Lake Como, Italy 科莫湖，意大利
April 3, 2026
As we planned this day trip to Lake Como, what worried us most was not the destination itself, but the transportation. The ferry schedules felt confusing and uncertain, and we never seemed fully confident that we understood how the connections would work. We kept several backup plans in mind, just in case. In the end, we simply moved forward with what seemed, at the time, to be the best option available.
After breakfast at the hotel at 6:30 a.m., we walked to Milan Centrale and boarded the 8:20 train to Varenna. When we arrived, we were immediately confronted by a long line at the ferry terminal ticket office. Rather than stand there right away, we thought it might be smarter to explore the town first and come back later, hoping the queue would shrink. So we set off along the Lovers’ Walk, a scenic path tracing the edge of the lake. The views were beautiful, with the water shimmering beside us, and our destination was Villa Monastero farther up the way. But when we reached the villa, we found yet another long ticket line waiting for us. Not wanting to lose even more time, we turned around and headed back toward town.
To our dismay, the ferry line had only grown longer. By then, we had little choice but to join it and wait. An hour later, we finally boarded a ferry to Bellagio, often described as the most beautiful town on Lake Como. But by that point we were already well behind schedule, so instead of exploring Bellagio, we immediately continued on to Lenno.
Once there, we found a charming lakeside café and sat down for a lovely lunch, a welcome pause in what had already become a far more hectic day than we had imagined.
After lunch, we walked about forty minutes uphill to Villa del Balbianello, the last private owner of which was Guido Monzino (1928–1988)—an Italian explorer, mountaineer, businessman, and collector. We joined an English-language tour of the villa’s private house, which today feels as much like an expedition museum as a home. Because Monzino lived in such a grand residence in a relatively secluded setting, he had even created several secret escape paths in case of emergency. The house was impressive, but what stayed with me most was his remarkable collection of travel artifacts, which made his adventurous life feel vivid and real.
After the tour, eager to catch the next ferry back to Bellagio, we took a private water taxi down to Lenno. But our bad luck with transportation continued: we arrived only a few minutes too late and could do nothing but watch our boat sail away. The next regular ferry would not come for more than an hour. Instead, we improvised once again, taking a fast ferry to another town on the lake and then looping back to Bellagio from there.
By the time we finally reached Bellagio, we had only about twenty minutes to wander its elegant streets before boarding yet another ferry to Varenna. From Varenna, we caught the train back to Milan. The train was crowded, and many passengers were left standing, so we felt especially fortunate that all five of us managed to find seats.
Our day at Lake Como was both memorable and stressful. The scenery was every bit as beautiful as we had hoped—graceful villas, sparkling water, and towns clinging to the lakeside with postcard perfection. Yet the day also reminded us how important logistics can be. Looking back, we realized that we should have prepared more carefully, especially by buying ferry passes in advance instead of wasting so much precious time in ticket lines. Even so, despite the stress and constant adjustments, Lake Como left us with unforgettable views and a story we are unlikely to forget.
2026年4月3日
在规划这次科莫湖(Lake Como)一日游时，最让我们担心的并不是目的地本身，而是交通衔接的问题。尤其是渡轮时刻表，看起来并不十分清楚，我们始终没有把握自己是否真正弄明白了各段之间的连接方式。为此我们还准备了备用方案，以防临时发生变化。
早上6点30分在酒店吃早餐，之后我们步行前往米兰中央车站，搭乘火车前往瓦伦纳（Varenna）。一个小时多一点的火车很顺利，然而一下火车，便看到渡轮码头售票处排着长长的队伍。我们先在小镇走走，沿着湖边的情人步道（Lovers’ Walk）慢慢前行。湖水在身旁闪烁，一路风景十分优美。我们的目的地是稍高处的莫纳斯特罗别墅（Villa Monastero），可当我们抵达时，却发现那里同样排着长队买票，只好放弃参观，转身返回镇上。
没想到回到渡轮码头时，买船票的队伍比之前更长了。听从售票员的建议，我们买了当天的渡轮通票，这样比较方便。一个多小时之后，我们终于登上前往贝拉焦（Bellagio）的渡轮。贝拉焦常被称为科莫湖上最美的小镇，当我们来到贝拉焦时，时间已远远落后于原先的计划，于是决定暂时先跳过贝拉焦，直接转乘另一班渡轮前往伦诺（Lenno），这样可以保证不错过已预订的参观别墅的时间。下船后我们在湖边的一家餐厅，享用了一顿愉快的午餐，也算是在这一连串奔波之中短暂地喘了一口气。
午餐后，我们步行约四十分钟上坡，前往著名的巴尔比亚内洛别墅（Villa del Balbianello）。这座别墅最后的私人主人是圭多·蒙齐诺（Guido Monzino，1928–1988）——意大利探险家、登山家、企业家和收藏家。我们参加了别墅私宅部分的英文导览。整座宅邸如今看起来更像是一座探险博物馆，收藏着主人在世界各地远行时带回的大量纪念品和探险物件。由于这座大宅位于相对偏僻的地方，据说他当年还特意修建了几条秘密逃生通道，以备紧急情况之需。别墅本身固然令人印象深刻，但更打动我的，是那些旅行与探险收藏，它们让主人的传奇人生仿佛一下子鲜活起来。
导览结束后，为了赶上下一班返回贝拉焦的渡轮，我们特地乘坐水上出租车赶回到伦诺。然而，计划永远赶不上变化——等我们赶到码头时，眼睁睁看着渡轮慢慢离开，而下一班普通渡轮要等一个多小时。无奈之下，我们再次临时调整计划，先搭乘快船前往湖上的另一个小镇，再从那里折返回贝拉焦。
等我们终于抵达贝拉焦时，留给我们闲逛的时间只剩下短短二十分钟。随后，我们又搭乘渡轮返回瓦伦纳，再从那里坐火车回米兰。返程的火车异常拥挤，许多人都只能站着。我们五个人居然都能找到座位，实在算是很幸运。
这次科莫湖之行，湖光山色的确如想象中那般迷人——优雅的别墅、闪耀的湖水，以及那些依山傍水、如明信片般精致的小镇，都令人难忘。但整个行程却很紧张，不停地赶路。这一天也让我们深刻体会到，旅行中的交通安排有时和风景本身一样重要。如果能事先买好渡轮通票，而不是到了现场再排队购票，应该能省下不少时间和精力。尽管一路充满波折，且最终的行程已与原计划相差甚远， 但科莫湖还是很不错的，并且给我们留下了一段值得回味的旅途故事。