An Unexpected Modern Lunch in Bellagio, Lake Como

Breathtaking Lago di Como

Breathtaking Lago di Como

We had a short stay in Lake Como (Lago di Como) on our way north to Switzerland. It was a place I had heard so much about, so I was excited to visit. As it turned out, I wasn’t a big fan of Como town as it was really touristy and it was quite hard to find gluten free food. However, the lake and surrounding areas were beautiful and I bet it would have been much nicer if we had camped ourselves at a smaller town around Lago di Como instead.

The highlight was our lovely afternoon in Bellagio. We took a boat from Como across Lago di Como to get to Bellagio. It was a beautiful, quiet and surprisingly not overly touristy town.  We walked around the little streets to get some beautiful views of Lago di Como. It took us a little while to find a restaurant that could serve me a gluten free lunch, in fact I can still remember the ignorant look a waitress at one restaurant gave me when I asked if they had anything gluten free. So when we stumbled across Princess Bellagio, a fancy modern bar very unlike the small outdoor terraces of the other restaurants we passed by, I felt it was more important to eat at a place that didn’t hesitate at serving a gluten free meal rather than ambiance. We’re talking an empty, entirely indoor bar with A/C playing five years old American rap music. Not exactly the kind of place you’d expect to find authentic Italian food. When I asked the waiter if they had anything senza glutine, he immediately started listing off their gluten free dishes. So I was in. As it turned out, the meal was fantastic! I had eggplant parmesan and it was easily one of the best dishes that I ate in Italy. The tomato sauce made the dish come alive, it was so good! Plus, as a bonus Ry ordered the mushroom risotto, which was also naturally gluten free, so we were able to share our meals and taste test. The risotto was very creamy and tasted strongly of mushroom. Overall, a very unexpected but very delicious lunch!

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Great views of Lago di Como

Delicious eggplant parmesan with one of the best tomato sauces I have eaten

Delicious eggplant parmesan with one of the best tomato sauces I have eaten