Page 55 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

Eating & Sleeping

feature perch and porcini mushrooms. Tuck
Stresa 1 in under the red-brick barrel ceiling, or in the
charming courtyard.
5 Ristorante Il Vicoletto Ristorante €€ 4 Avenue Hotel Boutique Hotel €€
(%0323 93 21 02; www.ristorantevicoletto.com;
Vicolo del Pocivo 3; meals €30-45; hnoon-2pm (%031 27 21 86; www.avenuehotel.it; Piazzolo
& 6.30-10pm Fri-Wed) Located a short, uphill Terragni 6; d €170-240, ste from €340; paW)
walk from the centre of Stresa, Il Vicoletto has An assured sense of style at this delightful hotel
a commendable regional menu including lake sees ultramodern rooms team crisp white walls
trout, wild asparagus, and traditional risotto with with shots of purple or fuchsia-pink. Breakfast is
radicchio and Taleggio cheese. The dining room served in a chic courtyard, service is warm but
is modestly elegant with bottle-lined dressers discreet, and you can borrow a bike for free.
and linen-covered tables, while the local clientele
speaks volumes in this tourist town. Bellagio 6 ITALY 2 THE GRAcEFUL ITALIAN LAKES
4 Hotel Silvio Hotel €€
Verbania 2
(%031 95 03 22; www.bellagiosilvio.com; Via
5 Ristorante Milano Modern Italian €€€ Carcano 10; d from €115-185, meals €30-40;
(%0323 55 68 16; www.ristorantemilano paWs) Located above the fishing hamlet of
lagomaggiore.it; Corso Zanitello 2, Verbania Loppia a short walk from the village, this family-
Pallanza; meals €50-70; hnoon-2pm & 7-9pm run hotel is one of Bellagio’s best. Here you can
Wed-Sun, noon-2pm Mon; a) The setting wake up in a contemporary Zen-like room and
really is hard to beat: Milano directly overlooks gaze over the gardens of some of Lago di Como’s
Pallanza’s minuscule horseshoe-shaped harbour most prestigious villas. Then spend the morning
(200m south of the ferry jetty); a scattering of at Bellagio’s lido; it’s free for hotel guests.
tables sits on lakeside lawns amid the trees. It’s
an idyllic spot to enjoy lake fish, local lamb and Bergamo 9
innovative Italian cuisine, such as risotto ai petali
di rosa (risotto with rose petals). 5 Colleoni & Dell’Angelo Italian €€€
(%035 23 25 96; www.colleonidellangelo.com;
Piazza Vecchia 7; meals €50-60; hnoon-2.30pm
como 5
& 7-10.30pm Tue-Sun) Grand Piazza Vecchia
5 Osteria del Gallo Italian €€ provides the ideal backdrop to savour truly
CaptionCaptionCaptionCaption
(%031 27 25 91; www.osteriadelgallo-como.it; top-class creative cuisine. Sit at an outside table
Via Vitani 16; meals €25-30; h12.30-3pm Mon, in summer or opt for the noble 15th-century
to 10pm Tue-Sat) An ageless osteria that looks interior; either way expect to encounter dishes
exactly the part. In the wood-lined dining room, such as black risotto with ricotta and grilled
wine bottles and other goodies fill the shelves, cuttlefish, or venison medallions with chestnut
and diners tuck into traditional local food. The purée and redcurrant jam.
menu is chalked up daily and might include a first 4 Hotel Piazza Vecchia Hotel €€
course of zuppa di ceci (chickpea soup), followed (%035 25 31 79; www.hotelpiazzavecchia.it; Via
by lightly fried lake fish.
Colleoni 3; d €130-300; aiW) The perfect
5 Ristorante Sociale Italian €€ Città Alta bolt-hole, this 13th-century townhouse
(%031 26 40 42; www.ristorantesociale.it; oozes atmosphere, from the honey-coloured
Via Rodari 6; meals €20-30; hnoon-2pm & beams and exposed stone to the tasteful
7-10.30pm Wed-Mon) A workaday street round art on the walls. Rooms have parquet floors
the back of the duomo is an unlikely spot for such and bathrooms that gleam with chrome; the
a bewitching restaurant. The menu is packed deluxe rooms have a lounge and a balcony with
with local meat and lake produce, and might mountain views.
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