A one-day itinerary for Lake Como

Hop a train at Milan's Stazione Centrale direct to the lakeside town of Varenna (1:03 hr.).

There is a train only once every two hours, so try for the 8:20am from Milan so you're there by 9:23am.

In Varenna, wander the terraced gardens of Villa Monastero and Villa Cipressi—real die-hards in good shape might make a dash up the 20-minute path to see the Romantically crumbling ruins of Castello di Vezio with its fine lake views.

Do all this in a hurry so you can board the 10:25am ferry for the 15-minute ride across the lake to the postcard village of Bellagio.

In Bellagio, walk out of the ferry dock and turn left to follow the main road, which almost immediately curves to the right to head steeply up to Piazza della Chiesa.

This is where (at Piazza della Chiesa 14) you'll find the tourist office, which is where you'll meet your group for the 11am tour of the gardens and mansion of the famous Villa Serbelloni. (You must book this one ahead of time at tel. 031-951-555—and it only departs if at least 6 people sign up; there's a second tour daily at 3:30pm.)

Splash out on lunch in Bellagio at Barchetta.

Now move on down the lake to the town of Como, famous for centuries for its fine silks. You have two choices on how to get there:

• By bus: The bus from Bellagio to Como takes 72 minutes, is more frequent, and costs a bit less—but has inconvenient departure times in early afternoon (the 1:38pm is too early, the 3:02pm too late).
• By boat: The far more scenic option is to take a 40-min cruise from Bellagio to Como along the lake's southwestern arm, sliding past elaborate villas surrounded by sumptuous gardens that run all the way down to the water's edge. Try to catch the 2:42pm ferry—which would give you more time in Como—if not, the next boat to Como leaves at 3:25pm.

From Como's cafe-lined lakeside Piazza Cavour and adjacent Giardini Pubblici gardens (containing a neoclassical rotunda called the Tempio Voltano, its clutch of exhibits devoted mainly to electrical pioneer Alessandro Volta), make your way to the town's main square, Piazza del Duomo, lined by medieval buildings, including the zebra-striped Broletto (Town Hall) and Torre del Comune tower, and by Como's top sight, the Gothic-Renaissance Duomo.

Just south of this, amid the tangle of medieval alleys lined by wood-beamed buildings of shopping drag Corso Vittorio Emanuele II (good for grabbing some silk scarf or tie souvenirs), rises the ancient church of San Fedele.

My favorite Como sight lies in an industrial district southwest of the city center (Como's small, so it's maybe a 15-min walk from San Fedele). It's one to which most tourists don't make it but where most Como residents are dying to have their weddings: the gorgeous Romanesque Basilica di Sant'Abbondio, built in the 11th century and elaborately frescoed inside in the 14th century.

In summer especially, you might have time to take a quick trip up the Brunate Funicular on the northeast end of town; it runs every 15 or 20 minutes from 6am to 10:30pm and the ride up the mountain takes only 7 minutes up for some spectacular lake views, and some nice hikes down from the top (the tourist office has maps).

Though there are plenty of fine restaurants in town, my favorite is the home-cooking at the Ristorante Sociale, its fixed-price meals favored by theater types, the local ladies' auxiliary, and hometown soccer team.

You can return to Milan by train in the late evening after dinner—or you can simply spend the night in Como. Many people tack Lake Como onto the final day of their trip to Italy, planning to fly home from Milan airport the next day.

Since it's almost as easy to get to the Milan-Malpensa airport from Como as it is from Milan (in fact, the airport is actually closer to Como), why bother fighting your way back into the big, bad city when you can spend that last night in Italy by the lovely lakeside?