Pianello del Lario is a lovely village situated on the western shores of Lake Como, surrounded by the Italian and Swiss Alps, providing options for whatever type of holiday takes your fancy.

If you are looking for history and culture, you can use the village as a base to explore the beautiful villas and villages that occupy the "golden triangle" of the mid-lake area. The City of Como, with a history dating back to Roman times, can be found at the south end of the lake and, of course Milan is a short train journey away, with iconic destinations such as The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II (better know simply as La Galleria) and La Scala.

By contrast, the north end of the lake is very popular with visitors who are looking for more activity. Sailers, wind surfers and kite surfers are a very common sight and the surrounding mountains provide countless opportunities for cycling, mountain biking, walking and trekking.

If you just want a lazy, relaxing holiday (my favourite) you can spend your time in Pianello on or near the small beach admiring the fantastic views, watching the passing steamers that take people up and down the lake and,  perhaps, retiring to the lakeside restaurants for a refreshing drink and a quick snack to fortify you for the afternoons session of doing nothing, but relaxing and enjoying the surrounding beauty and maybe having a dip in the lake to cool down.

By car, Pianello del Lario is approximately one and a half hours from the most commonly used airports at Malpensa, Milan and Orio al Serio, Bergamo. Public transport in Italy is generally very good, cheap and reliable. Whilst we would usually recommend having a car to give the freedom to truly explore the area, it is possible to organise transfers and use the local buses, trains and boats. Local timetables are available on-line and usually have an English language option.