A Beautiful Birthday Celebration (Lake Como Edition)

After the whirlwind of Milan, I was ready for a quiet and relaxing two days in Lake Como. 

We took the train there from Milan Cardona station, which was a comfortable 1 hour ride (note: there are slightly faster trains, which take only 40 minutes instead).

Our time in Como was special – eating, drinking and being merry.

Here’s what we did.

Five Star Hotel

Once we arrived, we checked into our gorgeous boutique hotel, Vista Palazzo. It’s the only five star luxury hotel in the heart of Lake Como, which was perfect for us because we wanted to enjoy the experience of being on the lake while still close to the city center.

The hotel and service can be described as nothing short of fabulous. And it started months before we even arrived. Back in January, the staff reached out to introduce themselves and offer their services well ahead of our visit.

We used them to book us dinner reservations as well as navigate the ferry schedule; their help was invaluable, to say the least.

I booked our stay through Chase Travel using the Chase Sapphire Reserve. As a result, we received exclusive benefits like:

• $100 property credit (to use towards food and beverage)
• Daily complimentary breakfast for two with a minimum value up to $30/per person
• Welcome drinks for two
• Early and late check-out
• A room upgrade

And let me tell you, our room was a stunner; it was the Deluxe Double with gorgeous wood floors, luxurious bed linens and a beautiful bathroom to boot with Italian marble. 

The best part? When we walked in, we were greeted by a complimentary bottle of wine and macarons in honor of my weekend celebration. The surprises didn’t stop there; on my actual birthday, I was gifted a delicious custard treat at breakfast and beautiful chocolates at dinner.

Plus, throughout our stay, we received nightly turn-down service (which I always love) that included face masks and evening nibbles. These little extras made our visit even more special.

Pasta Is Always a Good Idea

One of our favorite meals in Como was at Ristorante Piazza Roma, located just off the beaten path of the city center. 

The restaurant has an eclectic old world vibe and the service was impeccable. What was even better than the service though? The pasta! 

J ordered the pesto pomodoro topped with fresh burrata and while I opted for brown buttered fish with shredded zucchini. Everything was outstanding. And we washed it all down with a few glasses of crisp Prosecco.

Catch & Release

I woke up around 6am on the big day and sat outside on a bench by the lake to take in the full view. Ringing in 40 early in the morning with me, myself, and I felt special. 

I took this time to journal, writing all of the things I needed to forgive myself for over the years (I got the idea after reading this book):

• Mistakes I made
• Opportunities I didn’t pursue
• And all the ways I turned my back on myself

I forgave myself for all of it. And, boy, the simple act of writing it down was freeing. It was the release I needed to move forward after carrying them for years.

When I was done, I took the paper, balled it up, and threw it away. Looking at the incredible view in front of me, I kept repeating to myself over and over again: “I forgive myself. I release all of it.”

The most powerful part is what I did after.

I wrote vows to myself – to love myself unconditionally, to take exquisite care of myself, and to pursue my dreams with wild abandon (which will require me to show up in ways I’ve been afraid to before).

Doing that simple exercise, in that moment, felt like a rebirth and beautiful start to this new chapter.

Bella Bellagio

Later that morning, we took a gorgeous 1-hour ferry to Bellagio, located in the upper peninsula of the lake. Along the way, we enjoyed views of the Alps in the distance, and, of course, George Clooney’s villas. 😍

Known as the “Pearl of Lake Como,” Bellagio oozes charm so it’s no surprise that it’s long been the playground of aristocrats.

When we arrived we were struck by the charming terracotta and lemon-hued buildings. We zigged and zagged through the alleys of Salita Mella and Salita Serbelloni (the two most photographed spots) before heading back to the harbor for a midday bite.

We dined lake-side at the Hotel Florence restaurant, which offered stunning lake views under a vine-covered pergola. 

We sipped Prosecco and shared burrata with plum tomatoes and balsamic glaze. Was it the best dish ever? No. But sitting outside, overlooking the water and enjoying the cool spring breeze was just what I wanted that day.

Our trip to Bellagio was a brief 3-hour stint because by mid-afternoon the place was bursting at the seams with tourists so we took that as our signal to go. I cannot even imagine what it’s like at the height of summer…

Before we left, we made one last stop at a cozy little wine shop, Andrea Wine, where we sampled 5 wines from the region ranging from Italian-style Chardonnay to Amarone. The owner, Andrea himself (sommelier and Bellagio native), was absolutely delightful, not to mention so enthusiastic about the wines he curates.

I highly recommend this pitstop if you’re planning to trip in Bellagio (he even offers a boat/wine tasting experience). And, he ships to the US!

AVIOTHIC TIPS:

• If you visit Bellagio for the day, go early to take advantage of smaller crowds
• Our hotel strongly recommended buying ferry tickets at the box office as soon as it opened (as the wait can be long) so set your alarm clock
• Some tickets are only available day of; avoid using Google or Rome2Rio for ferry schedules – they’re not accurate (admittedly, the Navigazione Laghi website (official ferry service) can be equally confusing to navigate; in person is way easier)
• You can’t buy a roundtrip ferry ticket (at least not from Como) so be sure to purchase your return ticket as soon as you arrive at your destination for the day

Celebrate Good Times

For dinner that night, we ate at Sottovoce, our hotel’s restaurant. I wore my new Sandro dress and my leather jacket. I even applied my makeup a little differently and, for the first time in a long while, actually felt really beautiful.

The view from the outdoor infinity bar was spectacular and our meal was sublime. We started with onion soup appetizer and for dinner, I had the risotto while J got the lamb pasta. All of it was *chef’s kiss.*

And there we were sitting at this beautiful restaurant in Lake Como with the most beautiful views, enjoying a spectacularly beautiful meal – it was the perfect way to ring in 40.

Without a doubt, this entire weekend will go down as one of my most special celebrations – ever.