Is Lake Como the New Amalfi Coast?
There are so many reasons why.
Pavia here. When I got to Lake Como a few weeks ago after three fun and busy days in Milan, I swear I could hear my blood pressure fall. Blame it on the lake, the mountains encircling it, the exquisite hotels on its shores. The whole scene is restorative, beautiful, glorious. I didn’t want to leave.
I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t know, because if you’ve been here, you already get it. And if you haven’t, you likely know all about it from Succession, House of Gucci, Ocean’s Twelve, Emily in Paris, and George Clooney’s fabulous life.
But while I find it to be soothing, lately the word used to describe the region is hot.
So hot, it’s being called the new Amalfi Coast. This is in no small part because well-heeled travelers, fed up with the coast’s sky-high, post-Covid hotel rates, went looking for a suitable dolce vita dupe. (Not that the five-star joints around here come cheap.) Lake Como, with its centuries-long history of hosting travelers in its palazzi, has been only too happy to welcome newcomers and returning devotees.
And the hotel industry, as you might imagine, is only too eager to cater to the whole crowd. While most of the luxury hotels on the lake are independently owned, the multinationals are moving in, starting with EDITION, which opened in March on the north end of the lake. Outposts from Belmond, Six Senses, Raffles, Ritz-Carlton, and Corinthia are all coming in the next few years. Gird your loins, to quote Staney Tucci in The Devil Wears Prada. (Yeah, the Devil 2 was shot here, too.)
I’m concentrating on the hotels in this newsletter not only because I love a good hotel but because where you stay makes a huge difference. The hotels on the lake are excellent. My consistent regret when I’m here is not spending more time enjoying their floating pools, their relaxing spas, their game rooms and pool tables, their bars and lounges, their expansive gardens.
This brings me to another reason why the comparison to the Amalfi Coast is fitting. While a car is hugely helpful for getting around, narrow, two-lane roads and buildings that hug nonexistent curbs make driving around Lake Como a challenge. Even if you imagine you might have been a race-car driver in a past life (guilty: I’m from New Jersey), it’s stressful to feel how impatient local drivers are to pass you.
And, as on the Amalfi Coast, it is far more relaxing (and sexy) to travel by boat, whether that boat is your hotel’s private Riva or one of Lake Como’s well connected ferries.
Taxis are an option, but they get expensive — I paid $90 for a 20-minute taxi home from dinner — and are limited in number, especially during peak summer months.
Behind the paywall is a breakdown of the best hotels and the sites to see.
