Lake Como: Private boat cruise with guide & prosecco

5.00

(7 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We stepped onto Nicolas’s Cranchi just as the water started to shimmer in that late afternoon way — you know, when the sun is low but not quite setting. He handed us glasses of prosecco (ice-cold, honestly perfect) and grinned, “Ready?” The engine hummed beneath our feet as we pulled away from Como’s port, passing that odd electrical sculpture on the breakwater. I caught the faint smell of lake water and sunscreen — summer in Italy, basically.

Nicolas pointed out Villa Olmo first, then steered us up along the western shore. Cernobbio slid by with its grand hotels — he waved at someone on the dock like they were old friends. We all craned our necks for a glimpse of Villa d’Este (it’s fancier than I expected), and then he told a quick story about Luchino Visconti filming movies at Villa Erba. I probably should’ve known who that was, but nodded along anyway. There was this moment near Moltrasio where everything went quiet except for the wake behind us — Versace’s old villa sat there looking almost shy against the trees.

We made it up to Laglio (yes, Clooney’s place is real — Nicolas pointed it out with a little wink), then crossed over to the eastern side where things felt softer somehow. The Plinian villa looked mysterious in the shade; Nicolas said something about legends but got distracted by another boat waving hello. We passed Torno and Blevio, each village tucked into green hillsides, people waving from tiny docks or just sitting with their feet in the water. Heading back toward Como, I realized I’d barely touched my prosecco because I kept forgetting to drink — too much to look at.