Bellagio and
Bellagio History
Bellagio is a famous resort, well known as the Pearl of the Como lake. It is located on a promontory which divides the lake in two branches, Como and Lecco.
Thanks to its position you can visit Villa Serbelloni park, the top of Monte San Primo with its beautiful
view of the Alps , from Monte Bianco to Ortles and from where you can see the Madonnina of Milan Duomo.
It has been inhabited since prehistoric times, after the Gauls came the Romans.
For many centuries, after a Longobard domination , it was a large estate of the Stanga
(1492), later of the Sfondrati and in 1647 of the Airoldi. During this period the nobles built several
villas with beautiful gardens , as long as Bellagio became one of the most famous place very popular
to Milanes nobles and English middle classes.
The Borgo town’s historic centre is characterised by wide flight of steps descending to the
lakeside, coloured by many shops.
At the foot of Salita Serbelloni there is a plaque on the wall , placed in 1961 for the 150th anniversary
of the birth of the Hungarian composer Franz Listz who , between 1836 and 1837, had a deep passion
for Marie Cristine de Flavigny, countess of Agoult:
"Quando scrivete la storia di due amanti felici poneteli sulle rive del lago di Como. Perché io non conosco una contrada più manifestamente benedetta dal cielo. Altre non ne ho vedute in cui gli incantesimi di una vita d’amore appaiono più naturali"
