Lake Como is the place that occupies your dreams. It’s the absolute definition of beauty, and feels as though it was created from a color palette, droplets of paint from the sky brushing variants of green across the pre-Alps, and smatterings of citrus splashed upon luxurious villas, all surrounding a vast sea composed of the richest hues of blue.

It is breathtaking, and if I was a professional photographer, it would be my paradise.

For a day we lived in this dream, in this place of beauty that repeatedly had us ooooooohing and aaaaaaahing.

After taking a one/hour train ride from Milan, we arrived at the cutest train station in Varenna, a quaint town on one of Lake Como’s many shores. We strolled the promenade and had our breath taken away by three sweeping Alps towering in the distance and gawked at the gorgeous flowers along the way.

After a minor hiccup with the ferry across the lake was cancelled, we hopped on the next one bound for Villa Carlotta, an extraordinary villa that changed ownership hands four times over the past three centuries, one of which was a ranking official in Napoleon’s military regiment, and finally with a German princess, Carlotta, which was taken from from her after WWII. There was an odd room dedicated to Napoleon adorned with family portraits and images of his battle victories. The Villa was confiscated by the Italian government and was converted into a beautiful art gallery and museum and gardens to display the lavish lifestyle of the region. The views from the balcony were stunning as were the gardens and the art collection.

We crisscrossed back across the lake to Bellagio for a delicious lunch on a balcony overlooking the lake. Wyatt and I indulged in the fettuccine made in the cheese wheel and I had an amazingly refreshing white wine to go with it! I also apparently ordered the Ferrari of pastas by adding the freshly shaved truffles, lol, when in Italy!!

After taking a quick dip in the lake and having gelato, of course, we took a two-hour boat ride along the entire length of the lake to the city of Como. Our guide, Emilio, talked to us the entire way, pointing out Villa after Villa, describing the architectural style and the owners, when it was built, etc. it was an incredible history lesson of the region and we got to see the luxury that the lake oozes. We all also started shopping for our own Villa, sharing which ones we wouldn’t mind, that was until Emilio told us that the approximate price tag of one is ~ $10,300.00/square meter, holy cannoli!

It was a long day and our feet were tired, but we all left joyful and longing to return for an extended stay in the future. Italy is a stunningly beautiful and exquisite country, rich in warmth, history, cuisine, and faith. Our visit to Lake Como elevated it even further as one of our most favorite places to visit and explore!