Water, wonder and wow factor: How to stay in style at Lake Como

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This natural wonder, shaped like an inverted Y, is Italy's third biggest lake
It is one of the wonders of northern Italy, pitched just 30 miles from Milan
Hollywood icon George Clooney famously has a holiday home on the lake

Published: 07:12 EST, 7 March 2016 | Updated: 07:12 EST, 7 March 2016

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It is one of Italy's foremost, and most serene beauty spots - although 'spot' is scarcely a fitting description for a place as majestic as Lake Como. Kate Johnson explains the wonder and wow factor of this water feature in excelsis...

Picturesque perfection: The little town of Varenna is one of many lovely locations on the edge of Lake Como

WHY GO: Lake Como is shaped like an upside-down 'Y' drawn after one too many grappas. Formed by glaciers in the Ice Age, at 30 miles long and three miles wide, it's Italy's third largest lake.

But it is intimate and beguiling - a vision of tranquil beauty, from the backdrop of green rolling hills and snowy mountains beyond, to the elegant villas and villages beside the glittering water.

Not a new build or dual carriageway in sight.

Como has inspired everyone from Shelley (who wrote in 1818: 'This lake exceeds anything I ever beheld in beauty') to George Clooney (who has said: 'At Lake Como, you live your life the way you're supposed to live your life if you're lucky.')

WHERE TO STAY: The family-run Grand Hotel Tremezzo never received the memo about minimalism. It is irresistibly glamorous and seductive, with sumptuous red-velvet love seats in the lobby, a new spa, which includes an infinity pool with a current to swim against, divinely romantic bedrooms (embarrassingly, I gasped when I opened the door and saw the lake from my balcony), terraced gardens, and a pool built over the lake itself.

It is old-school spectacular and not at all stuffy; there's no 'dressing for dinner', unless you want to. This hotel is completely wonderful. Double rooms from £363 B&B, www.grandhoteltremezzo.com

An Italian icon: The Grand Hotel Tremezzo is 'old-school spectacular, and not at all stuffy'

WHAT TO SEE: Compared with the peace of Tremezzo, Como town feels like Manhattan - though in fact has fewer than 100,000 residents. Its Gothic cathedral is the result of several lifetime's labour.

Work began in 1396 and didn't finish until 1770. There are piazzas around every corner and silk shops that supply the world's most fabulous designers, from Ralph Lauren to Versace and Hermes.

It's also the birthplace of Alessandro Volta, the bright spark who invented the first electrical battery.

There is a museum about him, a plaque on the house where he was born, as well as roads and buildings all named after him. The 17th century Villa Carlotta in Tremezzo, popular as a 'halting place' of the Grand Tour, is as famous for its sculptures by Canova and Hayez as for its botanic gardens. Find your own halting place amid the blooming azaleas and rhododendrons and admire the view to Bellagio.

WHAT TO BUY: Known as the 'pearl of the lake', Bellagio's intriguing cobbled steps lead to cafes and delis. Don't leave without stocking up on local olive oil. Vanini Osvaldo, made in Lenno since the 1850s, is the one favoured by famous chefs.

You'll be spoilt for choice at the market for vibrant silk scarves and leather, but brace yourself to barter. When I was browsing, an American woman, tired of her husband's ineffective haggling over a briefcase, shouted a price she was prepared to pay. The owner said: 'But this is grade A'. She replied: 'He only needs grade B'. After a brief pause, she added: 'Or C.'

Come admire the horizon: Wonderful views of Lake Como come as standard at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo

DON'T MISS: For entertainment, take a small boat to the tiny Locanda dell'Isola Comacina, in the middle of the lake.

The menu hasn't changed since 1947 (there is no menu), but it's lured the likes of Bill Clinton, Brad Pitt and Stella McCartney, whose photos line the entrance.

After six simple, perfect courses — including home-made bresaola, grilled trout, baked crispy chicken and a slab of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese dug out from a wheel the size of a tractor tyre - the host Benvenuto appears to perform a twice-daily, elaborate fire ceremony, mixing coffee, brandy and sugar in a huge copper pot, with some chanting.

He's exorcising a curse put on the island by a 12th-century bishop, which included the alarming words: 'No one will ever again be host, the punishment shall be an atrocious death.' Yikes!

GETTING THERE: EasyJet (www.easyjet.com, 0330 365 5000) flies to Milan - 30 miles away from Lake Como - from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Gatwick and Luton from £48 return.