Lake Como or Venice for our wedding anniversary?

Hi everyone, My husband and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. We’d love to return to Italy. We’re torn between Venice and Lake Como in Bellagio. Could you share your thoughts? We visited Venice exactly 10 years ago—we loved it, but I’m not sure if Lake Como is worth it even more. Is it a truly romantic and heart-stopping destination for this special occasion? Thanks for your advice! Sarah

Venice is a very beautiful city, but unfortunately very touristy. It’s up to you to decide. The lake region is also very beautiful. The advantage of lakes in the mountains is that it avoids temperatures that are too cold. If you can visit Stresa, it’s worth the trip. But it all depends on what you mean by romantic.

Hi, You’ve left out some key details: when do you plan to take this trip? How many days? Are you more into monuments or landscapes? What means of transport will you use? Venice and the Italian lakes are a no-go in summer: too hot and packed with tourists. Lake Maggiore is the rainiest region in Italy—best avoided in winter too, but magical in spring... though you’ll need a car. I stopped there last June during a heatwave, but I’m already planning to go back. Here are a few photos—the first two were taken from our room’s balcony in the afternoon when we arrived and the next morning.



We spent half a day visiting two of the Borromean Islands: the Fishermen’s Island and the (very large) Isola Bella.











We stayed in Baveno, near Stresa. Here’s a sunset photo taken on the panoramic promenade on our way back from the (great) restaurant our hotel recommended.



We only saw a few kilometers along Lake Maggiore, but we found it so romantic! Just to give you an idea, we’re lucky enough to live by Lake Geneva, which we see every day from our windows... but Lake Maggiore is way more beautiful. I haven’t seen the other Italian Alpine lakes since I was a kid, but they’re on my list now. As for Venice, I’ll never get tired of it—it’s easy to reach by plane, you get around by vaporetto, there are the islands, the museums, and so many amazing spots once you step off the tourist highways. Just avoid weekends in the city center and take the chance to explore the lagoon and the more local neighborhoods like Dorsoduro or the Arsenale.