Como a.k.a A Food Coma - all without Delphi! - 14th May 2026
- Brett Sedgwick
- May 14
- 4 min read
Ciao from Como,
Well, the mechanics said it would be a while, and there was a weekend on, so we decided to catch the bus back to Menaggio, and then on to Como.
The bus terminus was right near our old caravan park, so we had a fairly good idea about where we were. We bought tix to Como for 4.90 Euros, and jumped on the second bus for the day.
The next hour saw the bus winding its way along the Western shore of Lake Como, and for under a fiver, we got to see some of the most beautiful towns, villas and gardens in Italia.
Bella!
We ended up at the bus station in Como and checked into our cool little apartment, while Linda, the cleaner, was still cleaning. In between her broken English, our elementary Italian and a few hugs and kisses, we worked out where to shop, what to see and where to EAT!
Righto then.
Great coffee and paninis from Bar Ka-os across the road, strolls through the cobblestoned old town. Beautiful shops, tavernas, trattorias, etc. Como has it all. A huge cathedral, an old town and great food and coffee right on the lake. Perfecto.
Except for the rain.
The cool thing about our apartment was that the lounge turned into a sofa bed, so we caught up on some TV, cooked some food and slowed down a bit.
We also tried to jump on the ferry on a sunny, windy day, but the line-ups were ridiculous - we’d hate to see this place in June/July - so we jumped on the funicular and went up to the mountain top town of Brunate. The view from here was incredible, and we spent a good hour or two checking out this place before we descended and walked into Como for lunch.
The rest of the day turned into an unexpected food extravaganza! A Food- Como if you will!!
We discovered a little foodie corner right near our apartment that housed about six restaurants, delis and wine bars.
Lunch was at La Sosta Del Mare and comprised a porcini mushroom tagliatelle for Jen-Jen and a boar ragu with paccheri (like a thick tube pasta) for Yours Truly. Served with bread, it was incredible.
First dinner that night (yeah, you read that right - first dinner) was at Pronobis Wine Bar, which was a place that I’d researched before and was keen to try. Jen-Jen had the bresaola, rocket, walnut and grana cheese salad, and I had one of the best slices of lasagne that I’ve ever tried. This was washed down with a Nebbiolo. Perfecto!
We wanted to have maybe one more wine, and we found a little deli around the corner - Ristorante La Bottega dell'Architetto. We weren’t sure what we wanted, so the owner let us try a decent mouthful of about five red wines in about 2 minutes. We each chose our favourite, and he made us a platter of char-grilled veg - red capsicum, eggplant and zucchini - grilled porchetta, bread and condiments. Check it out below. It was absolutely exceptional!
What a find. Three world-class eateries within 30 metres of each other.
We rolled home and watched some TV. Luckily, we had done 13.5K steps that day, or we wouldn’t have fit into the beds.
The next day, we got the bus back to Menaggio, and because it was sunny, we got the ferry ticket and went to Bellagio and Varenna again.
We had lunch at La Dolce Vita in Bellagio, and while I had a fantastic Bolognese Tagliatelle, Jen-Jen had the special - one that she had been dying to try - Truffle Risotto. It was divine and had about 30 paper-thin slices of proper white truffle on the top. She said it was the greatest dish that she’d ever tried. Not bad. Big Call. And, she didn't leave a skerrick on that plate. Check it out!
That night, we stayed at the Lake Como Hostel - our first hostel for the trip. And what a hostel it was.
The location and views were perfect - as seen below - and the restaurant was incredible with locals from Menaggio dining next to backpackers. I went for the steak with chimichurri, while Jen-Jen had the pork and bacon medallions with capers and a red wine/lemon reduction. We had a side of baby potatoes steamed with parsley and complimentary glasses of red because we stayed there.
What a dinner, what a view, AND there was no one else in our room, so we had a private room. $117 AUD for the room. This was 800m away from the Grand Hotel - with a similar view - that costs $ 1900 AUD per night. Haha Suckers!!
Fantastico.
We are hanging around here today before we pick up Delphi (Yay) and get back on the road as we make our way towards Venice.
We never thought that we’d have ten days on Lake Como, but it is a time that we will never forget and some sights and tastes that will linger for a long time.
Ciao Bellas.
Comments