Things to Do:

◦ Cooking Class In Varenna - Cesarine hosted by Monica https://cesarine.com/en/h/monicaa-varenna

◦ Drinks on the rooftop of Hotel Du Lac (this is where we went right after our proposal, met the owners son, and sat on the roof alone with him for the night. It felt like a movie, you must go!)

◦ Food Tour & Villa tour - incredible, so so knowledgeable, the best first day activity to get your bearings. The host, Elena is so wonderful and knowledgeable of the area. You'll try out lots of her favorite restaurants while she gives you an overview of Bellagio - https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/2688292 Elena is

◦ Take the ferry to Varenna and walk around. Our fav things in Varenna are walking Lovers Lane, walk through the gardens of Villa Monastero (you have to get a ticket there), and just walk around the sites

◦ Walk the Gardens of Melzi in Bellagio. This is where we got engaged and it is so beautiful!

◦ Take the ferry to see the famous villa, Villa Balbianello. You must buy tickets in advance as they sell out for the day. It is also in Lenno which doesn't have much else going on there so when you get off the ferry, walk towards the villa and eventually there will be a place on your left that has a boat that takes people to the villa. DON'T MISS THAT AND KEEP WALKING TOWARD THE VILLA or you'll send up on a 2 mile mountain climb and miss your reservation like Luke and I did lol

Best Bellagio Restaurants:

◦ Antico Pozzo - Italian food, so so good for lunch or dinner

◦ Il Perlo - best 360 view, amazing food, only locals know about this spot but this is where the Welcome Dinner is!

◦ Salice Blu - if you’re celebrating something, go here. INCREDIBLE food, small portions, family owned, the owner/chef literally picked us up from our hotel, drove us to the restaurant, and then cooked for us after our engagement.

◦ Il Perlo - best 360 view, amazing food, only locals know about this spot but this is where the Welcome Dinner is!

◦ Dispensa 63 - this is a more trendy spot owned by the brother of the guy we met on the rooftop after our engagement. We never got to go but only heard amazing things

◦ La Punta - Italian food at the very tip of Bellagio so it has the most beautiful view. If you don't eat there, at least walk there for the most spectacular views and maybe grab a cocktail :)

If you want to do something specific or have a locals recommendation for things, Elena our food tour guide does any type of tour and knows everyone in town. You can ask her a specific question and she can find anything for you. Her email is info@tasteandtravelitaly.com. We also asked her what her fav restaurants are to tell you guys and she said:

"La Pergola di Pescallo (I love it)

Ristorante Mella in San Giovanni

La Punta in Bellagio"