A journey across Lake Como’s three shores by private wooden boat, moving between Bellagio, Varenna, and Menaggio with private villa visits and two full days on the water, across seven days.
7 days
|From $10,000 pp
A journey across Lake Como’s three shores by private wooden boat, moving between Bellagio, Varenna, and Menaggio with private villa visits and two full days on the water, across seven days.
Lake Como sits in the foothills of the Alps in northern Lombardy, surrounded by mountains, pastel-colored villages, historic villas, and botanical gardens that have drawn visitors from across Europe since the Roman era.
Pliny the Younger had two villas here. Napoleon stayed at Bellagio. Empress Sissi of Austria spent time on its shores. The lake has a continuity of appeal that very few places in Italy can match, and the reason for that appeal is the landscape itself.
This itinerary covers six nights across three of the lake’s most distinct villages, Bellagio, Varenna, and Menaggio, using the water rather than the road as the primary method of movement between them. A private wooden boat connects the three shores. The villages are explored on foot. The villas are visited with private guides who cover the rooms and gardens that the standard ticket does not reach.
Do Not Disturb designs the full six nights around what the lake produces at its best and how the journey moves across the water.
Most guests arrive by private transfer from Milan Malpensa Airport, approximately one hour from the southern end of the lake, or from Milan city center, around 90 minutes by car. The train from Milan Centrale to Varenna takes approximately one hour and provides its own kind of arrival, with the lake appearing between the mountains as the train approaches from the south.
A private wooden boat meets guests at the station pier in Varenna or at a designated jetty for those arriving by car, and the transfer to the first accommodation on the water sets the character of everything that follows. The boat is a restored vintage craft with a local skipper who covers the lake daily, and the first crossing delivers the scale of the lake in a way that no other arrival method does.
Varenna sits on the eastern shore, a village of narrow streets, painted facades, and a lakeside promenade that runs between two small beaches. Of the three villages on the itinerary it is the most intimate, with fewer visitors than Bellagio and a character that reflects working lakeside life rather than the tourist economy of the western shore. The Passeggiata degli Innamorati, the promenade along the water’s edge, is one of the more quietly affecting walks in northern Italy.
Villa Monastero, a former Cistercian monastery converted into a lakeside villa, sits at the southern end of the village with a botanical garden running from the water’s edge up the hillside behind it, covering over 150 plant species across 2.5 hectares. The interior holds period furnishings and art collections. A private guide visit before the day visitors arrive by ferry gives the rooms and gardens a quality of quiet the standard opening hours do not. Villa Cipressi, an 18th-century villa with terraced gardens stepping down to the lake, sits adjacent and can be visited on the same morning.
The first full private boat day departs from Varenna in the mid-morning, following the eastern shore south before crossing to the western shore and tracing the line of villas between Tremezzina and Ossuccio. The skipper narrates throughout, covering the ownership history, the architecture, and the stories attached to each property.
A private boat transfer carries you west to Bellagio, the village at the tip of the Punta Spartivento, the promontory that divides the lake into its three branches. It is the most photographed village on the lake, with steep cobbled lanes, wisteria-draped staircases, and views in three directions from above.
Villa Melzi d’Eril sits at the southern edge of the village, built in 1808 for Napoleon’s vice president of the Italian Republic. The gardens extend 500 meters along the lakefront with a Japanese garden, a Moorish temple, and azaleas and rhododendrons, while the interior holds period furnishings and Egyptian antiquities.A private visit before the gardens open to the public gives the rooms and grounds a stillness that the standard hours cannot produce.
Villa del Balbianello, across the water in Lenno, requires a short boat transfer. The villa sits on a forested promontory with terraced gardens and loggias that appear in Star Wars Episode II and two James Bond films. The interior holds the personal collection of explorer Guido Monzino, donated to the Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano in 1988. A private visit before 10am gives the loggia and its Alpine view a silence that disappears within the first hour of the day.
Bellagio’s lanes hold silk shops, jewelers, and restaurants that reward slow movement in the early morning or late evening. Aperitivo on the terrace as the sun drops behind the mountains is the most direct reason to be in Bellagio at that hour.
A private boat transfer along the western shore carries you north to Menaggio, a town that most Lake Como itineraries cover as a day trip rather than a stay. It sits directly opposite Varenna across the center of the lake, with the mountains of the Swiss border visible to the north, and operates closer to the pace of a working Italian town than a tourist destination.
The second full private boat day departs from Menaggio with Villa Carlotta in Tremezzina as the primary stop. It is the only historic villa on the lake with open access to both the interior and the gardens. The interior holds a collection of Neoclassical sculpture, including Thorvaldsen’s Alexander’s Triumphant Entry into Babylon, a frieze commissioned by Napoleon, and rooms of original furnishings from the 19th-century occupation by a Prussian princess.
The botanical gardens hold the most significant collection of camellias and rhododendrons in northern Italy. A private guide visit to the interior, followed by time in the gardens at your own pace, is the appropriate balance. Lunch in Menaggio before an afternoon on the water. The promenade in the early evening, when the day visitors have departed, is one of the quieter places on the lake.
A private transfer connects to Milan Malpensa Airport or Milan city center, with the departure time set around the flight connection. The drive south follows the western shore of the lake before joining the motorway toward Milan, with the last view of the water at Cernobbio before the city begins.
The itinerary can be extended with additional nights on the lake, a day trip north to Lugano in Switzerland, or a connection to Venice or Florence.
Experience the Vatican as few ever do — in the calm of evening, guided by those who know its secrets best. This exclusive after-hours visit reveals the artistry and emotion behind the world’s most famous collection, offering time to pause, reflect, and truly see.
Step into Trastevere — the Rome locals keep for themselves. Wander ivy-lined streets with a private historian, meet artisans still shaping the city by hand, and pause for an unhurried meal in a hidden courtyard. A Do Not Disturb experience revealing the soul of Rome through ease and access.
Experience Rome’s culinary artistry in complete ease. From private gardens to hidden terraces, Roman Dining in Style is a Do Not Disturb moment where food, setting, and connection come together in perfect harmony.
Step beyond Rome’s busy streets into its quietest spaces. From Trastevere’s hidden courtyards to the grand gardens of Tivoli, The Roman Garden Escape is a Do Not Disturb experience designed for stillness, beauty, and time shared with those who matter most.
Step inside Rome’s greatest monument in rare quiet. The Colosseum, Unveiled is a Do Not Disturb experience that reveals the arena’s hidden layers — from its underground chambers to its silent grandeur — guided by those who know its stories best.
Step through the ruins that shaped the modern world. Walking Through Time: The Roman Forum Reimagined is a Do Not Disturb experience revealing where power, philosophy, and architecture first met — and how the story of civilization still echoes between these stones.
Step into Rome’s most enduring masterpiece. The Pantheon is a Do Not Disturb experience revealing the harmony between light, structure, and spirit — an encounter with timeless design that continues to define the modern world.
Step into the light and shadow of Caravaggio’s Rome. From hidden chapels to private collections, Caravaggio’s Rome is a Do Not Disturb experience that reveals the artist’s genius as it was meant to be seen — intimately, quietly, and in place.
See Rome through a modern lens. Modern Rome: Art, Design & Aperitivo is a Do Not Disturb experience revealing the city’s evolving creative spirit — from hidden studios and private galleries to an aperitivo shared above the skyline.
A private visit to Leonardo’s Last Supper offers a rare chance to see one of the Renaissance’s most important works in near silence. This moment reveals the mural’s true scale, its fragile beauty and the architectural harmony of Santa Maria delle Grazie, all without the rush of standard viewing slots.
A private tour of the Duomo di Milano reveals the cathedral’s immense architecture, centuries of craftsmanship and the quiet beauty of its terraces, all without the pace and crowds of standard visits. This is Milan’s most iconic landmark experienced with time, clarity and space to appreciate its details.
Experience a private gondola ride in Venice through peaceful canals. Avoid the crowds with a romantic, tailor-made tour led by expert gondoliers.
Tell us how you want to feel, we’ll take it from there.
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“This was a flawless experience. They took all our thoughts and perfectly curated the most beautiful honeymoon.”
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