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Amorielli Vol. 2 · No. 07 · July 2026 Portfolio p. 23

Portfolio · Vol. 2 · No. 07 · July 2026

Lake Como in pictures

6 photographs from the cover story, Where to Stay on Lake Como, printed large. Photographs by Xavier Caré, Jmatazzoni, Phyrexian, Aconcagua, Daderot, Reem Al-Kashif, from Wikimedia Commons under the licences credited on each image.

View over Bellagio and the central basin of Lake Como, with steep green mountains rising behind the water where the lake's three arms meet. — Bellagio sits at the tip where Lake Como's three arms meet, which is why it turns up on every postcard and anchors the central boat network.

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The waterfront of Varenna on the eastern shore of Lake Como, with pastel houses stacked above a small harbor and boats on the water. — Varenna, on the eastern shore, keeps its train station, ferry pier, and restaurants within a short walk of each other.

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Villa del Balbianello on its wooded promontory near Lenno, with terraced gardens and a loggia overlooking Lake Como on three sides. — Villa del Balbianello sits on a promontory near Lenno and is managed by the FAI trust; access can be limited, so book ahead.

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The lakefront promenade at Menaggio on the western shore of Lake Como, with a tree-lined walkway, moored boats, and mountains across the water. — Menaggio, on the western shore, is flatter and more spread out, with a real town center and good bus and boat links.

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A hillside garden covered in flowering shrubs of purple, pink, red, and white, with green trees and bushes, under a bright sky. — Readers are looking at the gardens of Villa Carlotta (Tremezzo), on Lake Como, Italy, featuring a hillside covered in flowering shrubs.

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A stone balustrade and wall covered in ivy, with tall trees and a leaf-covered pergola visible against a bright sky. — This image shows a stone balustrade and a leaf-covered pergola in Varenna, Italy.

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