Introducing the inspiration behind our new spring/summer collection…
Giardino Botanico (Botanical Garden)
Inspired by the breathtakingly beautiful botanical gardens of Lake Como, Italy. Set against the foothills of the Alps, Lake Como is renowned for it’s natural beauty and breathtaking, serene landscape. Beautiful villas with immaculate botanical gardens sit proudly along the branches of the lake.
We’ve put together our curated edit of what to do in Lake Como if you’re visiting this summer:
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Villa Carlotta
The main inspiration behind our new collection is Villa Carlotta. It is a place of beauty, where nature and history stand together in perfect harmony for over three hundred years. Built in the seventeenth century, the Villa sits at the top of a beautifully winding staircase leading from the Italian garden which is surrounded by manicured hedging, an abundance of camellia flowers and pergolas with orange trees. The sound of the beautiful water feature fills the atmosphere with a serenity which encapsulates the essence of Lake Como. There are many different botanical gardens to explore on the grounds which all overlook the beautiful waters of Lake Como. Make sure you also view the museum inside the Villa it’s so beautiful. We visited in the morning and at times it felt like you had the whole Villa to yourself, such a beautiful, serene location.
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Lunch on the terrace at Grand Hotel Tremezzo
As a treat for all your walking around Villa Carlotta, just a short walk down the road is the Grand Hotel Tremezzo. Admired by many celebrities, it’s a beautiful location to stay or dine at. Take in the views and have a spot of lunch and drinks on the terrace overlooking the waters of Lake Como.
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A boat ride around the lake
For a Lake Como bucket list moment sail the waters of the lake on a vintage boat. This is such a lovely way to take in the beauty of the views. We booked a 3 hour boat tour with AC Boat Rental, there was even Italian music playing on the boat for part of our journey, does it get any better than that!
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Gelato at Mennagio
Mennagio is such a beautiful, calm location and in our opinion the perfect place to stay. Just a short walk from the ferry (which is how to get around in Lake Como) is the main town of Mennagio, grab a gelato and enjoy it sitting on a bench amongst beautiful flowers overlooking the water.
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A roam around Bellagio with a stop for charcuterie & wine
Bellagio is a must see destination, it has a lovely charm with cobbled streets and many little shops and restaurants. The most famous street in Bellagio is Salita Serbelloni, which you must see from standing at the top of the street looking down, with the wine bar sign to your left and the waters of Lake Como in the distance. What was meant to be a quick snap of the most famous street and wine bar sign in Bellagio turned into a table for two at the wine bar (aperitivo et al) with the best wine and most delicious charcuterie board made with local produce - a definite must do if you’re visiting.
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A visit to Milan before your return flight home
As the main airport near Lake Como is Milan it’s likely that you’ll be flying home from there. We travelled back from Lake Como in the morning and stayed one night in Milan, here’s what we got up to…
- Sightseeing at the Duomo di Milano
- A wander around the Golden Triangle shopping district
- Pizza on the outside terrace of Gino Sorbillo Gourmand. We were roaming around Milan looking for the best place for pizza, we ended up following the locals and ate where they were eating at Gino Sorbillo Gourmand Duomo, just a short walk from the Duomo.
- Latte Machiatto and patisserie at Teatro Alla Scalla
Shop our ‘Botanical Garden’ napkins inspired by Villa Carlotta: shop here
