the characteristic breva , the gentle breeze of Lake Como. The historic centre of Bellagio is located 350 m southwest of the promontory of the Larian Triangle , between the Villa Serbelloni on the hill and the Como arm of the lake. At the far tip of the promontory are a park and a marina. Parallel to the shore are three streets, Mazzini, Centrale and Garibaldi in ascending order. Cutting across them to form

1292-506: Is known for attracting celebrity guests. Villa del Balbianello , famous for its elaborate terraced gardens, lies on a promontory of the western shore of the lake near Isola Comacina . Built in 1787 on the site of a Franciscan monastery, it was the home of explorer Guido Monzino and today houses a museum devoted to his work. Villa Melzi d'Eril in Bellagio was built in neo-classical style by architect Giocondo Albertolli in 1808–1810 as

1368-520: Is on the Europa Promenade, between the pier and the half-derelict Hotel Grande Bretagne. Rocco implies that the old hotels are fading along with the empires they served. The fact that working-class Rocco and his girlfriend are there to make the observation implies in turn the new world of mass tourism replacing them. Ironies lie beyond the scope of the film: the new American empire would find uses of its own for Bellagio. In 2014, Bellagio merged with

1444-600: Is set in English style gardens which develop harmoniously along the banks of the lake, the last reaches of the view from Bellagio towards the hills to the south. Making such a garden required notable changes to the structure of the land and outstanding supporting walls. In such surroundings, enriched by monuments, artefacts (amongst which are a Venetian gondola transported to Bellagio expressly for Napoleon, and two precious Egyptian statues), rare exotic plants, ancient trees, hedges of camellias, groves of azaleas and gigantic rhododendrons,

1520-548: Is the fifth-deepest lake in Europe and the deepest outside Norway; the bottom of the lake is 227 metres (745 ft) below sea level. One notable characteristic is its distinctive "Y" shape. Lake Como has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times , and a very popular tourist attraction with many artistic and cultural gems. It has many villas and palaces such as Villa Olmo , Villa Serbelloni and Villa Carlotta . Many famous people have owned homes on

1596-521: Is well known for the attractive villas that have been built there since Roman times when Pliny the Younger built the Comedia and the Tragedia resorts. Many villas on the lake shores have admirable gardens that benefit from the mild climate induced by the stabilizing presence of 22.5 cubic kilometres (5.4 cu mi) of lake water and can sustain many subtropical and Mediterranean plants. Villa Carlotta

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1672-485: The Cisalpine Republic to establish here his summer home. Count Melzi proceeded to build a villa on the west bank near Loppia. That brought to the area the flower of the Milanese nobility and the promontory was transformed into an elegant and refined court. Roads suitable for carriages were built, first of all to link the villas and the palaces and then towards the town centre; finally the provincial road Erba–Bellagio

1748-595: The Iron Age , the Comum oppidum was born and the civilization of Como developed, inserted in the broader Golasecca culture . In 196 B.C. the army of the consul Claudius Marcellus defeats the Celts tribe of the Comenses and conquered the city. Comum was then strengthened and rebuilt after a raid by Rhaetian and repopulated with 3,000 settlers in 77 B.C. Finally, after having reclaimed

1824-546: The Lario opened in 1852; the Grand Hotel Bellagio (now the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni ) opened in 1872. In 1888 the three largest hotels (Genazzini, Grande Bretagne and Grand Hotel Bellagio) first replaced gaslight with electric, and only after this were they followed by many patrician houses. Bellagio was one of the first Italian tourist resorts to become international, but it has never degenerated into

1900-537: The Sacri Monti of Piedmont and Lombardy , including that of Ossuccio, were added by UNESCO to the World Heritage List . Lake Como attracts visitors from around the world and as a consequence, the economy of the towns surrounding Lake Como is predominantly dependent on tourism and related activities. The tourism sector stimulates local businesses, including hospitality, restaurants and retail, while also fostering

1976-662: The 17th and 18th centuries. Today you can visit only the gardens. The trails, as well as the villa, lead to the remains of the 16th-century Capuchin monastery and the Sfondrata, a residence built by the Sfondrati family indeed, overlooking the Lecco branch of the lake. Quite different is the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni on the water's edge. A luxurious neo-classical villa built in the 1850s for an aristocratic Milanese family became

2052-519: The Borromean Islands, about Lake Como, unless it be that one pities those who are not madly in love with them ... the sky is pure, the air mild, and one recognises the land beloved of the gods, the happy land that neither barbarous invasions nor civil discords could deprive of its heaven-sent blessings. At Bellagio he was the guest of the Melzi d’Eril, from whose villa he wrote: I isolate myself in

2128-779: The Goths. The line included the fortress of Bellagio, the Isola Comacina and the Castel Baradello . Nevertheless, around 568 the Lombards, led by Alboin , poured into the Po Valley and settled in various parts of Lombardy, in the valleys of the Alps and along the lakes. Even the fortress of Bellagio was occupied. In 744 King Liutprand settled there. With their arrival in Italy, the Franks of Charlemagne descended on Piedmont and Lombardy and, through

2204-631: The Lake Como area is categorized as humid subtropical climate ; average temperatures range from 4 °C (39 °F) in January to 25 °C (77 °F) in July. Water temperatures reach an average of 26 °C (79 °F) in July. Until the late 20th century winters used to be quite snowy and cold, with average daily temperatures well below freezing in January and February; however, due to global warming , average temperatures in winter have gradually risen since

2280-555: The Latin poet, visited Bellagio and remembered the lake in the second book of the Georgics , verse 155 ("or great Lario"). Pliny the Younger, resident in Como for most of the year, had, among others, a summer villa near the top of the hill of Bellagio; it was known as "Tragedy". Pliny describes in a letter the long periods he spent in his Bellagio villas , not only studying and writing but also hunting and fishing. Through Bellagio passed, in 9 AD,

2356-469: The Mediterranean climate. Such variant Latin names as Belacius and Bislacus suggest Bellagio was originally Bi-lacus ("between the lakes"). Between 81 and 77 BC Cornelius Scipio brought 3,000 Latin colonists to Lake Como. From 59 BC Julius Caesar , as pro-consul, brought up another 5000 colonists, most importantly 500 Greeks from Sicily. Their names are still borne by their descendants. Bellagio became

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2432-623: The Roman legions (partly composed of soldiers from the Bellagio garrison) led by Publius Quinctilius Varus , which had to cross the Splügen pass into Germany against Arminius . They were annihilated in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest . At the time of the barbarian invasions, Narses , a general of Justinian , in his long wanderings through Italy waging war, created along Lake Como a fortified line against

2508-566: The Tremezzo, in the 17th century the family relocated to the Free City of Frankfurt . Members of the family include 19th century German Romanticist novelist Clemens Brentano and his sister Bettina von Arnim . The comune of Tremezzo was united with Mezzegra , Ossuccio , and Lenno to form a single municipality named Tremezzina following the election of the Major on 25 May 2014. This article on

2584-458: The actual landscape of Lake Como: at least four times the glaciers went as far as Brianza to the south. From the ancient glacial blanket only the highest tops emerged, one of them Mount St. Primo, which obliged the glaciers to divide into two arms. Nowadays, a luxuriance of trees and flowers is favoured by a mild and sweet climate. The average daytime temperature during winter is rarely below 6 to 7 °C (43 to 45 °F), while during summer it

2660-464: The advent of the short-lived Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy , he was its Chancellor. Even after his political career had ended, since this was a Melzi residence, the construction, which he wanted as elegant as the Royal Villa of Monza and the other villas around Lake of Como, was decorated and furnished by famous artists of the period: painters Appiani and Bossi , sculptors Canova and Comolli , and

2736-488: The city of Como and in the various small villages along the lake. Exceptions are found only in privately managed lidos or designated public beaches where explicit signage permits swimming activities. This prohibition stems from the danger posed by the lake's waters that swiftly transition from shallow to deep near the shoreline and from unpredictable aquatic conditions, which have led to numerous incidents, including drowning cases attributed to sudden thermal shock . The lake

2812-559: The climb to the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Ghisallo , the patron saint of cyclists, and therefore an important destination for fans of the sport. The ascent covers a total distance of about 4 km and has a vertical rise of about 500 meters; professional cyclists can do it in 20 minutes. You can also make the climb from Onno to Valbrona on the eastern shore of the lake, and the Wall of Sormano on

2888-443: The death in 1788 of Carlo, last of the Sfondrati, Bellagio passed to Count Alessandro Serbelloni , henceforth Serbelloni Sfondrati. During the brief Napoleonic period, the port of Bellagio assumed military and strategic importance. A decision, apparently of secondary importance, was to guide the destiny of Bellagio for the two succeeding two centuries: the decision of Count Francesco Melzi d'Eril, Duke of Lodi and Vice President of

2964-488: The destruction of Como and its subjection to Milan, from which it took decades to recover. It is thought that by 1100 Bellagio was already a free commune and seat of a tribunal and that its dependence on Como was merely formal. However the strategic position of Bellagio was very important for the city of Como, and Bellagio had therefore to suffer more than one incursion from Como and fought numerous naval battles against its neighbour. In 1154, under Frederick Barbarossa , Bellagio

3040-647: The end of the 13th century, Bellagio, which had participated in numerous wars on the side of the Ghibellines (the pro-empire party), became part of the property of the House of Visconti and was integrated into the Duchy of Milan . In 1440, during the lordship of the Visconti , some Cernobbiesi attacked the prison of Bellagio in which the inmates were political prisoners. Liberated, they took flight into mountains of Bellagio, settling in

3116-514: The facing shore of the lake, Bellagio and Lezzeno . As well as the capoluogo of Tremezzo, the area of the commune includes the frazione Rogaro, birthplace of the architect Pietro Lingeri . Tremezzo is best known as a tourist resort—it was a favourite of Konrad Adenauer —and for its villas , of which the most famous is the Villa Carlotta with its much-admired gardens, and Villa Sola-Busca . The Brentano family hails from

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3192-428: The growth of ancillary services such as transportation, cultural tours and recreational activities. This reliance on tourism has led to significant investments in infrastructure and amenities to accommodate and enhance the visitor experience, making it a vital component of the regional economy. Bellagio (Italian region) Bellagio ( Italian: [belˈlaːdʒo] ; Comasco : Belàs [beˈlaːs] )

3268-484: The high Alps, defeated the Lombards in the battle of Pavia of 773. The Lombard territory was divided into counties — thus the beginning of feudalism. Bellagio found itself in the county of Milan under the suzerainty of the Frankish kings. The grandson of Charlemagne, Lothair , having deposed his father in 834, invested as feudal lords of the territory of Limonta and Civenna the monks of Saint Ambrose of Milan (together with

3344-672: The highest rank of Milanese society, ruled Bellagio. The ruins of the sumptuous Stanga building were restructured by Francesco and, successively, by Ercole Sfondrati, who spent the last years of his life in pious religious passion in the villa. On the same peninsula he built the church and convent of the Capuchins (1614), investing enormous capital in the setting, where appeared cypress trees and sweet olives . Favoured by Bellagio's ideal position for transport and trade, various small industries flourished, most notably candle-making and silk weaving with its concomitant silk worms and mulberry trees. With

3420-583: The image of Bellagio and the lake as a site of Romantic feeling. D'Agoult's letters show they were sadly aware of drawing an age of motorised tourism in their train. In 1838, Bellagio received with all honours the Emperor Ferdinand I , the Archduke Rainer and the Minister Metternich , who came from Varenna on the Lario , the first steamboat on the lake, launched in 1826. Bellagio was one of

3496-453: The intersection of the three branches of the lake: a boat service operates a triangular route between them. Lake Como is fed primarily by the Adda , which enters the lake near Colico and flows out at Lecco . This geological conformation makes the southwestern branch a dead end, and so Como, unlike Lecco, is sometimes flooded. The mountainous pre-alpine territory between the two southern arms of

3572-573: The lake (between Como , Bellagio and Lecco) is known as the Larian Triangle, or Triangolo lariano . The source of the river Lambro is here. At the centre of the triangle, the town of Canzo is the seat of the Comunità Montana del Triangolo lariano , an association of the 31 municipalities that represent the 71,000 inhabitants of the area. According to the Köppen climate classification ,

3648-563: The lake. Insubre hopes of independence were raised by an alliance with Hannibal during the Second Punic War , but dashed by defeat in 104 BC and absorption into a Roman province in 80 BC. Bellagio became both a Roman garrison and a point of passage and wintering for the Roman armies on their way through to the province of Raetia and the Splügen pass . Troops wintered at the foot of the present Villa Serbelloni, sheltered from north winds and

3724-506: The land around the Lake of Lario two centuries of Spanish rule (the period in which Alessandro Manzoni 's novel The Betrothed is set). The so-called Derta steps that lead from the neighbourhood of Guggiate to that of Suira were built under the Spanish. In 1533, Francesco Sfondrati , married to a Visconti, had acquired the fiefdom of Bellagio and for more than 200 years the Sfondrati family, from

3800-506: The localities most frequented by the Lombardy nobility and saw the construction of villas and gardens. Luxury shops opened in the village and tourists crowded onto the lakeshore drive. Space was not sufficient and it was decided to cover the old port which came up as far as the arcade in order to construct a large square. Gustav Flaubert visited Bellagio in 1845. He told his travel diary: One could live and die here. The outlook seems designed as

3876-478: The marshy area, in 59 B.C. it was re-founded with the name of Novum Comun in its current location on the lake shore at the behest of Gaius Julius Caesar . Pliny the Younger , in one of his Epistulae , describes the lake and its surrounding area as providing plentiful opportunities for fishing and hunting. According to the Notitia Dignitatum , at least since the 4th century, a Praefectus commanding

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3952-405: The medalist Luigi Manfredini . The duke had a collector's passion which, in the region on Lake Como, had no rival except that of Giovan Battista Sommariva, owner of the villa bearing the same name (nowadays Villa Carlotta ) who, politically defeated by Melzi himself (preferred by Napoleon as vice-president), tried to regain lost prestige by assembling an extraordinary art collection. Villa Melzi

4028-466: The name of the latter (Laurus) derives the Latin name of Lake Como (Larius). Among the other plant species introduced were the chestnut, already widespread in southern Italy, the cypress, so well naturalised today as to be considered native, and many kinds of herbaceous plants. In the early decades of the Empire, two great figures brought fame to the lake and Bellagio: Virgil and Pliny the Younger . Virgil,

4104-458: The newly established Società privilegiata per l'impresa dei battelli a vapore nel Regno Lombardo Veneto . Since 1952 the fleet has been managed by a government organisation named Gestione Commissariale Governativa and later Gestione Governativa Navigazione Laghi , which is also responsible for transport services on Lake Maggiore and Lake Garda . There exist three primary services: The Sacro Monte di Ossuccio ("Holy Mount of Ossuccio ")

4180-501: The nucleus of the (then-called) Grand Hotel Bellagio, opened in 1873. The hotel retains its original Belle Époque fittings. This significant building overlooking the lake was built between 1808 and 1815 by the architect Giocondo Albertolli for Francesco Melzi d'Eril , created Duke of Lodi (the city of Lodi, Lombardy ) by Napoleon for whom he filled the role of vice-president of the Italian Republic from 1802. From 1805, with

4256-571: The numerous small villages on the lake. The first identifiable inhabitants of the territory of Bellagio, from 400BC, were the Insubres , a Celtic tribe in part of Lombardy and on Lake Como up to the centre of the lake, occupying the western shore (the Orobii had the northern arm of the lake and its east bank). The Insubres lived free and independently until the arrival of the Gauls , led by Belloveso, who, around

4332-408: The province under Piedmontese rule. Bellagio thus became part of the Kingdom of Italy under the House of Savoy until Germany created in 1943 the puppet Italian Social Republic under Benito Mussolini . Tourism in the Kingdom of Italy had now become the principal economic resource of the people of Bellagio and from this period on the history of Bellagio coincides with that of its hotels. The first

4408-485: The public. Just behind the hill of the promontory into the lake, protected from the winds, is the building complex of Villa Serbelloni . The villa dominates the town's historic centre. It can be reached from Via Garibaldi. It was built in the 15th century in place of an old castle razed in 1375. Villa Serbelloni was later rebuilt several times. In 1788 it came into the possession of Alessandro Serbelloni (1745–1826) who enriched it with precious decorations and works of art of

4484-415: The road to the western shore. These two climbs, with the ascent to the Sanctuary, are part of the Tris del Lario competition. Treks of all degrees of difficulty are possible around and above Bellagio on the Larian Triangle. Bellagio Lifestyle gives the major treks with maps and route descriptions. The traditional Bellagino feast day dish is the Tóch  [ it ] . Eaten with a wooden spoon, it

4560-406: The shores of Lake Como, including George Clooney , Madonna and Donatella Versace . In 2014, The Huffington Post described it as the most beautiful lake in the world for its microclimate and environment with prestigious villas and villages. The lake's official name is Lario (derived from the Latin Larius ), but it is rarely used informally, while it is still used in formal language; it

4636-403: The side of Lezzeno, and Gallo, a small chapel on the old road of Limonta which marks today the border between the two municipalities. In 225 BC, the territory of the Gallo-Insubres was occupied by the Romans, in their gradual expansion to the north. The Romans, led by consul Marcus Claudius Marcellus , defeated the Gallo-Insubres in a fierce battle near Camerlata, occupying Como and the shores of

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4712-504: The start of La Chartreuse de Parme . In 1843 it was purchased by Princess Marianne of Nassau as a wedding present for her daughter Carlotta, after whom the villa is now named. The latter, together with her husband Georg II of Saxen-Meiningen, laid out the woodland landscape park in Romantic style. The villa today includes a museum of agricultural implements as well as important works of sculpture by Sommariva's friend Antonio Canova and by Luigi Acquisti . Villa d'Este , in Cernobbio ,

4788-403: The succession to the bishop of Como between Milan, supporting a bishop imposed by the German Emperor, and Como, which had already designated as bishop Guido Grimoldi, consecrated by the Pope. The war lasted ten years (1117–1127), with a series of small victories and defeats on land and water. Bellagio participated with its fleet as an ally of Milan, Isola Comacina and Gravedona . The war ended with

4864-437: The summer residence of Duke Francesco Melzi d'Eril, who was vice-president of the Napoleonic Italian Republic . The park includes an orangery , a private chapel, fine statues and a Japanese garden , and is planted, as often on Lake Como, with huge rhododendrons . Nineteenth-century guests at the Villa included Stendhal and Franz Liszt . Villa Serbelloni , also in Bellagio, hosts the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center,

4940-401: The territory of Campione d'Italia ). The inhabitants of these two places, which later belonged ecclesiastically to the parish of Bellagio (St. John), were obliged to hand over some of their produce (olive oil, chestnuts ...) to the monks, an obligation preserved for several centuries. There followed the rule of the Ottonian dynasty of Germany. During the reign of Henry V began a long war over

5016-422: The town of Civenna : the new municipality retains the name of Bellagio. Bellagio is situated upon the cape of the land mass that divides Lake Como in two. The city centre occupies the tip of the promontory , while other districts are scattered along the lake shores and up the slopes of the hills. The great Pleistocene glaciations with their imposing flows coming from the Valtellina and Valchiavenna modelled

5092-511: The troops of Sforza in 1449 during the war of succession, was one of the first towns on the lake to take sides and adhere to Sforza rule. In 1508, under Ludovico il Moro (1479–1508), the estate of Bellagio was taken from the bishop of Como and assigned to the Marquis of Stanga, treasurer, ambassador and friend of il Moro. Stanga built a new villa on Bellagio hill, later ruined in a raid by Cavargnoni. In 1535, when Francesco II Sforza (the last Duke of Milan ) died, there started for Lombardy and

5168-428: The turn of the 21st century, reaching a record high of 21 °C (70 °F) on January 27, 2024; until the late 2000s summers as well used to be distinguished by pleasant climate but since the 2010s average temperatures have been constantly rising and once rare severe weather events, such as rainstorms and hailstorms, have been happening with increased frequency. At the beginning of the first millennium B.C. during

5244-450: The villa, the chapel and the glass house constitute an ensemble in which the neoclassical style reaches one of its highest peaks. Rowing is based at the Bellagina Sporting Union, a club specializing in football and especially rowing: world rowing champions Enrico Gandola , Alberto Belgeri , Igor Pescialli , Franco Sancassani and Daniele Gilardoni were born in Bellagio and began their racing careers with Bellagina. From Bellagio starts

5320-419: The year 600 BC, undid the Insubres and settled in Milan and Como, occupying the shores of the lake and creating a garrison at the extreme point of their conquest, Bellagio (fancifully Bellasium, named after their commander Belloveso). The Gauls thus became Gallo-Insubres, merged with the primitive inhabitants and introduced their customs and traditions, leaving traces in local names: Crux Galli (now Grosgalla), on

5396-409: Was built for the Milanese Marquis Giorgio Clerici in 1690 and occupies a site of over 7 ha (17 acres) at Tremezzo , facing the Bellagio peninsula. An Italian garden (with steps, fountains and sculptures) was laid out at the same time. The villa was later sold to powerful banker and Napoleonic politician Giovanni Battista Sommariva. Stendhal was his guest in 1818, and his visit is recalled at

5472-557: Was built in 1568 by Cardinal Tolomeo Gallio , a native of the town. In 1816–1817 the villa was home to Caroline of Brunswick , estranged wife of the Prince of Wales and shortly to become queen consort of King George IV of the United Kingdom . The landscaped gardens in the English style are a product of this period. Later in the century, it was turned into a luxury hotel. Today the Villa d'Este

5548-633: Was completed. The fame of the lakeside town became well known outside the borders of the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia : even the Emperor Francis I of Austria visited in 1816 and returned in 1825 to stay in the Villas Serbelloni, Trotti and Melzi. The Romantic discovery of landscape was changing how the Italian lakes were seen. Stendhal had first visited in 1810: What can one say about Lake Maggiore, about

5624-459: Was executed in the lakeside village of Giulino , about 180 m (590 ft) from the waterfront. As a tourist destination, Lake Como is popular for its landscapes, wildlife and spas. It is a venue for sailing , windsurfing and kitesurfing . Although generally considered safe, bathers aiming to find relief from the heat and swimming enthusiasts alike should exercise caution, as a prevailing regulation prohibits diving and swimming both in

5700-457: Was forced to swear loyalty and pay tribute to Como. In 1169, after the destruction of Milan by Frederick Barbarossa (1162), Como attacked Isola Comacina, devastating it and forcing the inhabitants to flee to Varenna and Bellagio, at that time considered impregnable fortresses. The Lombard League was formed, in which Bellagio also participated as an ally of Milan, intervening in the Battle of Legnano (1176) against Barbarossa and Como. Towards

5776-575: Was the present Hotel Metropole, founded in 1825 from the transformation of the old hostelry of Abbondio Genazzini into the first real hotel on the Lario, the Hotel Genazzini. Following this example in the space of a few years came several splendid hotels many of which are still operating, frequently in the hands of the same families who founded them: the Hotel Firenze, built on the old house of the captain of

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