Sundowner Magazine: Spring/Summer 2020

MAJORCA ITALY
COMO IS FASHIONABLY
UNFASHIONABLE; PERENNIALLY
POPULAR AND YET SOMEHOW
UNDER THE RADAR
clockwise from top left: The
exterior of the Mandarin Oriental;
Lake Prestige room at the Grand
Tremezzo Hotel; dining in style;
a restaurant in Bellagio; Torno village
being right on the lake, it feels wonderfully untouristy, and
we pop our heads into the only bar to find that the back room
is a simple trattoria. The menu delivers classic Italian dishes
perfectly done; local salsiccia and cheeses, a lusciously light
carbonara, coffees, and a couple of beers apiece. The bill comes
to under 50 euros.
The beauty of Como, we agree, as we sit in the Mandarin’s
waterfront garden on our last morning, is that it combines a
real sense of old-school glamour with normal Italian life going
on in the towns and villages. There’s no mass tourism here,
no sprawling mega resorts, which means that while there are
plenty of upscale restaurants and boutiques for those who rent
the palatial villas as holiday homes, there are also plenty of
traditional trattorias, simple cafés, and bars where it’s possible
to glimpse everyday life. If only we’d managed to get a sight of
George too, our time on the lake would have been perfect.
CONTACT ABERCROMBIE & KENT
For more information, or to book your next tailor-made holiday to
Lake Como, call our Europe travel specialists on 01242 547 703.
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