Flight and Stay: The airline we were flew with was Ryanair and the hotel we stayed at was Hotel Bellagio. I have never had a problem with Ryanair before but on the way back from Italy our plane was delayed by about an hour, which was annoying since it was a late flight and I had work the next day. Thankfully we made it just in time for the last train home in London. The plane journey itself was fine. The flight was from London Stansted to Milan (duration is approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes), and from Milan airport we caught a train to Saronno and then changed for the train to Como which was about an hour all in all (although the train from Saronno to Como does not run often so it is best to check the timetable beforehand), then ferry from Como to Bellagio which is about 2 hours on the slow ferry. There is a fast ferry which costs a few euros more and is only an hour's journey but there were none running at the time that we went. Como ferry port from Como train station is only 5 minutes walk away. I have to add that the 2 hour ferry journey didn't feel that long because the views are just stunning.

When we checked Google Maps it showed our hotel is only 3 minutes walk away from the ferry port, winning! The consensus of the reviews for Hotel Bellagio were positive but people did heed a warning that you will have to go up some cobbled steps to get to the hotel. I won't lie, when you first see the steps they are somewhat daunting especially if you have a big suitcase with you but I think it looks worse than it actually is. Also the geography of Bellagio is hilly and we did get little confused with finding the hotel with all the different paths going up, as we weren't sure if they were all connected at the top but they are, even if you cannot see a path straight away there is always a side path somewhere. 

Originally we had booked a twin room but I think they must have ran out of rooms as we walked into a queen bed and then a sad single bed on the side which we adopted as our 'couch' or nap-space on this trip. The room itself was spacious, the bathroom was big and clean (but with an outdated design, to quote J.Y it was 'reminiscent of a hospital bathroom'). There was a full-length mirror inside the wardrobe and the full-length windows opened out to a terrace but it was blocked by railings. Also the curtains are more of a design rather than to shut out light, to shut out light if you are a light-sleeper like me, there are solid green shutters outside of the window, which I have to say I didn't realise until later. The real pro of this room is the fact that it is literally right beside the breakfast room and the gym. Staff were also really friendly and helpful which is always a plus.

Breakfast was included in our booking and it is quite a simple fare but it filled us up. There was a station of natural yoghurt with different toppings and spreads, a barista taking orders for coffee, then eggs, cheese, ham, a selection of pastries and cereal. 

Do: Visit Giardini di Villa Melzi, a botanical garden 10 minutes walk from the center of Bellagio. We spent around 1.5 hours in here, it is quite small but for €6.50 there is plenty to see including statues scattered around and an oriental garden. When you first walk in there is a lakeside path which leads to the small white chapel in the picture below but there are also paths going up the hill. We followed the lakeside path first and then coming back out, followed the paths going up. 

We done a lot of walking on this trip but the streets are so cute. We followed the path up from our hotel and went to the tip of Bellagio where the restaurant La Punta is. The views from there are beautiful and there is steps on either side of the place, one leads straight into the water and the other leads to a rocky terrain.

Cue model pose: And nailed it! That or the below picture is a 100% candid picture as I was steadying myself to jump up onto the wall and J.Y fantastically captured the heart-wrenching moment (before I screwed up my face and screamed 'I can't do it! What am I doing!?').

Side Story - Professional Photographer: Me and J.Y wanted a picture together so we asked the only other people we saw at the rocky terrain part, which was an elderly couple from France, the wife was nearest to us so we asked her but she quickly recommended her husband instead as he takes "much nicer photos" and what photos he took! He took about 10-15 photos for us (below is just one I chose) and all at different angles horizontal and vertical, he was clearly a passionate photographer, funny too. If only all people you ask to help you take photos, were this good. I too am taking a page out of his book, anyone who wants their photo taken abroad on their camera, I got you! Holla!

Walking around Bellagio there are a lot of cute boutique shops and one of these is Azalea - Silk of Como. They have so much variety in there and staff are really friendly, the guy was so patient with me and J.Y as we tried on scarf after scarf. He even encouraged us to pull out the packaged ones to get a better look. Needless to say we both ended up with a scarf we love and for the price of £30 each it was not bad at all. Also at this time they had a very vivid display up, it turns out that the display was actually a sneak preview of Versace's next collection.

Eat: So the first thing that I ate when I was in Italy was unashamedly, you may have already guessed, gelato! You know the saying, 'when in Italy, gelato all day, everyday', that or I just made it up. The first gelato shop we went into was Gelateria Chiara which is just opposite Como train station so if you have time, stop over there! There is so many flavours to choose from! The hazelnut gelato tasted too good and I never usually get a cone but for the sake of a nice picture I did. This cone however was really crispy (unlike ice-cream vans back at home, do not even bother with that stale 99p flake that is not even 99p anymore).
We were only in Italy for the weekend so I made sure to make the most of it and me making the most of it on this trip, was mainly being a total foodie. You can forget about that no/low carb diet and no alcohol rule because I went all out. The other gelato place worth mentioning is Gelateria del Borgo, this place is located upstairs from our hotel, 2 minutes walk away and though it could get very crowded there was always service with a smile from the ladies behind the counter. I got praline and vanilla whilst J.Y opted for a more fruity take with a raspberry and peach. I did go back the next day and they had different flavours available! So I think they change the flavours daily (or whatever gets sold out first).

The first restaurant we went to was Ristoro Forma & Gusto. We had a 3 course meal, the starters were mussels and bruschetta which were really good but for the main my lasagne was way too soft. I did not even have to chew before swallowing. They did redeem themselves however with their tiramisu which was delicious, fresh and the alcohol was not too strong.

Side Story - Storm: As we were eating, I kept seeing flashes of light in the distant sky, at first I thought it was someone playing with lights or something but when it got more frequent and vibrant I realized it was lightning (with no thunder). When we were on dessert and just about to finish, it became really windy and dark. I don't know what kind of tree it came from but it was so windy that these sharp straight pine leaves(?) darted at us and at everyone else who was sitting outside, and they hurt! Everyone picked up their food and ran indoors for cover. Thankfully at this time me and J.Y were ready for the bill so we paid and ran back to our hotel, which was actually not that easy in a storm. It was so windy at this point I could not open my eyes and if you want to walk down cobbled stairs and make it alive, I would suggest going with your eyes opened. The storm caused a 15 minute blackout and we were locked outside of our hotel room but what is travelling without stories like these.

I am not really a pizza-person but the 2 places that I will actively seek out pizza, is in Italy and New York. The restaurant we went to in Bellagio for lunch was Ristorante Pizzeria Carillon. We got the ham and mushroom and the spicy pepperoni pizzas to share, followed with wine and a side of chips. I was happy.

Next up was dessert, J.Y got tiramisu again and I got the chocolate fondant, which was okay but the center was somewhat dry, it did not ooze as a fondant should.

Another place we went to for lunch was called Far Out. When we went the restaurant was empty, albeit for one table, which does not look good but bear in mind there are so many restaurants in Bellagio. I had my eye on this place because they had the fried mixed seafood (fritto misto de mare), other restaurants we looked at only offered calamari so we just went for it. We also ordered the mushroom pasta to share and thankfully both dishes were actually really nice.

Our last meal in Italy was back in Como at Al Lungo Lago. By this time I really wanted meat and one of the dishes that was present in almost all the restaurants I saw was veal cutlet so that is what I went for. The veal was okay, it was much fattier that I had anticipated. For dessert I ordered the tiramisu and again it was okay, it had much more cream than sponge but the cream was quite solid. J.Y had the strawberry pannacotta which she said was nice.