Bellagio, the City

I experienced the city of Bellagio last summer for the very first time but, I was traveling with friends who have been there many times before.  In fact, it is one of their favorite places in Italy and it's easy to understand why.

Bellagio sits right on beautiful Lake Como in a perfect position.  If you picture the lake as an upside-down "Y", Bellagio sits right in the middle where the two arms emerge.

Many of the hotels and shops sit facing the lake as seen in the very top photo.  In fact, we stayed in the hotel in the center of that photo, the pink one right on the water.

The rest of the streets run up the steep hillside.

The hotel had a roof-top area where we spent a lot of time in the late afternoon, watching the ferry boats come and go or looking up the stepped streets to see fellow tourists on their shopping trips.

There were a wealth of shops along these narrow passageways where you could buy everything from fine jewelry to a bag a chips.

It's all here and just a few stone steps up the hill.

It would certainly be hard to find a prettier town along the shores of Lake Como or a better location for exploring in every direction.

And, in the evening when the day-trippers have moved on, the streets get quiet and those of us who stayed in the city could enjoy a slower-paced village atmosphere.

Positioning ourselves so close to the lake allowed us to watch all the boats zig-zagging across the water as well as a few swans who floated by to add just the perfect addition to all that gorgeous scenery.  It's very easy to see why this city has become so popular with locals and tourists alike.