A stone loggia with cypresses over Lake Como at Varenna
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Italy

Lake Como & the Italian Lakes

Deep lakes between the mountains, villa gardens down to the water and boats between the villages.

PhotographersWhen to marry here

North of Milan, where the Alps begin, long glacial lakes lie between steep green mountains. Lake Como, shaped like an upside-down Y, is lined with old villas and terraced gardens that run down to the water; Lake Maggiore to the west has its islands and palace gardens, and Lake Garda, the largest, opens wide and Mediterranean in the south.

A lake wedding usually means a villa: a ceremony in the garden or on a terrace over the water, guests arriving by boat, dinner as the lights come on along the far shore.

White chairs set for a ceremony on a lawn by a lake
The village of Varenna on Lake Como at dusk
Lake Como seen over the bow of a wooden boat

Through the year

When to marry on Lake Como & the Italian Lakes

Late spring and September are the lakes at their best: gardens in flower, then the light turning gold. July and August are warm and busy, with an afternoon storm now and then. The lakes get more rain than most of Italy, spread through the warm months, and most villas and lakeside hotels open only from spring to autumn.

  1. January: Quieter
  2. February: Quieter
  3. March: Quieter
  4. April: Good with planning
  5. May: Best
  6. June: Best
  7. July: Good with planning
  8. August: Good with planning
  9. September: Best
  10. October: Good with planning
  11. November: Quieter
  12. December: Quieter
  • SpringCamellias, azaleas and wisteria in the villa gardens. May is often the wettest month — keep a covered terrace in the plan.
  • SummerWarm days on the water and long evenings. Storms can build over the mountains in the afternoon, and pass quickly.
  • AutumnClear, golden September days and the first colour on the slopes. By November many places have closed for the winter.

Places

Where couples marry here

The kinds of places — ask your photographer which ones they know well.

  1. Villa gardens

    Terraced gardens, balustrades and old trees over the water — the lakes’ signature setting.

  2. Lakeside hotels and terraces

    A ceremony on a lawn by the water, and dinner on a terrace as the far shore lights up.

  3. Boats and village harbours

    A wooden boat between the ceremony and dinner, and portraits on the water and on old stone quays.

  4. Mountain churches and viewpoints

    Small churches on the slopes above the lake, for a quiet ceremony or portraits with the whole lake below.

Light

How the light falls

On a lake between mountains the sun leaves early: the shore that faces west keeps the last light while the other is already in shade. Photographers who know the lakes time the portraits to it, or take a boat to follow it. The water is often calmest early in the day, before the afternoon breeze picks up.

Travel

Getting there

Fly into Milan (Malpensa or Linate) or Bergamo; Lake Como is about an hour away by car or train. Ferries and water taxis link the villages, and the lakeside roads are narrow — the boat is often the easier way.

Photographers

Photographers on Lake Como & the Italian Lakes

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Plan

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